EXCURSIONS MENU Utilize our years of experience and local knowledge to book the following special excursions. A 50% deposit by Visa or MasterCard is required to confirm a booking. Please keep in mind that on rare occasions, trips may not go due to weather. Trips will not be cancelled solely due to rain. Excursions cancelled by the provider due to weather or equipment failure are refundable. Should you decide to cancel an excursion, fees will apply. Prices quoted are approximate and subject to change without notice.
PRICES QUOTED DO NOT INCLUDE SALES TAX AND ARE Included in package If you love backcountry hiking, this is for you! Enjoy hiking from shoreline through spruce forests to alpine meadows lush with wildflowers. Expansive views from above treeline encompass the southern Kenai Peninsula, Cook Inlet and distant volcanoes on the Alaska Peninsula. You will be dropped off at the Grace Ridge trailhead and picked up at a pre-determined time later in the day. The trail is moderate to difficult with long climbs in some sections. Plan on 6 hours if your goal is to reach the summit at 3,145 feet. Park fees and water taxi service is included in the package. If you prefer to have a guide accompany you, the guide fee is $150. GUIDED SEA KAYAKING:
About 5 hours (guided only) novices welcome There is no better way to experience the Kenai Coast. The adventure begins after breakfast when your guide provides a paddling and safety briefing and helps you get outfitted and comfortably seated in your boat. Paddling areas may include the Herring Islands as well as the waters of Kachemak Bay State Park where we have a permit to provide services. You will go ashore for a picnic lunch and return to the lodge in the afternoon with time to rest, hot tub, shower or sauna before dinner. FLYOUT BROWN BEAR
VIEWING: About 7 hours Venture into bear country to experience one of our most precious treasures, the Alaskan Brown Bear. The emphasis is on respectful, low impact viewing allowing you to observe normal bear behavior in their habitat. Possible destinations include Brook's Falls in Katmai National Park and Preserve with uniformed rangers, easy walking paths, viewing platforms and restroom facilities. Or you may go to more remote spots where moderate hiking and sitting quietly for long stretches is part of the experience. The destination depends on where bears are finding food. Costs vary according to flight time and destination. COASTAL TOUR BY BOAT:
1.5 hours Let us show you our dynamic "neighborhood" – stunning vistas, fascinating geologic formations, birds and wildlife. This is a great opportunity to view and photograph our favorite wild neighbors – endearing sea otters and nesting bald eagles. You may also see porpoise, whales (Humpback, Minke or Orca), sea lions, seals and sea birds including Puffins, Harlequins and Oystercatchers. This tour may take you into Kachemak Bay State Park waters where we have a permit to commercially operate. SELDOVIA VILLAGE:
4 to 6 hours Visit this quaint town where early Russian invaders using Aleut slaves established a sea otter hunting station in the late 1700s. Stroll the old boardwalk along Seldovia Slough, photograph 120-year-old St. Nicholas Russian Church, visit local shops and hike the scenic Otterbahn Trail to Outside Beach. The first portion of this trip departs the lodge dock by boat at 10 AM for the 15-minute ride to a dock in Jakolof Bay. The next leg is by vehicle along an 11-mile gravel road into Seldovia where points of interest are within easy walking distance. The Otterbahn is a 2.5 mile (round-trip) moderate up and down hike through Sitka spruce forest and salmon berry patches to a beautiful expanse of exposed beach facing Cook Inlet (a lovely destination for a picnic). The $60 fee is for transportation. If you wish to have a guide, the cost is an additional flat fee of $150. HALIBUT COVE & GULL
ISLAND: 6.5 hours (unguided) Visit this picturesque community of cabins and summer mansions, art galleries and boardwalks hugging the shoreline. Sublimely quiet in winter with only a handful of residents, the cove bustles with summer visitors. This outing begins at 11 AM with a water taxi to Homer to connect with the Kachemak Bay Ferry which departs the Homer Harbor at noon. The trip to Halibut Cove includes a tour of Gull Island, the busiest bird rookery in Kachemak Bay, where gulls, cormorants, murres and puffins nest in noisy confusion. You will arrive back at the lodge via ferry and water taxi at 5:30 PM. ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE
