Discovering our nation’s public lands

Swan Lake is located in the Tongass National Forest, within the U.S. Forest Service’s Petersburg district in Alaska. At 1,525 feet elevation, this narrow, two-mile long lake is inaccessible most of the year.

During winter, only ski planes can land on the frozen lake and sometimes ice-out does not occur until July. During the summer, Swan Lake may be accessed by bushwacking from Thomas Bay or flying in a small plane on pontoon-like floats through a high mountain pass into a canyon among snow-capped mountains, glaciers and roaring waterfalls, to land on Swan Lake’s mirrored surface.

After landing, on approach to the lake’s eastern shore, the green-metal roof and weathered-wood of an A-frame structure are barely discernible. Arriving at the gentle-sloped shoreline, pebbles and small rocks glitter through the crystal-clear waters.

Set back 25-feet from the shoreline, nestled among Sitka Spruce (Alaska’s state tree), Mountain hemlock and Scouler willow trees, stands the Swan Lake Forest Service Recreation Cabin. The one-room cabin is minimalist, outfitted with a kitchen counter, two platforms to serve as couches, a table with benches, an oil stove and a loft for sleeping upstairs. Elevated wooden paths link the cabin’s front porch to the outhouse in the back.

Although large windows display the lake, mountains, waterfalls and glacier, guests are meant to experience Swan Lake outside. Activities include hiking, fishing, hunting, foraging, and wildlife viewing. Mountain goats, grizzly bears, bald eagles, and rainbow trout are among the many animals that live at Swan Lake.

The U.S. Forest Service Recreation Cabin Program began in the 1930s as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s prescription for recovery from the economic collapse known as the Great Depression. President Roosevelt’s “New Deal,” employed people across the country through a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

The CCC, established by the Emergency Conservation Act of 1933, built trails, campgrounds, recreation facilities, roads, parks, airstrips and more, as part of the New Deal to conserve, protect and renew natural resources. In the Petersburg Ranger District, the CCC employed 101 men to build picnic shelters, bridges, trails, roads and 19 recreation cabins.

The Swan Lake Cabin was rebuilt in 1967 as an A-frame to be able to withstand the weight of deep winter snow that can accumulate up to depths of 15 feet. Today, in southeast Alaska, there are some 150 Forest Service recreation cabins open to the public.

Since May of this year, New Mexico enters the U.S. Forest Service Recreation Cabin Program. The house that Forest Supervisor Aldo Leopold built in 1912 in Tres Piedras is available for rent on recreation.gov. Aldo Leopold, the grandfather of conservation, formed most of his conservation ideas in New Mexico.

Many federal agencies promote the conservation of natural resources, including the Forest Service, National Parks Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. All share the belief that conservation must include education and recreation.

Although New Mexico only has one U.S. Forest Service cabin at this time, the hope is that by making the Aldo Leopold cabin available, funds required to rehabilitate other cabins can be generated. Within the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District or close thereto, there are abundant opportunities to connect to the great outdoors.

The district’s Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area, which was voted Best Outdoor Recreation Area in 2024 by the readers of the Valencia County News-Bulletin, offers a 1.1-mile hike through salt-grass meadows, the Kandy Cordova Trail and the bosque.

At a short drive from Whitfield, the National Parks Service offers Dark Skies, Bright Stars events on July 25, Aug. 22, Sept. 19 and Oct. 24 for free. The first two events start at 7:30 p.m., while the latter start at 6:30 p.m. Visitors can take a guided hike through the ruins, view the night skies and take a professional-quality picture to be printed at home.

From Forest Road 422, folks can access the Red Canyon Campground and Manzano State Park. There are accessible pathways at the base of El Cerro de Los Lunas, plus a cool landscape can be found in the “bowl,” both by temperature and surrounds.

In the summer, Tomé Hill is best hiked in the early morning or close to sunset. The Rio Grande Nature Center is also offering free summer Saturday hands-on activities for kids of all ages, and guided bird walks in June and July, also free, courtesy of the Friends of Rio Grande Nature Center. Speaking of friends, watch this space for upcoming activities that will be offered by the Valencia SWCD and its partner, the Friends of Whitfield.

(Teresa Smith de Cherif, chairwoman of the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District, is grateful to her husband, Greg Vince, who is piloting a Great Alaska Adventure this summer. She thanks the staff of the U.S. Forest Service, the National Parks Service, and all federal and state employees for their commitment to conservation.)