Southeast Heckman Cabin

Southeast Heckman Cabin is situated on the southeast shore of Heckman Lake within the Naha Recreation Area, approximately 15 miles from Ketchikan. The cabin is open year-round and makes an excellent base for this corner of Alaska. It is remote and accessible only by float plane, depending on conditions. This primitive cabin has no electricity, indoor plumbing or cell phone coverage, and visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety. Fishing and boating are popular activities at this cabin. The Naha River is noted for steelhead and salmon runs and offers resident trout and Dolly Varden. Guests have use of the cabin's 14-foot aluminum skiff with oars, but they must provide their own life jackets; a short-shaft motor can be used with the skiff, but one is not provided. The 16-by-22-foot pan-abode style log cabin accommodates 8 people with 3 single and 2 double bunks. Other amenities include a table and benches, a cooking counter, a broom, a splitting maul and an outhouse. A wood stove is provided for heat; bring your own firewood, as it cannot be guaranteed. This cabin is designed to be barrier-free, with accessible boardwalks connecting the dock, cabin and outhouse; the boardwalk has an incline between 5 and 15 percent. Drinking water is not available at the cabin, so visitors must bring their own supply; water is also available from the lake and should be treated before drinking or cooking with it. Visitors should also bring bedding, cooking gear, lighting, food and all other supplies, and rain gear and boots are recommended. Visitors are expected to pack out their trash, gear and food and clean the cabin before leaving. The cabin sits in a clearing overlooking the lake, backed by old-growth Sitka spruce and western hemlock, with terrain sloped above and below the cabin. Visitors can gaze out over the lake to the densely forested slopes on the other side. Sitka black-tailed deer, black bear, marten, mink, beaver and wolf are common to the area, and a variety of birds may be seen in and around the lake.