Mount Edgecumbe

Overview

Mount Edgecumbe is a volcano rising 3,201 feet above the Pacific. The mountain is located on Kruzof Island roughly 10 miles west of the town of Sitka, Alaska. On clear days, Edgecumbe is dominant feature on the landscape around Sitka and is a local landmark.

Getting There

Mount Edgecumbe is normally accessed from Sitka and requires a roughly 30-45 minute boat ride from Baranof Island to Kruzof Island. These waters can be rough but wildlife watching is usually great. Charter boats can be hired in Sitka.

Most people climbing Edgecumbe are dropped off at Fred's Creek Cabin. The cove here has a rocky shoreline and normally requires a dinghy to get to shore. Most locals know how to get to the Cabin.

Red Tape

There is no red tape.

Camping

There are several places to stay or camp. One of the nicest amenities on the island is Fred's Creek Cabin. The cabin sits roughly 7 miles from Edgecumbe's summit, so it makes a long summit day. The cabin is a beautiful place to stay either on the way in or out. Make sure to make reservations well in advance as the cabin fills up for most of the summer.

A great place to stay the night before a summit attempt is at a recently constructed USFS shelter. The shelter is roughly 4 miles from Fred's Creek Cabin and 3 miles from the summit. The shelter is a very comfortable place to stay with wood burning stove and sleeping platforms. If the new shelter is full, an older one is located 1/4 mile up the trail on the right.

Camping is allowed throughout the forest service land. Several good spots can be found near the shelters.

Miscellaneous

According to the Daily Sitka Sentinel's "All About Sitka Guide 2008-2009", Mount Edgecumbe was the site of local prankster Porky Bickar's ultimate hoax. Although the volcano has been dormant for thousands of years, Bickar and friends hired a helicopter to lower a pile of old tires into the mountain's caldera where they lit them on fire. Sitka residents awoke to smoke streaming out of Edgecumbe and thought an eruption was eminent.

A photo of the prank can be found on the Struck by Enlighting blog : Eruption of Mount Edgecumbe

External Links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Edgecumbe_(Alaska)

http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/cabins/sitka/fredscrk.shtml

Images

View Mount Edgecumbe Image Gallery - 14 Images