Caribou Lodge Alaska

At this lodge about 15 miles southeast of Talkeetna, you’ll feel like you’re at a friend’s cabin in the woods. A friend, that is, who has carved out a fascinatingly authentic life in the Alaska bush, in an area where the tundra meets the taiga—and which often has clear views of Denali.

One Lodge, Three Stories

Certainly this is a great place to unplug: With no roads leading to the lodge, you only reach it by flying, typically from Talkeetna. But once you’re here, the friendly, family-run lodge quickly feels homey. The property started as a hunting lodge in the early 1960s, when the founder took a deal from the state of Alaska and opened the lodge, running it for 20 years before abandoning it.

When it was bought in the 1990s by new owners, Mike and Pam, they updated the place and ran it as an eco-lodge with three cabins several years later. They hired a young man named Zac as a groundskeeper, dishwasher, and guide—until Mike and Pam decided it was time to move on and made Zac an offer ("A dream come true," Zac recalls). Today, Zac runs the lodge with his brother Joe and their wives and lives there year-round.

Making Yourself At Home

The lodge boasts comfortable overnight accommodations, as well as day trips with guided hiking for those who are staying in Talkeetna but would like a unique outdoor adventure.

The owners collaborate with Alaska Floatplane Company to fly you away from the beaten path, so whether you are staying at the lodge or coming in for just the day, you will enjoy a short scenic flight from town to the lodge's remote location.

The lodge is comprised of three main guest cabins with enough room for three couples, or even three families, if you ask for extra beds. Otherwise, cabins have both a king bed or two twin bed options. The crisply tidy little houses feel warm and inviting, with quilts on the beds and wood paneling from the floor to the ceiling.

As a nod to authentic wilderness living, cabins do not come with private bathrooms. Rather, the property has two outhouses (which are immaculate, guests rave) as well as a shared yet private shower house with a handy sign to tell if it’s occupied.

Otherwise, the service has a distinct B&B angle: All meals are home cooked, and you sit down to eat with other guests, family-style, or perhaps have a barbecue dinner out on the deck. Afterward, guests often paddle around the lake, toss horseshoes under the midnight sun, or enjoy roasting marshmallows around a campfire. (The lodge can accommodate dietary requests like vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free cuisine.)

Come For The Day

You don’t even have to stay overnight to enjoy the lodge’s wilderness experience. This half-day adventure begins with a fun, short flight to the lodge where you’ll meet the family and get a behind-the-scenes look at life in the Alaskan wilderness. Then it’s time for a hike! Keep an eye out for moose, caribou, and bear as your guide fills you in on the unique flora and fauna of the region. After a day out in nature, you may even have time for a trip around the lake in a kayak or canoe before your departing flight back to Talkeetna. This is approximately a 4-hour tour from 10 AM – 2 PM.

From Berry-Picking to Backpacking

If you stay, though, you’ll reap the benefits of days of exploration. Your hosts can customize your itinerary—whether you want to do some guided or unguided hiking, ranging from a short walk to enjoy the iconic view of Denali to adventurous full-day hikes, kayak across the lake, fish for trout, or go summertime berry picking (for blueberries, crow berries, watermelon berries, salmon berries, and low-brush cranberries).

If their remote location isn't quite remote enough, you can opt for a true back-country experience and book a private and customized tent camping trip to add on to your lodge stay. You and your guide will get set up with camping gear and supplies and either hike or get flown deeper into the Talkeetna Mountains, above the treeline, where you can set up base camp for multiple nights, or backpack and hike your way back to the lodge from an epic heli-drop location. (Just keep in mind that this level of trip needs about 90 days’ notice to set up.)

It says something, though, that as the typical guest’s time goes on, the desire for structured activity tends to drop off dramatically. By day three, Zac and Joe say, it’s not uncommon for guests not to want any planned activities—instead, they just want to sit and relax on the porch of their cabin and enjoy the peace and blissful views.