Denali Park: Nail-Studded Shutters On The Savage River Cabin Keep Bears Away

In Alaska, Cabin Owners Keep Bears Out By Putting  Nails On Their Shutters 

Humans don't have claws so they can fight back against bears. But this is almost as good. Sharp nails are a classic Alaskan anti-bear measure, used for many years by Alaskans who have left their cabins for awhile, and don't want a nasty surprise when they come back.

Nail-studded cabin at Savage River in Denali Park.

Bears often become habituated to humans, and search out empty cabins to ransack for food when the human occupant is gone. The nails point outward and serve as a deterrent. The Savage River Cabin is on the paved portion of the Park Road at Denali National Park. You can drive there, park in the nearby parking lot, and go in on a short trail to view the cabin. It's a "real" cabin, which was actually lived in. It was placed here as an example of Alaskan life by the National Park Service.