Alaska.com: Alaska's Travel Website

You can look long and hard, but it would be difficult to find a more perfect place to spend a more perfect summer weekend in Alaska. Of course, it's not overly easy to get there.

That's part of what makes it so exceptional.

After passing an outbound hiker about 9 Friday night, we didn't see another person until about 3:30 Sunday afternoon as we headed back to the trail head. Oh, there were a couple floatplanes that landed on the lake for a bit, but they weren't close enough for us to see the pilots, so they don't count. And floatplanes are part of the Alaska experience, so their powerful buzz was OK for a few minutes.

I'm reluctant to share this exceptional destination, but it's not my own special hideaway. It's on every map of Southcentral Alaska. And you can find plenty of information about it from the U.S. National Forest Service.

It is a 7 1/2-mile hike to reach the cabin (or a 10- to 15-minute flight for cheaters). But it's well worth it.

And the real beauty is that the Crescent Saddle Cabin is just one of dozens of public-use cabins across Southcentral. But on this spectacular weekend in June, it was the cabin to be in. And my group of four had the reservations.

Alaska State Parks, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service maintain the cabins. They must be rented in advance and they usually carry a $24 to $65 per-day rental charge. Cabins can be rented up to six months in advance, and summer weekends fill up quickly. But unexpected openings occur.

From remote locations in Prince William Sound and Kenai Fjords National Park to spots just a mile or two off the highway, cabins are cozy lodgings.

But visitors shouldn't expect too much comfort.

"These are real rustic cabins, they're very simple inside," said Rebecca Talbott, public affairs officer for Chugach National Forest. "The style of cabin gives a feel of backcountry Alaska. They're appropriate to the setting and the experience most people expect in Alaska."

"These are spartan cabins," said Jeff Johnson of the Alaska State Parks. "I tell people it's like car-tent camping without the tent. You can carry larger items if you're willing to.

"Some cabins have padded bunks, but most don't. This isn't luxury."

Most cabins include a log book. In it, visitors share their observations, thoughts, drawings and miscellaneous other things.

Those log entries give an interesting glimpse of life spent on cabin time. Here are a few entries from public-use cabin No. 2 at Byers Lake in Denali State Park north of Talkeetna:

• "Could this place BE any more spectacular? Eighteen years in Alaska and we have never been anywhere like this. 'The Mountain' has been cloudless for 24 hours."

• "Black bear wakes us up. He pokes around for about 20 minutes then leaves. Six wonderful, sunny days."

• "What a great place."

• "After a short discussion with my wife as to which was 'The Mountain,' we received our answer. The snowy peak peeked through the clouds around noon."

• "PUC #2 rocks."

Indeed, it does.

Denali State Park has more than 325,000 acres, the vast majority of it backcountry wilderness. It borders the southeast corner of Denali National Park.

As other visitors noted, the southern view of Mount McKinley is stunning from the front porch of the cabin. Of course, the weather isn't always cooperative. But when the mountain unveils itself, you'll know.

Loons were on the lake, their calls echoing into the night. Bears were busy eating berries during our July visit. The fish weren't biting, but the water was cool and refreshing for an afternoon swim -- especially after the hot hike up to the Kesugi Ridge and back.

It's locations like Denali State Park that make Alaska's public-use cabins special.

"The opportunity to use a cabin on public lands is pretty unique to Alaska," Talbott said. "There are a few places in the Lower 48, but they are limited, rare opportunities."

Johnson said the state selected the cabin sites carefully. Many of the state's cabins are constructed of trees killed by spruce-bark beetles.

"The cabins are always sited in some of the prime locations in some of the most visited areas of the state," he said. "People are always rewarded with a beautiful view."

Johnson said cabins in Kachemak and Resurrection bays are popular and get rented quickly. Visitors with flexibility will have the greatest chance of securing a cabin.

Special sections editor Steve Edwards can be reached at sedwards@adn.com or 257-4316.