Heli over to the neighboring 1,000-acre Alaska Range playground where we hike and explore outrageous ridgelines, lush blueberry fields, vast caribou country, and ancient glaciers.

Winterlake Lodge

At Winterlake Lodge, we fly into the neighboring  Alaska Range (complete with sweeping views of Hunter, Foraker and sometimes Denali) where we hike, explore ridgelines and blueberry fields, look for caribou, and peep ancient glaciers. It’s always a good time to casually pick up some glacier ice for evening cocktails back at the lodge. Helicopter packages are available to explore into the Alaska Range and surrounding glaciers.

From Winterlake Lodge, hike along the famous Iditarod Trail . The Iditarod Loop is approximately 1 1/2 hours of easy walking. On this section of the famous National Historic Iditarod Trail, we discover and identify local flora, examine animal tracks, investigate an historic turn-of-the-century cabin site, and more. Commonly seen wildlife include Black bears, moose, beaver, loons, Trumpeter swans, otters, and our famous little wood frogs. The hike leads to the lovely and peaceful Red Lake and a canoe for those wishing to explore further.

With a maximum altitude gain of 3,000 ft,  Wolverine Ridge hike (behind the Lodge) offers a variety of panoramic views of the surrounding valleys. Our trail crosses an active beaver pond, traverses a wildflower meadow, travels through a cottonwood forest, and gradually gains altitude. Edible berries and unique alpine flowers line the way. Frequently seen wildlife include black bears, moose, and occasionally wolves. Once on the summit, views to the north include the rest of the Alaska Range Mountains including Denali, at 20,310 feet and Mt. Foraker, Russell and the Kichatna Spires! Looking south we can see the Hayes Glacier and valley and the wide Skwentna/Yentna valleys.

Tutka Bay Lodge

From Tutka Bay Lodge, we offer a 2-mile old-growth forest trail that starts at the beach and meanders along the shoreline of the outer shore of Tutka Bay. We stop along small beaches for a little beachcombing, which is especially fascinating at low-tide.

A quick boat ride across the fjord from the Lodge lies Kayak Beach where we begin the ascent of Grace Ridge, which offers an expansive view of the Herring Islands, Kachemak Bay and the surrounding fjords. The hike along Grace Ridge is between a one-hour and eight-hour outing.

Tutka Lagoon Trail is a two-hour hike through the Tutka Bay forest lagoon up to a waterfall. There are many other trails in the vicinity, including a bike and hike excursion to Seldovia or Rocky River. Helicopter hiking options are available to Broken Knife and other interesting nearby summits. TIP! Ask to add a helicopter excursion to your Tutka Bay Lodge package.

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