An effort to place an alpine hut on Chilly Ridge at 3,200 feet is nearing completion. The structure was recently assembled. It will be taken apart and is scheduled to be lifted, in sections, to a spot just west of the intersection of the Mount Ripinsky and 7 Mile trails.
The first public use cabin in Haines’ backcountry is set to be completed by the end of the summer.
Haines Huts and Trails, a local non-profit, has been working on the project since 2018. The cabin will be 3,200 feet up the Takshanuk Mountains, about eight miles north of downtown Haines and three miles from the 7 Mile Saddle trailhead .
“It’s going on a decade of people being interested in seeing public use cabins in our area,” said Lindsay Johnson, a board member of Haines Huts and Trails.
The idea for the cabin was hatched by a group of friends who took inspiration from Forest Service cabins in Southeast Alaska and backcountry hut systems in British Columbia and New Zealand.
The group’s mission is to “foster wilderness experiences in some of our region’s most inspiring locations by developing and maintaining public use backcountry cabins and trails.”
In 2018, the group was incorporated as a nonprofit, and a year later volunteers started working toward a land lease with the state Department of Natural Resources.
The original lease was for a location on the South flanks of Mt. Tukgahgo at 3,900 feet, but state biologists identified the area as an important mountain goat birthing ground. The group decided on a different site that wouldn’t interfere with bear and goat habitats.
The group also had to navigate crossing through private property along the existing 7 Mile Saddle Trail.
Having the cabin at the edge of a well-used trail means it will be a “good jumping off point for people looking for adventures,” Johnson said. “It is not too close and not too far, and highlights what Haines has to offer.”
The cabin is a 16-by-20 foot wooden structure with a full loft, propane heater and cook stove, kitchen, bunks, and an outhouse.
The prefabricated cabin is still in town, and Haines Huts and Trails is hoping to hold a few more work sessions before building a foundation and flying the cabin – in pieces – out to the site with helicopters.
The prebuilt cabin will be lifted to its site on Chilly Ridge with a helicopter later this summer.
Organizers say the project could cost from $60,000 to $70,000, but $60,000 has already been raised. $10,000 went towards the permit application, reclamation bond, amendment fees, and insurance, while the rest covers materials, helicopter time, and construction fees.
Crossett Fund, Chilkat Valley Community Foundation, Alaska Community Foundation, Lutak Lumber, Rasmuson Foundation grants, and individual donors donated to the project. Haines Huts and Trails is still raising money for management and maintenance costs as well as future work.
Part of the maintenance costs will be supported by overnight rental income, but Haines Huts and Trails has not finalized how much that will be. The cabin is currently proposed to be available to day users for free.
For more information, go to the group’s website at haineshuts.org