Princess Copper River Lodge

[1button]

We just had our first trip to Alaska. Many people we know have opted for the Fairbanks Lodge over the years, but we thought we'd take an alternate route & went to Copper River. Yes, it was a long bus ride, but if you have Dan Ransom as your bus driver, it will pass quickly!!! Dan deserves kudos for his knowledge, personality & spunk, not to mention his photos, videos & creativity. Oh wait...for those of us on board, it was OUR creativity that was the biggest laugh!

 

Copper River was spectacular! The Copper River Lodge was one building that contained the bar/restaurant & dining restaurant as well as all the rooms, so it was more intimate & just had more of a welcoming feel. The other Lodges, with all of their separate buildings felt "colder" - especially the Denali Lodge (supposedly the largest resort in all of Alaska).

 

Special credit goes to Deeter in the bar/restaurant for filling us in on a lot of the activities & goings on in the area. If you're at Copper River, tell Deeter that the folks from Wisconsin say "hey"!

 

The ATV ride allowed us to see so much of the area & one of our guides was a native, so we also learned a lot about the history as well as how the natives currently exist & live. Don't be afraid of the ATV ride! It's not the Mexico Baja or anything like that. The vehicles are Rhinos, with doors, realtively cushy seats, roll bars, some have roofs & windshields and it's well worth the trip.

 

The Whitewater Rafting...it was cold & rainy outside, but not as wet as the ride! It was a blast & the views were spectacular - especially the double rainbow that greeted us at the Lodge when we returned.

 

Don't pass up Copper River if you have the chance!:D

[hensus]

Thanks for the report. We are going to Copper River Lodge in August. Did you hear any reports on the fly/drive excursion to McCarthy/Kennicott? It's a long day, but we are considering doing this on the day after the long bus trip from Denali. What do you think? Thanks for the help!

[1button]

No reports on the fly/drive excursion - sorry! :( The day you arrive it's pretty much quiet time & the next day is when we did our ATV ride & Whitewater Rafting. The whole land thing is very tiring, even though you spend about 1/3 of it sitting in a bus or train. I think that taking a flight in that part of Alaska would be thoroughly enjoyable - it's far enough off the beaten path, but not entirely remote.

[Budget Queen]

Thanks for the report. We are going to Copper River Lodge in August. Did you hear any reports on the fly/drive excursion to McCarthy/Kennicott? It's a long day, but we are considering doing this on the day after the long bus trip from Denali. What do you think? Thanks for the help!

 

In my opinion, having been there, this is the top touring choice in this area. :)