KarunaNews Story

Dozens of new public-use cabins will be added to Alaska’s trail systems through the biggest cabin expansion project in the last 50 years. Dovetailing with some other initiatives, the Alaska Cabins Project will give Alaska a robust recreation infrastructure that rivals anything in Switzerland, France, or New Zealand, opening up a world of opportunities - for visitors, locals, and the state. The partnership between the US Forest Service and nonprofit National Forest Foundation will make hut to hut hiking easier in the Chugach and Tongass National Forests by repairing 10 of the 200 huts and adding 25 more. The first cabin was completed this past summer and five more are on the way in 2024. After that, six to seven cabins will be added per year. The 25 new huts can be booked 300 nights a year, and are built on sites suggested by locals, says James King, the U.S. Forest Service’s Alaska region director of recreation, land and minerals.