ADVENTURE: 5 hours (guided) This action packed excursion begins after breakfast with travel by boat and auto to Seldovia where you will have some time to enjoy Seldovia Village before meeting your guide. After receiving instruction on the safe operation of your fully automatic 4-wheel drive ATV, you will travel a gravel road from sea level up switchbacks along old logging and mining roads to a spectacular broad, high valley. No prior ATV experience is required. Drivers must be at least 16 years of age and possess a valid U.S. driver's license. Non-licensed passengers can ride with a licensed driver. You will be back at the lodge about 5 PM. LODGE WATER TAXI
SERVICES: The lodge is licensed and insured to provide boat transportation and tours for guests. We also have a commercial use permit allowing us to operate on the waters of Kachemak Bay State Park. At times, the lodge boat may be used for water taxi services between the lodge and Homer and other destinations. Costs vary depending on boat time required. FISHINGADVANCE RESERVATIONS REQUIRED With many years of fishing experience in Alaska, we know the best fishing options and guides in our area and we would be happy to make the arrangements for you. Rates quoted do not include tax, fishing license, gratuities and possible fuel surcharges. Fishing licenses and king salmon stamps are sold at the lodge. Nonresident: 1-day $20; 3-day $35; 7-day $55; 14-day $80; king salmon stamp 1-day $10; 3-day $20; 7-day $30; 14-day $50. SALTWATER FISHINGHALIBUT
FISHING This is the most popular and predictable sport fishery in Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet with the season running May through September. Trophies weigh 100 pounds and up with the average fish in the 20 to 40 pound range, the finest for eating. The largest halibut caught by a lodge guest weighed 288 pounds. Heavy duty fishing equipment with herring for bait is provided. SALMON TROLLING (kings
or silvers) KING SALMON FEEDERS, also called winter kings, are in the bay year round. These fish cruise the coastline constantly eating until maturity when they will return to their natal spawning rivers. A challenge to catch, these fish provide exquisite gourmet dining. KING SALMON SPAWNERS pass through the bay in waves beginning in early May on the way to the Kenai River and other spawning drainages in Cook Inlet. May and June are the best months for this fishery. SILVER SALMON, considered by many to be the most acrobatic fighters of all the salmon, arrive in early August and run through mid-September. COMBO FISHING (halibut
& salmon) Fish for halibut on the slack tide with bottom fishing equipment and when the tide turns, switch to trolling gear and try for silver and king salmon. Although available at other times, combo fishing is best during August and September, when the silver salmon are running. SALTWATER FISHING TIPSRates include all equipment and fish cleaning and are for combined parties of up to six anglers fishing on the same boat. If you prefer the exclusive use of a boat, the cost will run about $1,500 per day for a boat licensed to carry six passengers. Departure time from the lodge dock is at about 7 AM with a return in the afternoon around 4 PM. Motion sickness protection recommended by your doctor is strongly advised. If you want to savor the taste of your fresh-caught, never frozen wild Alaskan salmon or halibut, the lodge kitchen staff will gladly prepare it for your dining pleasure. To take fish home, your catch will be taken to a processing plant in Homer where it will be cut up, vacuum-packed, frozen and properly packaged with gel ice in special boxes for airline shipping. The estimated cost for these services plus shipping comes to about $4.75 per pound for 50 pounds of fish fillets. For less than 50 pounds the cost per pound goes up. FRESHWATER FISHINGADVANCE RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
FLYOUT FRESHWATER FISHING (guided) For fly fishing enthusiasts! Fabulous catch and release fishing for rainbows, Dolly Varden, silver salmon . . . the species vary throughout the summer. Cost includes boat and air transportation and top notch guide services. Rod and reel setups and hip waders are available for rent if you do not bring your own equipment. FLYOUT FISHING WITH
THE BEARS (unguided) About 7 hours
Please click HERE for our Participation Agreement For a complete printable info sheet click HERE or in MS Word format HERE
Alaska's
Tutka Bay Wilderness Lodge All contents © Alaska's
Tutka Bay Wilderness Lodge and Net Alaska Web Services, Homer, Alaska |
