USDA Forest Service · Alaska
Eagles Nest Campground
USDA Forest Service · Alaska, United States
- Sites
- 12
- Hookups
- 12 no hookups
- Season
- May 9 to December 31
- Max RV length
- 99 ft
- Drinking water
- No
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Elevation
- 397 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile none · AT&T none · Verizon none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Access road
- EAGLE NEST CAMPGROUND ROAD (NFSR 3000020) · paved · suitable for passenger cars
- Lake
- Tongass National Forest
- Nearest town
- Craig
- Address
- TONGASS-KETCHIKAN, AK
- Activities
- Camping, Fishing, Hiking, Kayaking, Wildlife Viewing
12 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.
About
Overview
Eagles Nest Campground is located on Prince of Wales Island in a temperate rainforest surrounded by muskeg and Balls Lake. Visitors enjoy viewing wildlife, hiking, fishing, canoeing and kayaking.
This campground is situated on Prince of Wales Island, the third largest island in the U.S., on the shores of Balls Lake, eighteen miles west of Thorne Bay.
Recreation
An interpretive trail parallels the lake for approximately 1,800 feet, offering scenic views of the Thorne Mountains and surrounding foothills. Canoeing, kayaking and fishing are popular activities at Balls Lake. A canoe ramp is located on the lakeshore. Sockeye salmon, wildflowers and industrious beavers are common sights in and around the lake.
The 2.5-mile Balls Lake Trail lets visitors hike around the lake, where swans, kingfisher and ducks are often seen, along with an array of riparian areas.
Facilities
The campground offers single and double-family sites. Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided, as are vault toilets.
Natural Features
The campground is situated near Control Creek and Balls Lake, within the Tongass National Forest, which covers nearly 17 million acres in southeast Alaska and is the largest forest in the national forest system.
The Tongass surrounds the Inside Passage, the network of waterways that buffers the jagged Alaskan Coast and a cluster of coastal islands. The Tongass offers visitors a chance to view wildlife, including eagles, bears and spawning salmon. Expansive vistas of fjords, glaciers and mountain peaks abound. Much of the forest is a temperate rainforest.
Nearby Attractions
A number of hiking trails and recreation sites are in the area.
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 34° | 0° | 47° | 7 of 11 |
| February | 39° | 31° | 9° | 48° | 10 of 11 |
| March | 41° | 32° | 20° | 59° | 9 of 11 |
| April | 46° | 35° | 24° | 61° | 7 of 11 |
| May | 54° | 43° | 37° | 79° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 57° | 47° | 42° | 77° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 61° | 52° | 45° | 75° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 62° | 54° | 45° | 83° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 59° | 49° | 44° | 70° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 49° | 42° | 34° | 64° | 0 of 10 |
| November | 42° | 36° | 19° | 51° | 5 of 10 |
| December | 39° | 34° | 13° | 50° | 8 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Control Lake Cabin · USDA Forest Service · 1 mi · 1 sites
- Honker Lake Cabin · USDA Forest Service · 9 mi · 1 sites
- Salmon Lake Cabin Thorne Bay · USDA Forest Service · 11 mi · 1 sites
- Black Bear Lake Cabin (Tongass National Forest, AK) · USDA Forest Service · 11 mi · 1 sites
- Karta Lake Cabin · USDA Forest Service · 13 mi · 1 sites
All public campgrounds in Alaska · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-02-25. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.