Bradfield Canal to Berg Bay: Alpine Anchorages & Creekside Adventure

We woke to low clouds and quiet in Bradfield Canal. Karen took the helm while I got a jump on dinner, prepping a chicken and penne pasta salad—always a win on days when energy runs low but appetites run high.

The cruise to Berg Bay, just south of Wrangell, was smooth and uneventful. This anchorage is a gem—narrow, deep, and tucked into alpine scenery with a Forest Service cabin at its head. The wind and current tend to hold you mid-channel. We dropped anchor in 66 feet (at high tide) and eased out 200 feet of chain.

Oceanflyer looking back to the entrance to berg bay

you can get a peak at aaron creek over the trees at the back of berg inlet

Our timing was driven by a mission: dinghy exploring up Aaron Creek at the evening high tide (+12.64 feet around 7 p.m.). With time to spare, we zipped ashore to check out the cabin and boardwalk. The sun even made a brief appearance.

The cabin, perfectly perched with a front porch view over the bay, was unoccupied—giving us a peek inside. A rope swing for kids hung from a nearby tree, and the setting felt like something out of a wilderness postcard.

We followed the well-maintained 0.4-mile boardwalk behind the cabin into a marshy alpine basin ringed by mountains. Then it was back to the boat to wait on the tide.

The cabin at Berg Bay sits at the head

OceanFlayer and her dinghy from the cabin

Well maintain boardwalk at Berg Bay

Around 5:30, we headed for Aaron Creek. The real adventure was navigating the shallow delta at its mouth. We tried the eastern branch first—until we bumped into just a foot of water. Doubling back, we found better luck on the western channel, which held 5+ feet of depth until a large sandbank halted our progress.

The payoff? Absolute serenity. A winding estuary, framed by snow-capped peaks and lush, grassy banks. Classic bear country—but no sightings today, only rainbows.

the little dot in the lower left corner is us anchored in the west branch of AAron Creek

looking straight down you can see the shallowing water that stopped our progress.

These are the anchorages we love best: solitude, scenery, and an off-the-boat adventure waiting around the corner.