Elfin Cove is an embayment extending south from Cross Sound for 1 mile (1.6 km), narrowing to just over 100 feet (30 m) on the western shore of the Inian Peninsula at Chichagof Island‘s northern end in Tongass National Forest, about 80 miles (129 km) west of Juneau and 34 miles (55 km) northwest of Hoonah, Alaska. A post office was established in 1935 with the name Elfin Cove, reputedly after a locally owned boat; the US Forest Service published the name on maps. The bay was originally called Gunk Hole, referring to the mud typical of shallow tidal sloughs and marshes navigable only by gunkholing in small shoal-draft boats. Sediments accumulating in Elfin Cove derive from highly erodible surrounding rocks. The Inian Peninsula is bisected by a geologic fault that juxtaposes the Alexander terrane to the east with the Chugach terrane to the west. Rocks of the Chugach terrane surrounding Elfin Cove are part of the Schist Unit, a Jurassic period formation comprising greenstone, schist, phyllite, chert, and limestone. These rocks weather quickly; the resulting sediment deposits in Elfin Cove, creating habitat supporting diverse invertebrates including Dungeness crabs.

Elfin Cove’s protected harbor has historically been a popular anchorage for fishing boats operating in Cross Sound and Icy Strait and those transiting between the Inside Passage and the Gulf of Alaska. In the early 1900s Ernie Swanson anchored in the harbor for several fishing seasons and began working with Juneau Cold Storage to start a fish-packing business. Swanson initially used a floating house where he bought catches from local fishermen, salted and iced the fish, then used larger boats to transport the pack to Juneau. This saved each fisherman a two-day trip to Juneau from the fishing grounds. The immediate success of Swanson’s business allowed him to expand and build a boardwalk and dry-goods store, which remained in business until his death in 1971. With Swanson’s permanent store, a village slowly developed with residential homes built alongside a restaurant, bar, laundry house and post office, supporting a population of a few dozen people.

Commercial and recreational fishing vessels increase Elfin Cove’s population during summer, and tour vessels occasionally visit with up to 100 passengers, taxing its limited infrastructure. Power is generated locally, potable water comes from a spring, and there are no regularly scheduled modes of transport. There are no roads, but the community can be traversed by a network of boardwalks with stairs and ramps. Medical services are volunteer-provided, and the community is self-sustaining but at risk if an emergency arises. At the top of the ramp from Gunk Hole harbor is a small museum, housed in the former school building that closed when the village’s child population dropped below the minimum of ten. The boardwalk network leads to the outer harbor, passing a small gear store and repair shop, some lodgings, a building housing showers and laundry, and a combination general store and liquor store. Read more here and here. Explore more of Elfin Cove and Chichagof Island here: