Well, I finally did it! I crossed something off my Alaska bucket list that’s been on there since before we even moved here and it took 4 years of living here to get it done. On our last little escapade around Alaska, I figured out a way to get myself to the iconic Brooks Falls and it did NOT disappoint! Before we dive in, I need to give a little background on Brooks Falls. Brooks Falls is located in Katmai National Park which is a skip, hop, and a jump (or a plane ride or boat ride) straight across the bay from the tip of the Kenai Peninsula. This location is an iconic bear viewing spot in Alaska because each year, bears gather here to bulk up on the salmon run and get ready for hibernation. The bears in Katmai National Park are some of the biggest brown bears in the world. You can even vote each fall on who you think is the fattest bear during "Fat Bear Week" on the Katmai National Park website. It is one of the least visited National Parks in the country because it is so remote but getting there is half the fun, honestly. I’ve sat down to plan this trip so many times, doing so much research and, I’ll be honest, it started to seem so illusive! Granted, I know a few people who have done it and there’s so much information out there about visiting Brooks Falls. The problem is there are just so many different ways to do it! And with it being such a big trip, I wanted to make sure I did it just right. The first decision about our trip was kind of made for us. There are two ways to spend time at Brooks Falls and that is to either stay there at the lodge or make it a day trip. The lodge has been in operation since 1950 and consists of 16 rooms, or cabins that sleep 4 people each. These cabins are $955/night and open for reservations at the beginning of the year and sell out insanely fast. There is also a campground near the lodge surrounded by an electric fence. It costs $12 per person per night during peak bear watching season and is limited to only 60 people at a time so this books out extremely fast as well. Due to the ages and size of our party, and the fact that the last time I checked, everything was booked out until 2024 ;) we had to plan a day trip. The second decision to make was whether to bring the whole family. I absolutely love exploring and adventuring with my young kids but ultimately, we decided it was best for them to sit this one out. When visiting Brooks Falls, there is no food allowed on the trails. It's a bit of a walk from the beach/lodge area to the platforms and it’s not rare for the trails to close down for even an hour or two if a bear decides they want to take a nap or hang out close to the trails. My youngest is 2 years old and I wasn’t about to have a toddler be stuck on the trail with no snacks or juice to hold him over until who knows when…My husband graciously volunteered to stay behind with the kids while I planned the trip to go with my parents. The third decision to make was where we were going to book our trip from. There are multiple ways to get to Katmai National Park and we knew we wanted to fly. There are so many companies that fly to Katmai. Visitors can fly from Anchorage commercially to King Salmon and then either get a chartered flight to Katmai, or take the ferry. Or there are day trips that fly directly from Anchorage. We chose to get a day trip flight out of Homer and there were a few reasons for that. Last year, we actually did a bear tour to Lake Clark National Park out of Homer and we experienced, first hand, the way that the unpredictable weather can affect flights to the area. Because we knew there was a risk of having flights rescheduled, we decided we wanted to do a trip in Homer because, well, spending time in Homer is a little more interesting and new than hanging around Anchorage like we have done many times :) So we planned a trip to Homer with a very loose schedule in case we needed to switch around anything but it turned out perfectly. We spent 4 nights in Homer and booked the earliest flight in the week that we could with Northwind Aviation. The tour companies are very good at communicating when things come up but it does take a certain amount of patience and understanding on the customers’ behalf. Weather can look great in Homer but on the other side of the bay there’s a whole different weather system. Originally we were supposed to check in at 6:30 AM. The night before, they called and pushed it to 7:30 and then in the morning they pushed it to 8:30 and it was 9:30 when we were wheels up! Or rather, floats up. It was so cool to take off of the lake in a float plane and land at the beach in Katmai. Speaking of our flight, remember how I said getting there is half the adventure? The flight from Homer is 2 hours and it was so beautiful! We flew past views of volcanos and rivers and lush green mountains…we even saw a bear from the air before landing at the beach. We walked from the beach to the lodge where we had to take a quick lesson at Bear School to learn all the safety protocols before venturing off on our own. Katmai National Park is home to over 2,000 brown bears and as many as 50 bears live around Brooks Falls at any given time during the summer. Even though it is definitely a tourist destination, the rangers