Haines trail group and State Parks seek federal money for a Chilkat State Park cabin

Haines Huts and Trails and Alaska State Parks want to build a public-use cabin at Twin Coves, a little over 3 miles down a coastal trail in Chilkat State Park, and they're applying for federal trail money to pay for it.

The cabin would be about 14 by 16 feet and hold around six people. It would sit on the Ayiklutu Trail, halfway between the trailhead and Ayiklutu Point, according to the applicants' public notice. The trail follows the coast for 7 miles, winding between the woods and the beach, according to State Parks. From the park's information center, State Parks says, visitors can see the Rainbow and Davidson glaciers and spot seals, porpoises and whales in Chilkat Inlet.

"Community members have repeatedly requested a more accessible public-use cabin, especially for families and elders," the notice says. Public-use cabins lower the barrier for people who don't have the gear, knowledge or ability to camp, the applicants wrote, or who want more protection from weather and wildlife for their families. They call the Ayiklutu Trail "one of the best, most accessible, and underutilized trails in Haines."

The cabin would be open to the public, not to commercial groups. Haines Huts and Trails is a nonprofit that builds and maintains backcountry cabins and trails around Haines.

The money would come from the federal Recreational Trails Program, which the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities runs as the Alaska Multi-Use Trails Program. It reimburses up to 90% of eligible costs and caps awards for non-motorized projects at $300,000. The notice does not list the cabin's cost. Awards are typically announced in February or March, and the applicants plan to build between May 2027 and October 2028.

The partners already have federal trail money in the park. In the program's last round, Haines Huts and Trails and State Parks were approved for $87,120 in federal money toward a $96,800 crew to repair the Ayiklutu, Battery Point and Mount Riley trails.