Signage points the way to the Swan Lake Cabin in the Chugach National Forest on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Signage points the way to the Swan Lake Cabin in the Chugach National Forest on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Comment sought for proposed public use cabins

The five cabins are set to be constructed in four locations in the Glacier and Seward Ranger Districts

The Chugach National Forest is seeking public comment on proposed construction of five new public use cabins funded by federal infrastructure funding.

According to a Tuesday news release by the forest, a need was identified for the forest to increase the capacity and accessibility of cabins — owing to changes in user trends.

The five cabins are set to be constructed in four locations in the Glacier and Seward Ranger Districts.

At Granite Creek Campground, located near Moose Pass, two cabins are proposed.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Along the Turnagain Pass Trail segment of the Iditarod National Historic Trail, the Tincan Cabin is proposed. The release notes that most users will access the cabin by a roughly 3-mile hike from Center Ridge Trailhead near Girdwood.

The Porcupine Cabin is proposed for construction within Porcupine Campground near Hope, between campsites 14 and 15 and close to the Gull Rock Trail.

Finally, the Meridian Cabin is proposed for the east side of Meridian Lake, close to Bear Creek and Seward. The cabin would be accessed using either the Grayling Lake Trail and the Iditarod National Historic Trail.

According to the release, input and ideas from the public are “crucial in designing, analyzing, and implementing successful cabin projects.” Helpful comments identify specific issues or suggestions to improve the projects. The comment period, which does not have a set end date, will be followed by public meetings that will be scheduled later this summer.

Comments can be submitted via email to darin.watschke@usda.gov or by mail to Darin Watschke, 161 E 1st Ave, Door 8, Anchorage, AK, 99501.

Further details on each of the cabins — including maps and images of proposed styles — can be found at fs.usda.gov/projects/chugach/landmanagement/projects.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Kachemak Bay is seen from the Homer Spit in March 2019. (Homer News file photo)
Toxin associated with amnesic shellfish poisoning not detected in Kachemak Bay mussels

The test result does not indicate whether the toxin is present in other species in the food web.

Superintendent Clayton Holland speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Federal education funding to be released after monthlong delay

The missing funds could have led to further cuts to programming and staff on top of deep cuts made by the KPBSD Board of Education this year.

An angler holds up a dolly varden for a photograph on Wednesday, July 16. (Photo courtesy of Koby Etzwiler)
Anchor River opens up to Dollies, non-King salmon fishing

Steelhead and rainbow trout are still off limits and should not be removed from the water.

A photo provided by NTSB shows a single-engine Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, that crashed shortly after takeoff in a mountainous area of southwestern Alaska, Sept. 12, 2023. The plane was weighed down by too much moose meat and faced drag from a set of antlers mounted on its right wing strut, federal investigators said on Tuesday.
Crash that killed husband of former congresswoman was overloaded with moose meat and antlers, NTSB says

The plane, a single-engine Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, crashed shortly after takeoff in a mountainous area of southwestern Alaska on Sept. 12, 2023.

Armor rock from Sand Point is offloaded from a barge in the Kenai River in Kenai, Alaska, part of ongoing construction efforts for the Kenai River Bluff Stabilization Project on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Work continues on Kenai Bluff stabilization project

The wall has already taken shape over a broad swath of the affected area.

An aerial photo over Grewingk Glacier and Glacier Spit from May 2021 shows a mesodinium rubrum bloom to the left as contrasted with the normal ocean water of Kachemak Bay near Homer. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Greer/Beryl Air)
KBNERR warns of potential harmful algal bloom in Kachemak Bay

Pseudo-nitzchia has been detected at bloom levels in Kachemak Bay since July 4.

Fresh-picked lettuces are for sale at the final Homer Farmers Market of the year on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
USDA ends regional food program, pulls $6M from Alaska businesses

On July 15, the Alaska Food Policy Council was notified that the USDA had terminated the Regional Food Business Center Program “effective immediately.”

Exit Glacier is photographed on June 22, 2018. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
2 rescued by park service near Exit Glacier

The hikers were stranded in the “Exit Creek Prohibited Visitor Use Zone.”

Two new cars purchased by the Soldotna Senior Center to support its Meals on Wheels program are parked outside of the center in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
State restores grant funding to Soldotna Senior Center

In recent years, the center has been drawing down its organizational reserves to provide some essential services.

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in