Gulf Coast Hut to Hut System Master Plan, Feasibility and Marketing Study

Project Date: 2002
Project Manager: Chris Beck
Clients: University of Alaska, Statewide Office of Land Management
Location: Gulf Coast of Alaska

This project involved master planning, feasibility analysis, and market study services for a system of recreational huts linked by trails proposed for the Cape Yakataga/Cape Suckling area. This remote area is located on the north Gulf of Alaska coast between the communities of Yakutat and Cordova. Chris Beck led a project team including Steve Colt of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), Economics Research Associates of Alaska, and Jim Allaway of Resources International. The project began with an evaluation of tourism resources and existing tourism in the project area, tourism market trends, and an extensive investigation of established hut systems around the world.

The project came out of a legal settlement requiring the University of Alaska to commit $500,000 towards the development of a hut-to-hut system, with $50,000 for planning, and the remainder for construction. Examples of successful hut systems in other locations include the 10th Mountain huts in Colorado and the Appalachian Mountain Club huts in New England, which give people the chance to experience wilderness without having to carry food and shelter.

The study concluded that the Gulf Coast location presents a significant challenge for a successful system, due to the cost of hut construction and maintenance as well as the time and cost required for visitors to reach the area. Ultimately, a system was designed to minimize these challenges, and the State of Alaska developed a set of basic shelters along the Tsiu River, which are currently available for public use.