Lodge and scenery are awesome! People are super!Food, service and activities are most excellent!
A very memorable one week stay for me, my wife and 16 year old son.

Executive Chef Peter and Louisiana Kitchen "First Mate" Uri prepare an extraorindary meal each night (typically three excellent menu offerings). Meals are equal to fine restaurant but without a "stuffy air" or pretention... friendly, relaxed. This is most deffinetely NOT roughing it.

Boat captains William, Gary, Dave, Kurt - knowledgable (will get you to the good fish location), professional (safety and following the rules), fun, funny and very helpful (especially for the novice...

and young recovering-snag-king captain Lucas was really amazing!

Hosts Lyn and Kevin accomodate your every need with grace and friendly professionalism ... making you completely at home from the moment you get off the float plane.

Go to the glacier!

We did the cave, kayaked the bay and river, fished the river, saw whales (handful), eagles (30-40 at a time), wolf (1), bears (2), otters, seals, jumping salmon (lots).

Saw the glacier calving, plowed thru icebergs, flew over the glacier,

Also caught lots of fish and learned a lot about life in Alaska (people, politics, place)... local color photos

Fishing was not our main objective (but if it is yours, you can fish until... you can fish lots). Also recommend "chilaxing" a couple days - chill and relax...my wife recommends the massage, it is onsite...

Can't say enough... just go!

The Lodge at Whale Pass is the real deal- wonderful setting, luxurious rooms, amazing food, great fishing, skilled, friendly, and patient staff, and hospitality that is honest and real.

First a word about the accommodations: excellent. The suite my husband and I shared was spacious and lovely, overlooking the water. Our boys (11 and 14) had a nearby room that was perfect for them. The food was just delicious. We will always remember our pecan-encrusted salmon, poached elk, halibut en cassoulet, bouillabaisse, prime rib and crab, imaginative pasta dishes plus great breakfast and lunches. My son and I loved shadowing the chef for an afternoon. The massages were the best I have ever had and the yoga was a wonderful way to begin the day. My family loved the game room and returned home foosball experts. Anything we needed- from heavy duty raingear to a wide array of beverages- was provided quickly and happily by Kevin and his wonderful staff.

We initially selected the Lodge at Whale Pass because we wanted to fish. Enthusiastic fishermen, our skills don't always match our energy. Nonetheless, our guides helped us to catch salmon, halibut, and rockfish that we had only dreamed of previously. Indeed, we will be remembering our remarkable fishing in Alaska all year over many meals of the fish we brought home.

What came as a surprise to us, however, is the amazing range of experiences the Lodge offers. Our trips to the Anan bear preserve, Beaver Falls, El Capitan cave, LeConte glacier, biking on the island, Petersburg, and the west side of Prince of Wales Island- either by lodge van or boat or by float plane- were each remarkable in their own way. Each time we experienced something new we would all say “This is the coolest thing I have ever seen”- until the day when an equally neat adventure presented itself. Besides the awesome fish, our proximity to bears, whales, sea otters, sea lions, bald eagles was mind-blowing.

We have been back a couple of days and feel remarkably fortunate to have stayed at the Lodge at Whale Pass. This remarkable place and its generous and kind people will remain with us forever.

My office booked the entire property for a payoff event, and we had the time of our lives. You first fly into Ketchikan then take a 45 min float plane to the Lodge. When weather had all float-planes socked in for the day, the lodge made arrangements for us (at their expense) in Ketchikan, and rebooked our float plane for the following morning.

Once the weather cleared (and it's a spectacular trip, flying 45 mins at 250-500 feet above the water and trees) and we pulled up to the Lodge, owner Kevin, his wife, son, dog and a few staffers met us at dock. A quick prime rib french-dip sandwhich was prepared for us, and they had us out on the water fishing within minutes. Each ocean fishing trip can take up to 5 people on one of their relatively new boats (3-5 years old?) and has you accompanied by a captain who knows the waters well, and a deckhand to set your lines, prep the bait, and handle the fish. Any fish you catch is filleted upon return to the dock, vacuum-sealed and flash-frozen for your return. Our group caught enough fish that the lodge chartered an extra float plane just to fly out frozen fish!!

The Lodge itself is very homey and comfortable, more like a large house than a fishing lodge. Several self-serve bars have top-shelf beers and liquors, with wines included in the cost as well. Rooms have nice wood furnishings, and the interiors are freshly painted sheetrock rather than bare wood. Warm bathrobes make it easy to get a cup of coffee or walk down to the hot tub without getting fully dressed. The beds were fairly new and very comfortable. Each room had its own thermostat for the electric heat, with a few rooms facing the water and most facing the heavily-wooded forest.

A large rec-room has floor-to-ceiling windows looking onto the water, and has every game one could imagine; pool, ping-pong, air-hockey, foosball, card tables, indoor shuffleboard, darts, and of course a bar. This was a great place for our group to hangout after dinner and share stories and talk. A hot tub is on a deck outside a seperate building 50 feet off the walkway connecting the dock to the lodge, and includes a massage room and a wood-fired sauna/steamroom. When a few of us sat in the hot tub someone quickly wandered over with beers, nut and pretzels.

Dining was first-class, with the chef retired from a Ritz-Carlton in Florida, and prompt, attentive service from his wife who runs the dining room, along with the rest of the staff. Fresh muffins, fruit and coffee/tea were out far earlier than I woke up, and made-to-order breakfast was at ones leisure. They packed you a lunch of your choice, and various candy bars and snacks could be grabbed at any time to keep your energy going during whatever activity you chose. Dinners were impressive. Hors d'oeuvres were served in the lounge area, and included fresh mussels one night, bruschetta and salmon another. A choice of 4 entrees was available nightly, and included elk rib eye, halibut, salmon, coq-au-vin, prime rib, boullabaise, and other goodies. Dessert selections were equally high-end and delicious, with lava cake, home-made ice cream, mousse, and more. When one in our group hadn't shared a mushroom allergy (and a dislike of fish)and needed something else prepared, the chef whipped up an incredible chicken stew that might have been the best meal at our table.

Activities are whatever you want. Fly fishing, deep-sea fishing, kayacking, galcier-viewing, mountain biking are all included in the rate. The spa and solitude would keep anyone not interested in the above more than happy. And the whale watching we saw while fishing one day was incredible, with a pod of humpbacks feedind around our boat all day providing great photos. Lots of porpoises, orcas, eagles and other birds were also seen during the trip.

While not inexpensive, the location, comfort, and can-do attitude of the staff make this an incredible place to visit. The fact that most of the 19 or 20 staffers (to handle up to 25 guests) have returned to the lodge after working last year (and years prior) is an indicator of how well the owners take care of THEIR people, so they can take of the guests.