Janie and her friendly, competent, staff made our first trip up to Alaska a memorable one. Avoiding the cruise ship herd was our intention and Janie's Bear Track Inn certainly fit the bill. We took several day trips (Skagway, Dog Sledding on Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Kayaking with the Whales, Deep Sea Fishing for King Salmon & Halibut, Glacier Bay Cruise). On each trip, Janie made the bookings for us with qualified companies and then would make sure to give us valuable tips from where to sit on the Glacier Bay Cruise ship or the Skagway Miner's Train to recommending excellent restaurants in Juneau. She took care of all the tranportation details allowing us to just enjoy our experience. Coming back at the end of each day's excursion to those home baked cookies and smoked salmon, cheese and crackers hors d’oeuvres was always a hit.

If there is one word that had to be used to describe Janie and her Bear Track Inn, it would be service. One incident clearly stands out and is an example of just how thoughtful and resourceful Janie can be. We left my son's prescription glasses on the Skagway Miner's Train. By the end of the next day, and several handoffs by pilots, friends and drivers, Janie casually handed me an envelope containing our son's glasses. This literally took a concert of people to pull off and Janie orchestrated it all from the Bear Track Inn. Bravisimo!

Anyway, we could go on and on here. If you are looking to experience Alaska and it's all its wonders, the Bear Track Inn is a great place to start!

You could not ask for a more friendly place. Room was spacious. Staff was very helpful. I especially liked the way they coordinated your stay with any side trips you planned Food was great. I'd gp back in an instant and stay for another week.It was a unique experience and should not be missed!!!!!

We are picky travelers and did a lot of research before choosing the Bear Track Inn for our "once in a lifetime" trip to Alaska. For us, we couldn't have picked a better spot. The great room of the lodge could have come out of a brochure for Yellowstone... comforable sofas and chairs, log walls, huge center fireplace. Very comfortable spot to come in after the day's activity, have a snack (varies from cookies to fruit and cheese) and maybe a glass of tea or wine, download photos, or check with how the other folks did. The bedrooms are good-sized and look like the pictures; the bathrooms are very clean and well-stocked with locally made soaps, shampoos and lotion. And the food at the lodge is just awesome... when we visited, they had a chef, an assistant chef, and a pastry chef. You can be seated for dinner at flexible times. The ingredients are fresh, and we had our selection of several entres each night. A menu and desserts to die for. When you go out for the day, your lunch is packed and ready for you. We had a great time fishing, hiking, kayaking. The Inn hooks you up with local fresh and saltwater guides who know their stuff, are nice people, and have good quality equipment and well-maintained boats. In a few days we landed more fish than in a whole season back home. The fishing grounds are a short ride from the dock... not the 1-2 hour ride required at other locations. The Inn is close to the Bartlett's Cove section of Glacier Bay National Park. We rented kayaks there, picked up a few t-shirts and hats, and hiked a beautiful trail. The Inn can set you up with glacier boat tours, flightseeing trips, or excursions to Skagway or other areas. Above all, the people are nice... those who run the Inn and those who stayed there. Sometimes, we shared a table with others; other nights we kept to ourselves. With just 14 rooms, they have enough there to meet our needs, but they're small enough to learn what you want. No trip to Alaska is cheap, but I think this place is worth every penny.... you don't want to go this far and have second thoughts of what you could have done, or the time you could have had. This is one place I hope to return to.

My husband and I waited 5 years to take a vacation because wanted it to be special and we wanted to go to Alaska. We spent half of our trip at Katmai Lodge watching the bears and the other half in Gustavus/Glacier Bay. Following is an excerpt from a letter went sent to Bear Track Inn after our stay:

"What you all did to make sure we had the trip of a lifetime was very special to us and we wanted to tell you thank you - which seems like such an insufficient way to express our appreciation for your generosity with your time and thoughtfulness before we arrived and while we stayed with you. It is difficult to explain to people what a special place you have and how well you take care of the lodge and the people that come to visit, but we do try! As far as the food - it would have been an extraordinary trip even if we just had burgers and hot dogs for three meals a day much less the gourmet, splendid, and amazing efforts you went to for each meal.

I am sure you have heard reams of superlatives about how splendid your lodge is, how stunning the food is, how it is the ideal location for some many activities, and how there is a aura of peacefulness that surrounds the lodge and the people that live and work in Gustavus but we want to add our voices to theirs. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you and hope we can return again soon!"