Accommodations-
Where to Stay
Where to Eat
Renting a Vehicle

Yakutat Lodge
We stayed at the Yakutat Lodge which can be best described as "summer camp for big kids who like to fish". Jill and Ken who own the lodge are great people who really focus on providing their guests a great time.

We opted for the 7 day 6 night package which included lodging, all meals, license, a drift boat, a rental vehicle, and 1 day of either ocean or guided river fishing. Price for this package ranges from $1000 - $1300 per person depending upon the number of people in your party. This is a really nice inexpensive package since all of your needs are taken care of, you don't need to cook, and you get the benefit of interacting with all of the other guests.

Yakutat Lodge has a gift and tackle shop, dining room and bar which features Karaoke a couple of nights per week and a big screen TV with satellite. Breakfasts (6-10AM), dinners (5-10PM) and the bar are great social experiences. We met some great people here who we will stay in contact with in the future. Where else in the world can you find potato farmers and dentists from Idaho, psychologists from Denver, and Internet geeks from Silicon Valley all sharing a drink and fishing stories? Staying at the Yakutat Lodge really made this much more than just a great fishing trip.

Other Places to Stay
If you are traveling with a larger group (3-4 people), really want to save money and don't want the rest of the "summer camp" social experience, there are other options. The Moorings provides nice (Lake Tahoe quality) condos that can comfortably sleep 4 -6 people for about $150 per night. Bring your own food and rent a vehicle and you can probably get away with $150 per night per person for the same fishing experience. Bringing your own food is really important if you want to save money. All food here is about twice as expensive as it is in the lower 48 and the selection is very limited especially for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Because of inconvenient airline connections, we flew in one night early and stayed at the Blue Heron Inn. The Blue Heron provides great rooms and use of their large kitchen. Prices are in the $100 - $150 range and Fran who owns and runs the place is a great person who can cook up some mean Belgian Waffles.

We don't have experience with other lodges, but they are listed on the attached link.

Fine Dining (not!)
Food at any of the Lodges or Cafes in town is good quality, old fashioned, meat (or fish) and potatoes. If you are looking for a great culinary experience, go somewhere else. Best bet is the generous shrimp dinner at the Yakutat Lodge with mud pie for desert ($25-$30 with tip).

Vehicles
You will definitely need a vehicle that you can rent from Situk Leasing which is owned by the same folks that run the Yakutat Lodge. Rates are $75 - $80 per day. You will need your license, insurance information and a sense of humor to rent one of these vehicles.

I don't believe that there are any 1990's vehicles in their fleet. We got one of the better vehicles - a 1984 Mercury Marquis wagon with leather interior and electric windows that worked. Most of the other vehicles are 1980's vans and trucks which run most of the time. Let your lodge owner know where you are going and when you will return so that they can send someone out to pick you up if your vehicle stops working. People are really friendly here and you can flag down just about anybody and ask for a ride back to town if your vehicle dies.

The condition of the vehicles can come as a bit of a surprise to those of us who are accustomed to renting new mid-sized cars at major airports for $40 per day. Things are different here. Most of the roads are unpaved, full of potholes and covered with gravel. Parts are hard to come by, and I have no idea how a person would get warranty service on a newer vehicle. The business model just won't support renting newer vehicles here. Anyway, it's lots of fun swapping vehicle stories with the other guests and where else would you be proud to drive your '84 Marquis wagon down the street!