in the park are dedicated to not interfering with the lives of these majestic animals which means limiting human interaction as much as possible. Experiencing Brooks Falls puts visitors in one of the most dangerous places on earth when it comes to being around apex predators so going through Bear School is a must to make sure you, and the bears, stay safe. Once we got to the lodge, we had to put all of our food in the food cache. So before heading out to the falls, we scarfed down a quick sandwich in the small, electric-fence enclosed picnic area, and then we walked out to the falls! The 20 minute walk from the lodge to the falls is a little eerie after getting out of bear school ;) but it was fascinating. The first little platform you get to overlooks the famous Brooks River. We saw fisherman and bears but we also looked down right under the platform and saw the salmon! As we made our way to the next platform, we noticed all the fresh bear scat all along the trails, which was pretty wild. The next platform you get to is at an area called the “riffles”. While you can see the falls from here, this platform is a little bit down from the falls. It has no occupancy limit or time limit as opposed to the Falls platform, which is limited to 40 people and 30 minutes of viewing. Once we arrived here, we had to put our name down on the list for the falls platform and we were actually given a buzzer much like waiting for a table at a restaurant. We were there during peak season along with a ton of other people! We watched bears fish in the riffles while we waited for our name to be called and it took about 2 hours until we got to the top of the list. Time flew though, honestly. We watched a big, ol’ bear known as 747 - because of his size - wander in and take up his post in the river. We watched a new mama bear try to catch fish for her two spring cubs. We watched bears coming in and out of the river walking right underneath the platform and it was incredible. By the time they called our name for the falls platform, we only had about 10-15 minutes before we had to start walking back to our plane. But it was an amazing view. Indescribable honestly, but they say pictures are worth 1,000 words… Time flew by even faster in those 10 minutes and we soon found ourselves walking back to our plane with our pilot, who had made his way up to the falls after being stuck for an hour or so because a bear had decided to take a nap right on the trail. We could see where it had bedded down for a bit as we were walking back. But our trip wasn’t over yet. We climbed into our floatplane and had the most scenic flight back to Homer with clear skies and epic views of unexplored peaks and glaciers and then islands and volcanos and even a small pod of Humpback whales as we flew back over the bay. While there is no wrong way to visit Katmai National Park, we truly had an amazing time during our trip to Brooks Falls during this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A couple things to note: (1) The trail to the falls is not as well marked as it could be. Our pilot gave us a great tip in taking all the right hand turns on the way out and all the left hand turns on the way back and we did stumble across some of the tiny little signs they have but we were grateful for the inside tip. (2) I can’t stress enough about how no food is allowed on the trails. No food is allowed outside, even, unless you’re within the small electric fenced areas. This is a rule in place for everyone visiting the park. The food cache was packed with food people had brought in but there is also a restaurant that is open for anyone. We had limited time and didn’t want to waste it by standing around eating so we didn’t really check it out but they do serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (3) We did fly in but there were also boats along the beach. King Salmon is a very short flight from Katmai but they also offer a ferry. Both ways of travel are significantly impacted by the weather. But I’ve heard of lots of people staying in King Salmon for a few days and taking the ferry into the park each day if they didn’t have the option of staying at the lodge. Keep an eye out for our next post about more of what we did in Homer! If you’re interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live!
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If there’s anything you should know before planning a trip to Alaska it’s that there is a lot of space between point A and point B. If you want the whole Alaska experience - and to explore as much as possible - you have a lot of ground to cover. By looking at some of our past blog posts about our Alaskan adventures, you’ll see that we’ve posted a few different versions of road trips that we’ve done, covering ground from Fairbanks to destinations like Anchorage, Seward, Homer, and everywhere in between. While these types of trips are incredible, and we have seen and done so many amazing things, sometimes we prefer trips that are located around a central hub. We recently got back from a trip to Girdwood, Alaska which was just such a trip. If you’re looking for a trip to Alaska that allows for a little rest in between the day-to-day adventures, then this post is for you. Day 1Girdwood, Alaska is about 45 minutes south of Anchorage. It’s sits at the bottom of a beautiful, glacier-carved valley tucked into the Chugach Mountain range. It boasts the only ski resort in the state of Alaska that is open year round for all kinds of outdoor adventures. We picked Girdwood to be our central hub for this trip because we wanted to be close to amenities while still being away from the “city” and Girdwood is such a place! On the first day, we arrived a little bit before it was time to check in at our airbnb. We explored the beautiful Alyeska Resort grounds and decided to take the tram up to the top of Mount Alyeska. This activity is a little pricey, especially when paying for a whole family, but we can’t ever say no to a bird’s eye view and up we went. The Alyeska Tram takes visitors from 306 ft in elevation to 2,334 ft in about 6 minutes. On a clear day you can beautiful views of the valley all the way to Turnagain arm as well as up to 7 hanging glaciers. Every time we’ve done this activity, there was just a little too much snow to really explore the hiking paths around the area but they are there! This last trip, the operator told us about the annual Alyeska Climbathon that takes place here. It's a competition to see who can run up the mountain the most number of times in the span of 10 hours. Participants will run up the 2.2 mile trail (gaining 2,000 ft in elevation each time) and take the tram down as many times as they can until the tram closes for the day. He assured us that it’s a pretty intense and impressive event. At the top of the tram, you can explore the lookout tower and there are two restaurants that are pretty decent! Sit by the window for a meal with a view. After our little adventure up the mountain, it was time to check into our absolutely incredible Airbnb. This 3 bedroom/3 bathroom townhouse was stunning down to the very last detail. Our kids especially appreciated the “bunk room” with two bunkbeds and books for them to sit with…but once we showed them the game room, it was “game over” ;) Complete with foosball, arcade games, darts, and more, it was the first room they went to every morning and the last room they were in every night. But it was fun for adults too! With a little corner dedicated to working out, a big TV and a little bar, this room is sure to provide entertainment for everyone. We hung out here for the rest of the night gearing up for the next day's itinerary. If you decide you want to stay here, mention to the host, Jodie, that Ashlee from Our Big Backyard sent you to get a discount on your stay. DAY 2We had family visiting with us this trip and on day 2, I planned a little outing with just myself and my aunts that were up for an adventure. We left Jon with the kids (who ended up going back into Anchorage for some shopping and Chuck E Cheese ;) and we headed to Whittier. Whittier was about a 30 minute drive from our Airbnb but the major thing to take into account when visiting is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel schedule. This tunnel to get into Whittier is the longest highway tunnel in North America. It’s 2.5 miles one way and also shares with the train so it is imperative that they keep to a strict schedule to keep traffic flowing. The best advice when going through the tunnel is to check the schedule on their website but usually traffic going into Whittier sits in the holding lot until the bottom of the hour when the tunnel opens for 15 minutes. Then traffic leaving Whittier does the same thing on the other side at the top of the hour. The tunnel was built in WWII for the literal supply train for the troops stationed there. It was the first time the town had been connected to the rest of Alaska by road but it wasn’t converted for cars until the year 2000. Whittier is a random town and at first glance it doesn’t really seem like they have much going on but the tunnel isn’t the only thing that makes Whittier interesting. Whittier was actually voted one of the weirdest places in the world because most of the population lives in the same building. The Begich Towers is an apartment complex where almost every one of the year round residents live. There’s a rumor that some of the residents have listed the apartment on Airbnb…but that’s an adventure for another time :) The floor level of the building is open to the public and has a hall dedicated to the history of the town, which is pretty fascinating! There is also a grocery store and a post office as well as a tunnel that connects to the school on the other side of the parking lot for those bitter cold winters. After exploring a bit, we grabbed some lunch at the Swiftwater Cafe. All of “downtown” is right along the harbor and is a good place to grab food or souvenirs but who doesn’t love those Alaskan harbor views?? Whittier may seem random and *gasp* boring (I didn’t say it but I’ve gotten a few instagram comments *smh*) but there are some pretty epic adventures to be had here. After a quick lunch, we met up with our tour of choice for this trip which was with Glacier Jet Ski Adventures! Honestly, this was such an incredible trip! We went out into the Prince William Sound and Blackstsone Bay and got up close and personal with some