Activities

Bear Viewing

Bear viewing is what we specialize in at the Alaska Homestead Lodge. With a trained guide you will get the chance to view coastal brown bears in their natural habitat, the beaches and tidal meadows surrounding the lodge. We see everything from large boars to adolescent bears to mothers with cubs. For most of the summer, bears eat the sedges that grow in the meadows, which are criss-crossed by small sloughs and covered with water during high tides. We move into the field using ATVs towing custom built trailers to access areas where the bears frequent. When a bear is spotted, we leave the trailers and slowly approach to take photographs. Your guide will keep you a safe distance while maneuvering to get the best light and angles. While longer distances are covered by ATV, guests can still end up walking up to a couple of miles a day to access the best photography. On the other end of the spectrum, many times you can view the bears right from the lodge as you sit down and enjoy your meals!

Coastal Boat Tours

Take a stunning boat trip up the coast of Lake Clark National Park and into Tuxedni Bay to the seabird rookery. At the island you’ll be amongst a swarm of horned puffins, common murres, tufted puffins, parakeet auklets, black legged kittiwakes and many more pelagic sea birds. Along with birds expect waterfalls, backdrops of Iliamna volcano, and views of the picturesque historical cannery Snug Harbor. We use a 27ft aluminum charter boat with a cabin for the ~4 hours round trip. The coastal boat tour is very tide and weather dependent, and cannot always be offered. People will longer stays are more likely to get a window to go. It contracted out, and incurs a fee of $150 per person payable to them. Four people minimum.

Other Activities

If you want to take a break from bear and bird viewing, there are a lot of other fun activities that we offer. You can try your hand at fishing or clamming, or explore the large lake behind the lodge, home to ducks, swans, loons and beavers. These are seasonal and tidally affected activities, so check in to see if they are available during your stay.

Situated as it is on the coast of Cook Inlet, Alaska Homestead Lodge affords many opportunities to harvest fish and clams. Local streams host Coho salmon, Chum salmon, Pink salmon and Dolly Varden trout later in the summer. This is a great alternate activity to bear viewing for an afternoon. Though you might see some bears trying their luck as well! During swings of low-tides, the local razor clam beds become exposed. Watching the bears come down to the beach to feast on clams is a popular activity amongst bear viewers, but if you fancy a little digging in the sand you can join in the fun.

Both fishing and clam digging require fishing licenses. You can get your fishing license online at the lodge. We provide basic fishing and clamming gear, and will process and freeze your catch for you to take home. We do not arrange for shipping but can point you in the right direction.

Sample Itinerary