Agency-listedUSFS Tongass National Forest -- Wrangell Ranger District · dispersedFree
Shoemaker Bay Overlook Shelter
Hike-in · public land · AK · 56.41883, -132.31994
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →The land manager lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Shoemaker Bay Overlook Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,487 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Shoemaker Bay Overlook ShelterNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Shoemaker Bay Overlook Shelter · public land · AK
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery4 mi
- HHardware4 mi
- RxPharmacy4 mi
- +Urgent care4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- WWater20 mi
- FFuel36 mi
- LLaundry36 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 4 mi out, no EV fast charger is listed within 150 mi.
Not within 60 mi: Dump, Propane. Plan those before you head up.
EV fast charger: none listed within 150 straight-line mi (US DOE data). Charge before the turn-off.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Shoemaker Bay Overlook Shelter
Access
Hike-in
Land
public land · dispersed
Elevation
1,487 ft
State
AK
Coordinates
56.41883, -132.31994
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Shoemaker Bay Overlook Shelter · public land · AK (OpenStreetMap)
- Resupply lookup unavailable — try the map links below.
EV charging — from Shoemaker Bay Overlook Shelter · public land · AK — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast chargerNone listed within 150 straight-line miles. Plan the charge before the turn-off.
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)94.8 mi — ELECTRIC BUS MPL ELEC BUSS, Metlakatla, AK · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Shoemaker Bay Overlook Shelter · public land · AK — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletShoemaker Bay Overlook Shelter · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Wrangell High Country Shelter · ~1.3 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Wrangell Pond Shelter · ~1.8 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMiddle Ridge · ~6.7 mi S · USFS
Open Shoemaker Bay Overlook Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near Shoemaker Bay Overlook Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- North Wrangell High Country Shelter~1.3 mi
- North Wrangell Pond Shelter~1.8 mi
- Lower Salamander Creek~7.1 mi
- Nemo Campsite~7.9 mi
How we know this — Shoemaker Bay Overlook Shelter
Stay limit
None published
Source
public land records
Confidence
Agency-confirmed — The managing agency's own record names this as a campsite and puts it at these coordinates. About as good as it gets short of standing here.
How it was placed
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r10/tongass/recreation/shoemaker-bay-overlook-shelter (read 2026-08-17). Fee field reads: "None". At the end of the Institute Creek Trail on the North Wrangell trail system, with views of Zimovia Strait, Shoemaker Bay and the surrounding islands. 3.5 miles from the Rainbow Falls Trailhead via Rainbow Falls -> Institute Creek, or 5.2 miles from the North Wrangell Trailhead. No stay limit stated. Restrooms: Outhouse. Water: the page states plainly that potable water is not available at this site. Nearest town/access per the page: Wrangell; 3.5 mi from the Rainbow Falls Trailhead. | auto:agency-trust 2026-08-18: state agency GIS record with a source URL and coordinates, confidence not low. Fee value is the agency's own, not field-checked. Not field-verified -- confirm access, road conditions and fire rules before you go.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Shoemaker Bay Overlook Shelter
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Shoemaker Bay Overlook Shelter
Water on public land →Dumping grey & black →Cold-weather camping →Off-grid communication →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →