Great Alaska Adventures Lodge

From the moment we got there we were treated like family with a warm welcome. This was the perfect Father Son bonding time for my son and I. He also had a wonderful time. Our accommodations were great and the staff made sure we were happy with everything. Planning was very pleasantly done even though we were carried over from the previous year due to Covid. All of our excursions were much better that expected and I felt like we were always being upgraded to better adventures with better guides. All the guides were terrific and very knowledgeable, there is definitely much to learn from those guys. Bear Camp was unforgettable! This was a much needed vacation and I couldnt have asked for a better first experience to have in Alaska! I love Great Alaska Adventure and I cant wait to go back hopefully soon. :)

We spent one night at Bear Camp. This was a trip of a lifetime--beginning with lunch at the lodge, the flight to Bear Camp, the glamping tents, the food at Bear Camp, and of course the time spent watching Bears!

For the summary readers: If you go to the Cook Inlet/Anchorage area looking for a variety of activities to expose you to the beauty of the 49th State, Great Alaska Adventures has to be the choice. A+ outfitter. For the rest of the story: from the time my wife and I started discussing the plans with Great Alaska, to the end, the communication was outstanding. I called and emailed several times and was always met with a kind and informative response. We were clear on our itinerary and necessities to bring along the way. Our responsibility was to get to a pick up point in Anchorage (our hotel). Great Alaska (Brian) picked us up that morning at the time we were told and off we went to the lodge in Sterling. There was a schedule that was to be kept, but we would never have known because of how laid back everyone was. We always felt we had all the time in the world, but never missed a scheduled time. This simple thing you might never consider is a testament to the behind the scenes organization of Great Alaska (thanks Shari). Once Brian delivered us to the lodge, we were given a short orientation and fed a nice lunch. Our itinerary included "Bear Camp," so we were quickly transferred from the lodge to a local airport - our luggage was taken away upon arrival only to be found in our room when we returned from Bear Camp. Bear Camp deserves a post of its own and can really not be adequately described - suffice it to say, for animal lovers, especially the brown bear, it is a magical experience. Bear Camp was a short but beautiful 45 minute flight from Soldotna to Lake Clark National Park, where Great Alaska has a 15 acre parcel grandfathered in to the surrounding park as a homestead (they will tell you all about it and it is fascinating). We landed on the beach and were taken to our tents (glamping tents) and then a quick orientation. We are from a rural/agricultural state, and the best way I can describe the grizzly experience is they were like cattle and you were a guest at the ranch. The bears were everywhere. However, there was never a time we felt unsafe. Bear Camp was only an overnight experience, so the next day we were back to the lodge via the bush plane. Once back to the lodge, we had "happy hour" where the next day's guides could introduce themselves and the people visiting the lodge could get to know each other and swap stories from their day's adventures. Happy hour was every day. Next was dinner. It was always pre-planned, but if you needed some accommodations, the staff could make that happen. After dinner you could sit on the deck and talk or watch the Kenai/Moose rivers flow by. If you needed a little more activity to work off the dinner and drinks, you could head down to the river for some fishing (make sure to get your license). I must admit, the fishing was much different than I had ever experienced, but not to worry, Max or one of the experienced fishers from the lodge were there to patiently teach you the tricks of catching the salmon. You could always count on the music, camaraderie, and fishing down at the river. My wife and I chose an itinerary that included hiking in the Kenai Fjords National Park, floating down the Kenai for the scenic views and numerous Bald Eagles, cruising out of Seward to Exit Glacier and seeing marine life along the way, kayaking, and a trip to Homer. This was a great itinerary, but we wanted to see more bears. So, I asked Shari if there were any opportunities on short notice to see bears instead of going to Homer. She was on the phone in a heartbeat and scheduled us a fishing/bear viewing trip over to Big River Falls Lake. The organization never missed a beat. Oh, and that was AWESOME. Bears swimming and catching our limit of silver salmon. This accommodation was all due to Shari's attention and hard work. I really can't speak more highly about her. And, we were certainly no more special than the other guests - she just worked that hard for everyone. We were there a week. In that time, we found kindred spirits and experienced amazing things. Without the people at Great Alaska, none of this would have been possible. Especially Caroline, our guide on many adventures who kept us moving and on time, but never rushed. We were sad to leave. And now, days later, I still wish I was waking up in Alaska. There are no books, movies, documentaries or reviews you can read to gain true insight in the experience. The only way to truly appreciate it is to go, and go with Great Alaska.

We had an awesome time with Great Alaska Adventures. The staff treated us very well from the guides to the service staff. They planned our trip and were willing to adjust it to keep us happy. We spent every possible minute outside doing something and they were cool helping us do it! We love to explore and when they found out what we could do they adjusted our schedule to keep us exploring. Our guides were so friendly and helped us make the most out of our trip. If you want to have an awesome time just relaxing snd enjoying Alaska of want to get the most out of every minute this crew will help you do it. The rooms were nice and clean, nice beds, awesome food (five course meal for dinner that was always very good) and the facilities were above what I explicated. Come with a group and let them plan your trip, it will be worth it to do the full service they offer.