Herbert Glacier Cabin rejected by US Forest Service due to mining and other ‘site complexity’

Site was ‘top selection’ for a cabin near Juneau in 2022; final decision notice issued last week by USFS cites preexisting mining claims and ongoing work for proposed Amalga mine

A development plan sketch of the Grande Portage Resources Ltd. road dated Dec.16, 2025, is included in the company's application to the State of Alaska's Department of Natural Resources. The Herbert Glacier Trail is to the south of the planned mine infrastructure. (Screenshot)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

A recreational cabin near Herbert Glacier, deemed the top new site near Juneau in 2022 with heavy projected year-round use, was rejected in a final decision last week by the U.S. Forest Service due to mining activity and other "site complexity."

The 44-page decision notice published May 29 states the cabin would have no significant environmental impact, but "potential adverse effects include a perceived conflict between recreational use and the potential for future mining activity in Herbert Glacier Valley."

"The decision not to authorize the cabin at this time is based on site complexity, building logistics, the presence of preexisting mining claims, and proximity of current minerals exploration activities," Laura Buchheit, deputy district ranger for the Juneau Ranger District, wrote in the decision.

"The cabin may be authorized at a later date within this environmental analysis," she added.

Cancellation of the Herbert Glacier Cabin was announced in a draft decision issued by the Forest Service in January and notice of a proposed access road to the proposed New Amalga Gold Project mine was published in February by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.

Public comments submitted during the following month overwhelmingly opposed the road, most of them citing the planned mine. Similar opposition and concerns have been expressed about the mine’s influence on the state’s favoritism toward the proposed Cascade Point Ferry Terminal, construction of which is on hold due to federal intervention until at least next year.

Forest Service officials stated when the draft decision was released the cancellation of the cabin was not due to mining, but rather to difficulties involving its location and lack of staffing. But Buchheit told KTOO on Friday omission of mining as a reason for the decision was "a miscommunication between myself and the communications team that led to the incorrect statements be(ing) made after the release of the draft decision."

The proposed cabin at the end of the Herbert Glacier Trail. (U.S. Forest Service map)

The Canadian company that owns the mine, Grande Portage Resources Ltd., says it will create 277 jobs and a pre-tax net present value of nearly $1 billion during an initial seven-year production cycle, with a target operating date still to be determined.

A cabin at Herbert Glacier was the "top selection" among six possible sites in the Juneau area during a public engagement effort in 2022, according to the decision issued last week. The document notes "cabin renters in Juneau have expressed concern about a lack of availability for cabin reservations due to high demand" and reservations often must be made six months in advance.

"The (Herbert Glacier) cabin project responds to current recreation trends with a location that will provide high-value recreation opportunities and a design that accommodates large groups," the document notes. "Due to these attributes, this cabin is expected to receive consistent, year-round use."

Building the cabin near the glacier and an additional one being constructed at Mendenhall Lake Campground "is not likely to change the moderate to high use patterns at most of the existing cabins," according to Buchheit’s report. However, "the proposed Herbert Glacier cabin would be one of the most accessible cabins on the Juneau Ranger District as the trail is on the road system, relatively flat, and reachable by bike with a short ascent to the cabin location on a bedrock knoll."

The decision does authorize rerouting a portion of the Herbert Glacier Trail at approximately mile 4.4 to "bypass an eroding section of trail along the Herbert River" The work will include an overlook on a stone outcrop with a view of the Herbert Glacier that is "aligned with the cabin outdoor gathering area, acknowledging that the Tongass National Forest Juneau Ranger District recreation staff will assess implementation after trail reroute completion."

Buchheit noted that "if a cabin is authorized at a later date, it must not interfere with safe and reasonable access to mining claims under the General Mining Law."

"The decision to not authorize the cabin at this time results from an evaluation of site complexity," she wrote. "Site complexity includes not only the physical site (distance from road, site elevation and necessary trail reroute completion) but also the complexity of preexisting mining claims and current proximity of minerals exploration activities. This complexity has led me to the conclusion that cabin construction would not be prudent at this time due to heightened interest in mining claims in the area and potential for creating conflicting uses."

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.