Haines Huts recently opened the long-awaited Tukga Hut public use cabin for reservations.
The project was a culmination of a the work of more than a hundred volunteers and three hundred volunteer days-worth of work, plus tens of thousands of fundraising dollars. It was built by the Haines Huts and Trails nonprofit.
“We’re super excited,” said outdoor initiative coordinator Nate Arrants, “It’s been an almost 10-year process” Arrants said that within a day of opening the reservation system in early October, every weekend from January to April had been booked through the Haines Huts website, plus many week days. Many of the first to reserve were locals , but Arrants said guests “skewed toward Canada.”
“It’ll bring economic activity into Haines at a time of year when normally there’s not too many people shopping or eating at restaurants,” said Arrants.
The completion of the hut also represents an important step in the implementation of the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) plan, of which HEDC was a leading organizer. Haines was one of just five communities in the United States — and the only in Alaska — to be selected for a RERC grant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Nonprofits and government representatives from the Chilkat Valley met over the course of 2023 to plan ways for Haines to capitalize on its natural resources to develop its recreation economy. The meetings culminated in a final report that included action items for the community. HEDC continues to work on achieving other recommendations from the final report.
HEDC recently was selected by the Outdoor Research Roundtable to develop a monthly program of recreation activities. It also recently presented a draft Outdoor Recreation Guide for Haines and the Chilkat Valley to the assembly’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. Other recommendations from the report include adding trail signage around town, developing a downhill ski area, and securing easements for existing trails.