wildlife, waterfalls, and glaciers all on our own personal jet ski. Whittier is known for a lot of things and unpredictable weather is one of those things. Our jet skis had heated handle bars, if that tells you anything - but we really lucked out with incredible weather and had the best time! We got back from our tour just in time to catch the tunnel out of Whittier and met up with the fam back at the Airbnb for dinner. Day 3On the third day, we took it easy and did a little more exploring around Girdwood. We all drove a short ways to Crow Creek Gold Mine and did a little gold panning. Crow Creek is still a fully operational gold mine and the historical mining camp was such a fun place to explore. We roamed around the property and some of the old buildings. We had a quick lesson on gold panning, some practice with some pay dirt, and then we went on a short walk to the creek to put our skills to the test. It was a fun little adventure for the whole family. After the Gold Mine, some of our group set out to explore some of the trails around Girdwood. Winners Creek is a locals favorite and the Historic Iditarod Trail is a fun one as well. Both are easy “hikes” suitable for all ages. Day 4On our last day in Girdwood, we had booked a little excursion with the Alaska Railroad. The Glacier Discovery Train picked us up right there in Girdwood and took us along the most scenic section of the renowned railroad. First we actually went back into Whittier - which was a whole different experience by train - and then we came back out and went into the backcountry to see the magnificent Spencer and Grandview Glaciers. These are places in Alaska that are only accessible by the train and the whole ride was just gorgeous. For those feeling a little more adventurous, you can actually book a kayak or pack raft trip where the train takes passengers to Spencer Glacier where they’ll disembark and do a little paddling until the train comes back to pick them up. It honestly looked so much fun! But our relaxing little train ride was a good experience too! We saw so much wildlife - including bears, moose, and bald eagles - beautiful waterfalls and glaciers and they even stopped at the more scenic parts and opened the doors so we could take in the view. It really was a great little trip. One tip if you don't want to ride back into Whittier a second time on the way back is to book the shuttle transfer which will take you back to Girdwood or Anchorage from the Portage stop. BonusYou may notice that I haven’t said anything about restaurants. There aren’t a ton of food options in Girdwood and our Airbnb was actually closer to the highway than going into town so we had loaded up on groceries in Anchorage before our trip. However, we did grab some lunch at Subway before getting on the train on the last day and there’s a great little bakery, called Alpine Cafe and Bakery, in that same little strip mall area. Driving to Girdwood, you drive along Turnagain Arm. We always love stopping at Beluga Point, especially at high tide and watching for Beluga Whales. Bring some binoculars and watch for smooth, round, white “waves” moving in a small pod. They can be tricky to differentiate between actual waves, so watch closely! Girdwood is a great hub for some fun Alaska adventures but if you’re looking to explore more of Alaska, you can easily spend some time here and then move on to areas like Seward or Homer. We actually ended our trip by driving back up through Anchorage and spending a few days in the Wasilla/Palmer area. Check out our post about some awesome things to do there as well! If you’re interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! One thing you should know about visiting Alaska is that finding a place to stay is a little different than in other parts of the world. If you’re looking for a luxury vacation, there are exactly 0 5-star hotels, even in Anchorage, which is the biggest city in Alaska. Sure, you’ll find all-inclusive resorts that will fly you out to there properties in remote locations but if you’re looking for an affordable place to stay that acts as a good hub for all those Alaskan adventures you have on your bucket list, you’ll want to read this post. We’ve been exploring Alaska for 4 years and we’ve learned that the best places to stay when you truly want an Alaskan experience are those places away from the bustling “big cities”. Okay, I don’t know if any city in Alaska really qualifies as a “big city” that most people think of, haha. But if you’re coming to Alaska, wouldn’t you agree that you want the full, well-rounded experience? If you’ve been around for a minute, you know how much we rave about the Palmer/Wasilla area of Alaska. It was love at first sight when we first visited this little heaven on earth and out of all the places we’ve visited in Alaska, this area is one that we’ve frequented much more than any other. This part of the Mat Su Valley is under an hour from Anchorage and is the perfect jumping off point for some of our favorite Alaskan bucket list adventures. The mountain views, the cozy neighborhoods, and the community feel just has us continually coming back. We’ve stayed in many different places in the area and on our most recent little vacation down south, we were