Glacier Bay Lodge, Gustavus

Fresh air, beautiful scenery, whales, bears, kayaking, nature trails, nature cruises....what more could you ask for? A true back to basics experience that makes you appreciate the beauty and perfection of our earth. The cabins are very rustic, but you will not want to spend much time in your cabin. There is way too much beauty and wildlife surrounding the lodge to keep you mesmerized. One of my favorite vacations ever.

Beautiful sunsets from the deck. Rustic lodge and rooms. Perfect getaway!

The shampoo dispenser remained empty throughout our stay, even though I mentioned it at the front desk twice. Trash was not removed. Trips to Gustavus were not complimentary, not even if you were staying at the Lodge. At $12.xx per person one-way, it would cost us an extra $50 to get to the dock at Gustavus 10 miles away to go on a whale-watching trip we'd found out about; this would be free if we booked on the Taz through the lodge - so we did. The Taz cancelled on us twice (once for weather, then again for a "broken part above the starter" - but we suspect they reneged because they didn't have enough people), so that even with four days at Glacier Bay, we didn't get to go on a whale watching tour. The desk at the lodge (an Aramark facility) did //*less than nothing*// to help make our trip pleasant. The girl at the front desk only called a couple other whale-watching possibilities after I gave her names of businesses she had to have known - Gustavus isn't that big; and then it turned out one of the numbers she'd dialed ("no one's picking up") wasn't even the right number (it was the number of the entry above the appropriate one in the one-page Gustavus directory) No one really cared that we'd spent thousands of dollars getting there, were spending four nights at the lodge, so it's not like we hadn't made an allowance for weather, etc. They couldn't care less, and didn't even try to make us feel better.

We stayed here recently. If you are looking for a rustic, Alaska experience, this is it. The lodge is located right on one of the channels. Our room had a beautiful view of the bay in front of the lodge. We really felt that we were in the wilderness. Having the national park visitor center in the lodge is a plus; we watched the films and took a guided walk on the Forest Loop. The 8 hour trip to the glaciers was very memorable. The ranger who went along the trip (Jeanine) was great, very insightful and articulate, and was wonderful with our 7 year old whom she awarded a "junior ranger badge" which he treasures. We would definitely come back