LifeJuneau · July 1, 2026
the cabin everyone will want
Alaska may have just opened its most in-demand cabin, and it stares straight at a glacier.
Daily Alaska staff · July 1, 2026 · Juneau
The U.S. Forest Service has opened a new recreational cabin on the shore of Mendenhall Lake in Juneau, overlooking the Mendenhall Glacier, cutting the ribbon this week with help from several Alaska partners including the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. The cabin carries a Lingit name, Sit' Ya' Hit', meaning the house in the face of the glacier, the first cabin in the area to carry a Lingit name.
Reservations are already open and can be made up to six months in advance, meaning anyone in Juneau or across Southeast Alaska hoping to stay there will be competing with the rest of the state for a night.
The two-story cabin sleeps about ten people, with an outdoor gathering area large enough for dozens more. It is also the first Forest Service cabin in the area wired for electricity, giving guests lights and an electric heater in addition to the usual wood stove, and its bottom floor is built to be ADA accessible.
The project cost about 810,000 dollars, funded by the Forest Service and a handful of Alaska partners. The cabin is elevated on piers so it can withstand a glacial lake outburst flood.
Forest Service rangers expect the cabin to become the most heavily booked cabin in the entire Tongass National Forest, more than any other cabin in Southeast Alaska.
In this story
Questions people ask
Where is the new Forest Service cabin in Juneau?
On the shore of Mendenhall Lake facing Mendenhall Glacier.
What makes this cabin different?
It's the first in the area with a Lingit name, Sit' Ya' Hit', the first with electricity, and the first with an ADA-accessible ground floor. It sleeps about ten.
How far ahead can I book it?
Up to six months in advance. Reservations are open now.
Evidence
Sources
Claims and where they come from
- The U.S. Forest Service opened a new cabin on Mendenhall Lake in Juneau overlooking the Mendenhall Glacier. · ktoo.org
- The cabin is named Sit' Ya' Hit' by the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. · ktoo.org
- The project cost about 810,000 dollars. · ktoo.org
- Rangers expect the cabin to become the most booked cabin in the Tongass National Forest. · ktoo.org
Produced with AI assistance, narrated with Slav Lund's voice clone with his consent, and reviewed by a person before publishing. How we use AI →