Avens Alaska (formerly Wrangell Mountains Wilderness Lodge — Hotel in Alaska

Creature Comforts in the Wilderness

Our stay at the Wrangell Mountains Wilderness Lodge was fantastic! We fully enjoyed our four-night vacation at this wonderful, magical lodge. We hope to return some day and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a comfortable, delicious stay deep in the Alaska wilderness.

Wrangell Mountains Wilderness Lodge provides a five-star experience. The fully-equipped cabin with the eco-friendly wood pellet heater and hot shower kept us warm, cozy and clean. The hiking was superb with jaw-dropping views in every direction. And the exceptional, gourmet food – including the take-away lunches – was a big surprise. Home grown and harvested natural ingredients were featured in every meal and the 100-year old sour dough and the firewood ice cream were just two of the many delicious stand outs. The creativity and quality of their kitchen rivals that of any San Francisco restaurant.

The recreation was superb. We had so much fun hiking into the mountain wilderness on two days with views of Mt. Sanford (16,237 ft.) and many other peaks, and we spent the third day alone, canoeing on a 2-mile lake with swans, eagles and ducks nestled in the foot hills with 360 degree views of snow-covered peaks in the Wrangell, Mentasta, Alaska and Chugach mountain ranges.

And topping it all off was the nice connection we made with the wonderful family that runs the WMWL. Michael and Victoria and their two kids were exceptional hosts. They taught us much about Alaska and the subsistence ethic that supports the people that live there, especially those in remote areas like the Nabesna Road region. They shared their knowledge and love for the area with us and had great recommendations for our excursions.

The Wrangell Mountains Wilderness Lodge provides a complete, unique and wonderful experience on the “quiet” side of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, a very special place where you will find all the creature comforts in the middle of a gobsmaking wilderness. It doesn’t get any better. We recommend it without reservation.

Ellen and Louis (San...

My husband and I stayed here on our honeymoon for 3 nights in the Mountain Spruce cabin and truly enjoyed it. The cabin was clean, well constructed, and had everything we needed to cook our own meals and get a comfy night's sleep. Mike has put in a lot of work and thoughtfulness to the power and plumbing in this off-grid, remote location. The shared wash house was clean and the on-demand water heater provided hot, well-pressurized water. I just want to emphasize how comfortable the infrastructure is...you are by no means roughing it and everything is really well constructed! We opted in for dinner one evening cooked by Victoria and her crew, and served to us by the charming Nula! Dinner was delicious and thoughtfully plated. We had homemade sourdough bread, salad, a Mediterranean chicken with angel pasta, and our choice of desert. Mike also brought by some of his smoked salmon, which was such a nice gift!

We took the canoe out on the lake and fished for grayling. We saw a moose, trumpeter swans, and sheep up in the mountains. You can hike up a short hill on the other side of the lake and get a great view of the entire valley. We drove to the end of the road (you'll be fine in any AWD/4WD vehicle) and hiked to the Rambler Mine for more views. We did a more challenging hike up to Skookum Volcano, which was well worth it but should only be done by those comfortable with a lot of rock hopping and some steep elevation gain.

All in all I highly recommend staying here to anyone looking for a restorative experience. It was so nice to get away from crowds and recharge in this beautiful, peaceful pocket of the Wrangell-St. Elias. I've stayed in other lodges/cabins in Alaska in much less remote places that don't hold a candle to Avens Alaska/Wrangell Mountain Wilderness Lodge. What a nice slice of comfort in an otherwise...

Avens Alaska is a gem of a family-owned lodge in a remote area of Wrangell St. Elias NP. It is an off-grid location with a lodge for dining complete with a bar, and various types of lodging accommodations from Yurts to cabins with different levels of amenities. Ours (The Alaskan) included an indoor private bathroom. The wash house is a nice building with two separate bathrooms with showers for accommodations without indoor plumbing. There are lakes close to the cabins within easy walking distance. The beautiful property is conveniently located on Nabesna Road with lots of hiking options. The views of the mountains are amazing. Unfortunately, the Northern Lights were not active while we were there.||The cabin we rented was clean and beautiful. The owner personally showed us through the cabin and explained how the pellet heater and appliances worked. There were two queen beds (one in the loft). The bed was comfortable and the plentiful blankets were warm. There is also a kitchen for preparing food. We did not use a hair dryer or curling iron as the wattage usage is very high when power is provided off-grid. ||The food was amazing! We bought the food package since there are no nearby convenience stores, restaurants, or grocery stores. The owners grow much of the food onsite and source locally. The culinary creations were fabulous with chef level presentation. The homemade desserts were marvelous. Even the boxed lunches were sensational. Their son was our waiter and he did a splendid job. Michael and Victoria were wonderful hosts! We would stay...