U.S. Forest Service · Tongass National Forest · Alaska

Lake No. 3 Campground

The Lake No. 3 dispersed camping area is named for the lake that one of the sites overlooks. This small camping area has 2 hardened campsites, fire rings and picnic tables available for visitors looking for a more secluded camping area. Special Features: Lake No. 3 dispersed campsite is a nice, small site without a lot of amenities. It is within a mile of the Salt Chuck Trail, which brings hikers to an interesting abandoned copper mine site. The campsite is also close to Lake Ellen and No. 3 Lake. Many visitors hike down to these lakes to swim or fish for trout and Dolly Varden. The second growth stands nearby are good spots to pick berries and may offer opportunities to see deer and bears.

Booking not publishedTents only

More like this: first-come in Alaska · tent only in Alaska

Lake No. 3 Campground
Photo from the area. Pacific Museum of Earth from Canada (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Amenities & rules

EquipmentTents

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

ForestTongass National Forest

Tongass National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Lake No. 3 Campground30°40°50°60°January: 8.16 inches of precipitationFebruary: 5.46 inches of precipitationMarch: 6.25 inches of precipitationApril: 5.09 inches of precipitationMay: 3.51 inches of precipitationJune: 4.08 inches of precipitationJuly: 5.30 inches of precipitationAugust: 6.98 inches of precipitationSeptember: 8.63 inches of precipitationOctober: 12.12 inches of precipitationNovember: 10.52 inches of precipitationDecember: 9.08 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 33.2°F averageFebruary: 33.9°F averageMarch: 36.2°F averageApril: 41.9°F averageMay: 48.6°F averageJune: 54.4°F averageJuly: 58.1°F averageAugust: 57.8°F averageSeptember: 52.1°F averageOctober: 44.3°F averageNovember: 37.0°F averageDecember: 33.7°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Thorne Bay, 4 miles from the campground at 286 feet, station USC00509148 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 85 inches a year.

Getting there

Coordinates55.6531° N, 132.5844° W · Directions ↗

Explore

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.1 mi
    Thorne Bay 2030780 Road
    1.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more
  • 0.5 mi
    2030 954 Road
    0.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more
  • 0.9 mi
    Angel Lake 2030790 Rd
    0.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more
  • 1.2 mi
    Salt Chuck
    1.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 1.3 mi
    2030794 Road
    0.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more
  • 1.3 mi
    2030952 Road
    2.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

Karta River Wilderness begins about 3.7 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Guidebooks for Alaska

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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Can I bring an RV to Lake No. 3 Campground?

Lake No. 3 Campground is listed for tents only.

Source: Forest Service

What if Lake No. 3 Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Eagles Nest Campground (10.6 mi), Harris River Campground (16.7 mi), and Staney Bridge Campground (23.5 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby