Tent camping is the primary, and most flexible option for backcountry travelers in remote Southeast.
Scattered through Southeast Alaska are remote, rustic U.S. Forest Service Cabins that can be reserved and used overnight. Permits must be obtained from the USFS (or the state in a few cases) before use. A fee is levied for maintenance costs. Most cabins have adequate stoves, wood on hand, axes, and brooms to clean the cabin after use.
Do not leave food behind. It attracts bears and mice. Bears have been known to break through windows to get to food and then demolish the interior trying to get out again. Also, be sure to latch the door when you leave, and ready the cabin for the next visitors (e.g., restore firewood supply). In the past, some cabins have been instrumental in saving the lives of lost hunters and hikers. The next life saved may be yours.
At some cabins the USFS leaves rowboats. Please be sure to bring the boat out of the water and turn it upside down. Towards the end of the season it is especially important to get the boat well above the waterline because of freezing temperatures.
Many of the backcountry improvements were done by citizens and local interest groups, and many of the cabins were built by voluntary labor. Please respect all private and public property found in the backcountry. Do not forget that damage done to USFS, state, or NFS property is taking money out of the public’s pocket.