The U.S. Forest Service is planning to decommission the Katzehin cabin as part of cost-saving measures within the Tongass National Forest. Located on the river flats across from Haines, the cabin has been a popular site among pilots, hunters and recreational users in the Upper Lynn Canal. 

It’s a nice emergency shelter and well-maintained,” said Greg Goodman, who has been visiting the cabin for over a decade. Goodman said he and other pilots have cleared the airstrip of brush in past summers. 

Volunteers used donated material last year to install a new roof. 

Goodman said the cabin is in good shape, considering the Forest Service hasn’t maintained it in recent years. The cabin was taken off the reservation system last year. 

The planned decommissioning is part of a larger move within the Forest Service to cut costs in the Tongass. 

Facilities areawide were reviewed for usage, with those receiving the lowest amount of visitation (and generating the lowest amount of revenue) set for possible phasing out. 

The Katzehin cabin ranked low on the list, as did the Denver Caboose in Skagway. The Laughton Glacier cabin, while not on the list for decommissioning, is being examined also, according to Mike Dilger, a trails and cabin manager for Admiralty Island. 

The Forest Service is looking for feedback. “Right now these are just proposals,” Dilger said. “We are looking for public input. It is just a plan….We’re not looking to simply close facilities; we’re looking for alternative ways to keep them available to the public. But we need public input for that.”

The cabin is identified for decommissioning within one year. 

“We want to keep the cabins available for public use. We’d love to take on a partnership with a volunteer organization that would be interested in helping maintain the cabins,” said Bill Tremblay, National Forest Recreation Planner. 

“If we can’t keep the cabins available,” says Dilger, “we will have to take them down and physically remove them,” due to liability. “But we’re also keeping in mind that some of these structures have been in life-saving areas, and as we have town meetings over the next few years, we’ll make sure we address that.” 

He said that if the Katzehin cabin is designated for permanent removal, there would be a two-year window before deconstruction. 

For questions or comments, contact the Tongass National Forest office in Juneau at 586-8800.