ALASKA—On the Tongass National Forest, over 100 public-use cabins make it easy to enjoy a wide variety of activities, from hunting and fishing to hiking and skiing. Many of these Forest Service cabins are found on lakes, where small boats offer another recreational option.

Thanks to support from the National Forest Foundation and its partners, more than 20 new skiffs and canoes are being delivered to lakeside cabins. The National Forest Foundation worked with Forest Service staff to identify cabin locations and coordinate delivery, often by helicopter or float plane.

One of the first of these deliveries went to West Turner Lake Cabin, just outside of Juneau on  Taku River. Cabin users can arrive by boat or float plane.

This place is not only beautiful but also steeped in history: The Taku River (T’aaḵú in Lingít) was an important trade and migration route to the Interior for the T’aaḵú Ḵwáan Tlingit people, as well as a source of salmon. The cabin was built by President Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s.

The Temsco Helicopters pilot picked up two skiffs about a half-mile away on the Taku River and deftly landed them near the cabin’s dock, where old boats were hoisted for removal. Forest Service staff were on hand to provide final additions to the skiffs, adding oars and bow lines to make them ready to for public use.

The rest of the new boats should be delivered to lakeside cabins by the end of the year.

Outdoor recreation opportunities like these make the Tongass National Forest both a world-class destination for visitors and an incredible place to call home.

Read the full blog on the National Forest Foundation website.