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Coast Guard Beach Trail

This trail starts at Point Higgins School and leads to a beach at the junction of Tongass Narrows, Behm Canal and Clarence Strait.
The first place to access the beach takes you to an area of rocky shoreline. and offers a good view of the Guard Island Lighthouse and Clarence Strait; the entrance to Tongass Narrows is on the left, and Behm Canal is to the right.
The trail continues for about 1/4 mile to a nice sandy beach (by Ketchikan standards)
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Checking 5 Cameras

Hiking April 4, 2021

This is an ancient buck; he reached his peak a few years ago, and is now regressing. Below is a picture from the first year I saw him on a trailcam.

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This camera overlooks a main trail; I believe the branch at the top of the picture is a licking branch, but I haven’t caught a buck using it yet.

This camera monitors a main trail and a bed.

This was my first check of this spot; the camera captures an intersection of two main trails.

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Checking 4 Cameras by Kayak

April 3

This camera watches an intersection in some dark timber. It’s a good spot but so dark almost all the pictures require the infrared flash so next time I check this one I’m going to move it to an area with better lighting.

This camera is set on an intersection at the border of some big timber and brushy muskeg.

This camera watches a main trail.

This camera is on a main trail through a brushy muskeg. Judging by its muddy muzzle the deer in this picture has been digging up skunk cabbage flowers which are starting to sprout.

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Checking 4 Cameras

March 28

I went for a long hike to check some cameras. Though it still felt like Winter there were some of signs that Spring is on the way, from birds singing, woodpeckers drumming, and skunk cabbage and other plants starting to grow.

I’ve had a camera here for a long time, but this is the first video I’ve made of this location. The camera developed a leak but kept working even though it had a lot of water inside which is why these clips are kind of foggy.

A tree fell across the main trail passing by this camera so I moved it to a clearing I groomed in an alder grove.

This camera overlooks a skunk cabbage patch which should start regrowing soon. Skunk cabbage leaves and flowers are a favorite food of sitka blacktail deer, and black bear feed heavily on their roots.

I’ve had a camera in this clearing in the old growth off and on for about ten years.