Ultima Thule Inc — Hotel in Alaska

We went to Ultima Thule 10 years ago and had to go back, but this time we brought relatives. The lodge is in the Wrangle-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (13.2 million acres—the same size as Yellowstone, Yosemite and Switzerland combined) and is 100 miles from the nearest paved road. The Claus family homesteaded the land before it became a national park by Jimmy Carter in 1980 and thus their land ownership was grandfathered, so very few others can duplicate what they have. Now with 4 generations, the Claus family is very welcoming and eager to share their family history, stories and love of the land.||It’s hard to adequately describe how wonderful the trip was and how beautiful the park is. Given the size of the park the only practical way to see even a small part of it is by bush plane. Each of their 5 cabins comes with a short take-off and landing Piper Super Cub airplane equipped with large bush wheels and a very experienced pilot/guide. Each of our 4 days we flew over and around some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen-mountains, rivers, glaciers, high alpine meadows, and a variety of wild life. We landed each day at 3-5 locations-on glaciers, high alpine meadows, beaches and even a plateau on the top of a mountain (6,600 feet) to see Dall sheep, and went for hikes looking at the scenery and wildlife. ||The airplanes also provided great flexibility with weather. We flew into rain one day and they simply flew to another part of the park where it wasn’t raining.||The cabins were very comfortable, the staff friendly and outstandingly helpful, and the food delicious. A true luxury lodge in the middle of a wilderness. I can’t recommend this lodge highly enough to experience and get a true feel for real Alaska wilderness during the day, while at the same time enjoying the luxury of an outstanding lodge at night.||We have traveled the world for the last 18 years and have seen Antarctica, Greenland, Canada, Iceland, Svalbard, Faroe Islands, Patagonia and many other places with outstanding natural beauty. Alaska, and in particular the Wrangle-St. Elias National Park, is truly stunning even when compared to our other trips. Ultima Thule Lodge is something...

We went to Ultima Thule 10 years ago and had to go back, but this time we brought relatives. The lodge is in the Wrangle-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (13.2 million acres—the same size as Yellowstone, Yosemite and Switzerland combined) and is 100 miles from the nearest paved road. The Claus family homesteaded the land before it became a national park by Jimmy Carter in 1980 and thus their land ownership was grandfathered, so very few others can duplicate what they have. Now with 4 generations, the Claus family is a very welcoming and eager to share their family history, stories and love of the land.

It’s hard to adequately describe how wonderful the trip was and how beautiful the park is. Given the size of the park the only practical way to see even a small part of it is by bush plane. Each of their 5 cabins comes with a short take-off and landing Piper Super Cub airplane equipped with large bush wheels and a very experienced pilot/guide. Each of our 4 days we flew over and around some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen-mountains, rivers, glaciers, high alpine meadows, and a variety of wild life. We landed each day at 3-5 locations-on glaciers, high alpine meadows, beaches and even a plateau on the top of a mountain (6,600 feet), and went for hikes looking at the scenery and wildlife.

The airplanes also provided great flexibility with weather. We flew into rain one day and they simply flew to another part of the park where it wasn’t raining.

The cabins were very comfortable, the staff friendly and outstandingly helpful, and the food delicious. A true luxury lodge in the middle of a wilderness. I can’t recommend this lodge highly enough to experience and get a true feel for real Alaska wilderness during the day, while at the same time enjoying the luxury of an outstanding lodge at night.

We have traveled the world for the last 18 years and have seen Antarctica, Greenland, Canada, Iceland, Svalbard, Faroe Islands, Patagonia and many other places with outstanding natural beauty. Alaska, and in particular the Wrangle-St. Elias National Park, is truly stunning even when compared to our other trips. Ultima Thule Lodge is something...

The Lodge is located in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park under the MacColl Ridge by the Chitika River. It is in the middle of the wilderness, roughly 100 miles from the nearest road. The Lodge has several central buildings for meals and getting together. Guest stay in cabins built in the woods between the lodge and the river, all a quick walk to the Lodge. The Lodge has a limited capacity, so it is wise to plan as far in advance as you can.||||The Lodge has a substantial staff, who are both friendly and helpful. The Lodge prepares three meals a day for guests, and our experience was that the meals were consistently excellent. I should add that the Lodge was happily willing to work around some individual dietary issues. In short, the property is a jewel, in its incredible location, the care and quality of the buildings, and the warmth and hospitality of the owners and staff. ||||The primary daily activity at the Lodge centers around the small fleet of Piper Super Cub airplanes that the Lodge operates from its private runway. The planes are flown by a group of extremely experienced bush pilots who have years of familiarity with the Park. The combination of the particular aircraft and the expert pilots allows them to fly guests around the park and see the mountains, valleys, wildlife and glaciers that it is not possible to see any other way. The small planes let you see all this at extremely close range. The planes can land in very small, rough spaces, which allows the pilots to set them down on glaciers, by rivers, in mountain valleys, on mountainsides and other unexpected places. You can see the Park at almost touching distance from the air, and on the ground in places that you could never reach any other way.||||Paul Claus, whose family founded the Lodge and has run it for several generations, said that the Lodge was his home, and he wanted us to feel like we were guests in his home. It is a tribute to Mr. Claus and the whole staff that this is exactly...