Alaska Homestead Lodge

I visited this lodge on a Joseph Van Os photo safari with my husband from July 5-10, 2024 to photograph brown bears. There were eight in our photo group and one Van Os tour leader. The hospitality offered at this lodge cannot be beat. The meals prepared by Kia, the chef, were delicious, as were the desserts. Everyone cleaned their plates. Adam our local guide was knowledgeable, thoughtful, and kind, with never-ending energy, accommodating our every need. Brook was enthusiastic and helped Adam take wonderful care of the guests. Claire helped in the kitchen and with hospitality. We were disappointed that there were no bear cubs to photograph, but still lots of opportunities to get GREAT bear shots. My only disappointment was the housekeeping could have been a little better. Just using a broom would have helped a lot.

7 months ago

This is one of the most amazing places in Alaska! All of the comforts of home and more! The staff are so accommodating and friendly. The bear guide, Adam, was professional, conscientious and very knowledgeable. He went the extra mile to get us in the best position for photographing the bears. Great internet at the lodge. Dining is family style and food was delicious. The chef met all our food restrictions. The lodge owners are long time Lake Clark Alaskans and take pride in their lodges and business.

a year ago

What an amazing opportunity it was to spend a couple of days with the brown bears and stay at the Alaska Homestead Lodge. Our guide, Adam, was knowledgeable, responsive, and experienced in finding the bears and anticipating their moves. I felt extremely safe with his guidance. The owner and staff of the Alaska Homestead Lodge are warm and make you feel right at home. Great food and wonderful company. But best of all, the setting is so beautiful and it is breathtaking and moving to photograph and observe the bears, including the dynamics between mother and cubs, and the bears to each other as they move through the meadows grazing or on the shore clamming. This is my second visit (the first was just a day trip also through the lodge and its previous owners), and this surpassed all my expectations and was a life-enriching experience. Already thinking about how I can get back!

a year ago

Truly an experience of a lifetime! From our landing on the black sandy beach (where several bears were clamming) to the warm welcome by the amazing staff, and the incredible bear viewing for 3 fun filled days - this was beyond any expectations we could have imagined. My son and I were visiting Alaska for the first time and I can’t imagine a better way to fully immerse yourself with nature. ||We were fortunate with tons of encounters with the bears (and yes it is VERY safe) , their baby cubs, and to explore more remote areas of Lake Clark with our expert guide Adam (who is definitely a bear whisperer). Each day was completely different so planning your stay for 2-4 days is ample time. ||Kia our resident chef cooked up a storm, with warm soup and stew and warm cookies that were perfect after a morning out in the cool misty weather. Oliver and the entire crew do an amazing job making you feel like you’re staying with dear friends. ||I hope to visit again.

a year ago

Be ready to see bears!!!.||Oliver runs a fantastic operation at the Homestead Lodge. He took the time during numerous phone calls to answer all my questions before booking with him The lodge has a very comfy feeling and by the end of my trip I felt like I was in someone’s house instead of a lodge. ||Be ready to see bears!!!. This was truly an amazing experience. I spent 5 nights at the Homestead Lodge being pampered by Kia, Cam, and Sebastian. Kia is the head chef and provided fantastic meals. Cam and Sebastian were always available if you need anything in addition to providing delicious desserts. ||Adam takes guiding to a new level. He is an exceptional guide and extremely knowledgeable about brown bears as well as Alaska in general. Adam goes above and beyond to make sure you have the best experience possible. In addition to seeing bears every day, he also took me on a hike to Johnson Creek and a boat ride on Salmon Creek. ||Oliver runs a fantastic operation at Homestead Lodge. it was great getting to know him ||This was truly an unforgettable experience. I already made my reservation for 2025 since 2024 was already sold out.|||

a year ago

WOW! We stayed at the Alaska Homestead Lodge for 4 nights and couldn't be happier!! We planned on 4 nights to ensure that we would see an abundance of bears during our stay and our expectations were exceeded in every way. We did get lucky because we heard that the bears are sometimes not as numerous all at one time. However, the setting is beautiful and I have no doubt we would have loved it even if we had seen half the number of bears. James and Shelia were extremely responsive to all my inquiries beforehand and James continued to be incredibly warm and helpful during our stay (we unfortunately never got to meet Shelia in person because she was taking care of other things away from the lodge). The lodge itself couldn't be in a more convenient location to the bear viewing areas. We loved the effort taken to preserve the original trapper's lodge while still giving us the modern conveniences we've grown accustomed to. Those of us staying there felt like a big family and the lodge certainly became a home away from home. Belle and Jake, the two guides, were extremely friendly and knowledgeable!!! We have so much appreciation for the care they give to not only keeping the people safe but the bears as well. They communicate with each other, the guides from the other lodge, and the day trip guides in order to make the viewing enjoyable and safe for everyone concerned. This was the closest we've come in the States to our amazing African safari we enjoyed years ago. Dominic, the very talented lodge chef, kept us better fed than I would have ever imagined! He was extraordinary in his culinary creations, especially his seasoning. He made items like pancakes a work of art, not to mention his more acclaimed items like the handmade sandwich rolls he graced us with. Overall, this was one of those top 5 trips of a lifetime for us and we have the fondest of memories from our time there.

3 years ago

We stayed two nights here and had a lifetime experience with lovely bears and their cubs up close for photographing and videographing. We went out for bear viewing four times (before breakfast, morning, afternoon & evening) every day, watching bears and cubs feeding, running and playing. As an experienced photographer, I think the settings were perfect for taking photos and videos in best possible lighting conditions. The room was very comfortable. The owner James is extremely friendly and hospitable, and highly responsive to our pre-trip inquiries. We were really impressed by delicious meals and a 3-course dinner freshly made by a chef on-site each day. We are very happy to have made this choice for our photography trip in Lake Clark National Park.

3 years ago

We loved our time here! We had so much fun watching and photographing the bears. The accommodations were very comfortable and the meals were outstanding! Highly recommended!

8 months ago