The recently constructed bridge at the trail head on Third Avenue. (Photo by Henry Leasia)

For years the Chilkoot Indian Association has been working on constructing and maintaining a series of trails around Haines. Recently, the tribe completed a bridge at one of the trailheads.  

KHNS reporter spoke with Chilkoot Indian Association’s transportation coordinator Nick Kokotovitch to learn more about the tribe’s ongoing projects.

The Chilkoot Indian Association completed construction of a bridge this week at its trailhead on Third Avenue, just North of Deishu Drive. The trailhead provides access to a network of trails on the tribe’s land.

Nick Kokotovitch is the tribe’s transportation coordinator. He says that Chilkoot Indian Association, or CIA, has put in just over two miles of trails in and around its subdivision.

“We’re looking for new areas. We have plans. We’ve been in talks with people who own land and the borough to put a trail out to Jones Point going that way right through the fairgrounds.”

The trail would increase access to Jones Point by providing pedestrian access from the subdivision.

The tribe is also looking at building a trail along a portion of a decommissioned pipeline that used to transport fuel from Haines to Fairbanks.

A map of the CIA trails around the Chilkoot Subdivision, with Haines Highway to the North, Third Avenue to the East and Fair Drive to the West. (map courtesy of CIA)

“If we did put a trail on the pipeline corridor it would be motorized. All the rest of our trails are non-motorized.”

Recently CIA partnered with the Haines Borough to start work on a trail along Portage Cove and make improvements to Tlingit Park that will make it ADA-accessible.

Meanwhile, the tribe is working on a float for the Portage Cove dock, which it purchased from Klukwan Inc in February using federal transportation funds.

“Our float for it is down in Hoonah right now. It just got refurbished — sandblasted, new paint, new protective coatings on it. We’re going to put a new deck on it. This summer we’re going to open it up for private yacht use and smaller cruise ships.”

The Portage Cove dock hasn’t been in use for five years. The Chilkat Indian Village of Klukwan used it to tie up its excursion catamaran called the Chilkat Express.

Kokotovich says CIA’s float will be installed at the dock this spring and be open for business by the first of May.