invited to spend some time at the Meier Lake Resort. We wound through little neighborhood streets to get to Meier Lake, but the property is nestled into 120 acres of secluded wilderness. With just 12 rooms, visitors feel as if they are "off-the-grid" without having to go far from the amenities of comfort (like shopping and restaurants) or go out of the way from planned adventures. The grounds are quiet and calming and there's a sense of intimacy that comes with the natural surroundings. The beauty of Meier Lake Resort is that the current owners purchased the property that had been run as a summer camp for youth since the 70s. After a few years of extensive remodeling, they have done a remarkable job with keeping the nostalgic summer camp atmosphere but mixing it with upscale and luxurious details and theming. First, we’ll start with the rooms. Going to summer camp as a kid, I know exactly what to expect when I think of summer camp cabins full of bunks of young kids whispering and playing games into the night. But walking into the cabins at Meier Lake make you feel like you’re staying at an upscale resort. The comfortable beds with the thoughtful details of fresh flowers and clean robes will have you feeling refreshed and ready for the day’s adventures. Each room is it’s own Alaskan experience decorated with different maps of the beautiful state. But waking up to the view of green trees and a pristine lake is just what the doctor ordered. The no phone/no TV policy of the property is welcome with the theming of serenity and unplugging from the bustle of everyday life, though wifi is available for those who choose to use it. Second, the location is a great hub for adventures in the area. Meier Lake Resort sits just at the base of the stunning Hatcher Pass, a little over an hour away from our favorite Matanuska Glacier Recreation Site, or even just 30 minutes from our favorite beloved Reindeer Farm experience. This is such a good area to look into when looking for a good hub. Boasting a private lake complete with a sandy beach, Meier Lake Resort offers a calming start or end to a fun adventure-filled day. But beyond that, staying at Meier Lake is an adventure all on it’s own. Every guest on the property has full use of all the water amenities including kayaks, paddle boats, canoes, or paddle boards. But nothing can compare to enjoying the wood fire heated sauna right there on the shore after taking a dip in the lake. Take advantage of the provided hammam towels and pour some water over the coals to get some steam for a relaxing end of your day. Spa packages are even available with prior notice. Other outdoor amenities on property include a PDGA championship disc golf course, which is the only tier A disc golf course in Alaska. The course boasts a 3.5 mile loop around the lake and through the woods with 18 holes and 36 baskets. Grab a frisbee from the main lodge and try your hand at this popular sport. In keeping with the summer camp feel, all the cabins on property are dry, which means no running water inside the individual cabins. However, the shower house at Meier Lake leaves nothing to be desired with larger private bathrooms and showers. It is kept clean and fully stocked of fresh fluffy towels throughout the day. At the time of our visit, Meier Lake was working on getting a liquor license and as well as getting their kitchen up and running so they can operate at restaurant there at the property in the near future. The main lodge was already inviting but we’re excited to go back and see how this addition adds to the property. Though there was no dining on site while we were there, breakfast is included in every stay and we had it delivered to our door every morning, complete with a thermos of fresh coffee, fresh fruit, yogurt and muffins. We loved waking up to breakfast with a view. If you’re looking for a place of gathering for a group of people, look no further because this resort would be the perfect place for such an occasion. There’s even a cabin with strictly bunk beds specifically for families with children. Individual families could enjoy the privacy of their own cabin while still enjoying the space as a larger group. This really would be a wonderful place to host a wedding or family event. One of my favorite things about Meier Lake Resort are the events that they host themselves. If you follow their instagram, you’ll be up-to-date on all things Meier Lake, including disc golf championships and clinics, beach club days, wellness retreats, yoga classes, cooking classes, self care retreats…the possibilities of activities to enjoy on the property are endless. We loved our stay at Meier Lake Resort and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to people looking for somewhere to stay to complete that Alaskan aesthetic when visiting this great state. What do you look for when looking for a place to stay? If you’re interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live!
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AuthorWe're just a military family enjoying where we live, one PCS at a time. Follow us as we explore our current home, South Carolina, and beyond. The world is our backyard. Archives
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