I am writing this blog for those of you planning on going to Heckman Lake near Ketchikan AK. When planning for my recent trip there I found there to be a dirge of information on this area and kept wishing there was more information. I kept thinking, “I wish someone who’s been there had written a blog on this area…” so now that I’ve been there I figure I should be that person.
I’ve only been there once, and this is the first time I’ve even been to AK, so please do not consider this to be an exhaustive write up. Rather this is my chance to share with you what I learned about the Heckman Lake area so that you can add it to your own research.
We stayed at SE Heckman Cabin, which is one of 2 Forest Service cabins on this Heckman Lake. There is a private cabin at the southern end of the lake, which is at the inlet to Heckman. SE Heckman cabin is tucked up about 40 feet above the lake and has its own dock and skiff. The cabin has a ramp and appears accessible for someone in a wheel chair. The cabin itself is well cared for and is an easy place to hang out for a few days to a week. There are no established trails from this cabin, and the brush is very thick, so I think bushwhacking would be a frustrating experience. Therefore you will rely heavily on the Forest Service boat to get anywhere on the lake. I HIGHLY recommend renting an outboard motor from Ketchikan, as trying to row up and down that lake would be a very arduous task… especially with the head wind that blows from the north throughout the day. If you want to get to the good fishing, at the inlet and outlet and along the river to Jordan Lake and Naha Bay, I personally think you’d regret not having a motor.
As far as fishing goes, I had the worst luck ever! I fished everything on my vest twice, and didn’t even get a nibble. I think this is very rare for this lake, and according to the locals in Ketchikan the weather was too warm for good fishing and wildlife viewing. It was 90 degrees in Ketchikan during our stay, which is very unusual for SE Alaska. So, instead of thinking I suck at fishing (which is probably closer to the truth) I’ll blame it on the warm weather. Don’t get me wrong, the weather was awesome and made hanging out at the cabin that much better.
We took the boat up to the northern end of the lake to the other Forest Service cabin to take the trail to Jordan Lake. The other forest service cabin is much smaller, lacks a good view from the deck, and when it’s sunny it gets blasted with heat. However, it’s closer to the good fishing, and you aren’t necessarily dependent on the boat (and motor)… unless you want to go to the other end of the lake to the inlet. The trail to Jordan Lake is 90% boardwalk. Whoever built this trail deserves a metal! It’s a beautiful trail that meanders alongside and above the river to Jordan Lake. We didn’t see any wildlife (other than a frog), but saw very fresh bear scat in multiple spots. I didn’t get the chance to fish this section, but according to others who have, it’s apparently “world class.” If we weren’t travelling with our 18-month old daughter we would have walked the 6 miles to Naha Bay. If you are inclined to do a 12 mile round trip hike, this sounds like a beautiful hike down to the ocean.
Speaking of our daughter, this was a great trip for a kid. She loved puttering around in the boat, swimming near the dock and at the inlet, and playing on the cabin’s large deck. She also loved the float plane trip. As we were leaving the cabin another family was just landing to take over the cabin. It was a family of 5 with 3 boys all under the age of 11. They’d been to the cabin before and also said it was a great place for kids.
Logistics:The easiest way to get to Heckman Lake is by float plane, and I highly recommend going with Southeast Aviation (http://southeastaviation.com/flight.html). The guy who runs Southeast Aviation, Jim Kosmos, is probably the nicest guy in Ketchikan, and he bent over backwards to help us out with our trip planning. He knows who to contact to get gear, the motor for the boat, a satellite phone, etc. His website has a link to all the Forest Service Cabins. He can also help you decide which cabin is best for your needs. There are a ton of aviation companies in Ketchikan, but I find it hard to believe you’ll find a better one than Southeast Aviation.
The Forest Service also makes booking a cabin a very easy process… it’s all on -line, and easy to do. You can’t book a cabin more than 6 months in advance, and in my experience you should book sooner than later. I booked the cabin 6 months to the day we wanted the cabin.
Food… bring whatever you want. We had a double burner Coleman stove, a large cooler, and a large box with non-perishables. We also brought 3 bottles of wine, and regret we didn’t pick up any beer. If you can pack it and cook it, bring it… you won’t regret it.
The Forest Service at The Discovery Center in Ketchikan can provide some information about the cabin and area.
Bears… we didn’t see any bears or signs of bears near our cabin, but as I said before we did see plenty of signs of bears along the trail to Jordan Lake. We travelled with bear spray and made lots of noise along the hike.
I hope this was helpful to you, and if you would like to contact me to ask any other questions please feel free to email me at mattdowl@gmail.com
Good luck and have fun
Matt
Kitchen Area
Forest Service Boat
View of SE Heckman from dock
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