Alaska Grizzly Lodge

Fantastic, cozy lodge. We loved the common space, cereal and such out for breakfast at 6am, hot breakfast at 9am. They have staff on rotation so someone stays up until 3am to alert guests about the Aurora / Northern Lights. The location outside of Fairbanks is ideal, no light pollution so great visibility. They also have a live streamed webcam inside on a TV so you can see where specifically the lights appear, and go outside to see them in person. If you get lucky and lights are bright enough, and sky is clear, they kind of dance, amazing to see!!

The lodge is in a beautiful location, the rooms are very nice and cozy. They made the check in process in the middle of the night very seamless. The breakfast is really good, the aurora viewing deck is excellent, and the aurora wake up service really helps. Overall it is an amazing place, and we would have rated it a 5 star if not for our terrible experience. We had actually booked a room with a balcony but were provided a different room at check in. When we asked, they mentioned that there was some plumbing issue in the room with the balcony and we were free to use the balcony, just the room is not fit for stay. This was very much acceptable. However, there was some issue with the bathroom shower in our room as we were not getting hot water. When we mentioned this, we were told on our face that they do not like people who complain, and apparently we insulted them when we asked about this issue. We were then discriminated against and racially abused as Indians, openly. We were told multiple times that we should check out and go stay at a hotel in Fairbanks, which we did not want to do as the rooms were already paid for. So we completed our stay and left, but it was an extremely unpleasant experience overall. I hope nobody has to go through this.

My husband, daughter and I enjoyed our Christmas at the lodge in hopes to see the Northern Lights! We were not disappointed!! The breakfasts are so yummy and the lodge is so cozy. Janet is great to get you up when the lights are out and she also took a photo of us with the Aurora! Fred gave us great resturant choices and fun things to do while in Fairbanks! Absolutely 10/10 what an unforgettable trip!!

Janet and JB were excellent hosts, telling us all about how to watch for the aurora on the tracker and giving recommendations for things to do. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The breakfast every morning had a lot of variety for grab and go items plus a hot dish that changed daily. We were able to easily go out for activities during the day and see amazing Northern Lights at night! Would stay here again!||A note, many reviews mention it being difficult to contact the staff and I similarly did not receive replies to my emails however when I called twice in a row, Janet picked up and was able to quickly address modifying my reservation. I recommend calling as this quaint lodge is run by only 3 people.

We had a great time at the lodge. The hosts, Janet, Fred, and BJ were great. They gave us great suggestions for things to do during our stay. The Northern Lights were amazing due to the lodges location away from light sources. The wake up service was perfect. Breakfast every morning was really good as well. We would definitely return here!

Bravo, and a big thanks to Jerry and his team at Alaska Grizzly Safaris & Jacques Adventure Lodge for an experience I will never forget. From when I met Dan (tour guide), who picked me up from the airport to my final goodbye to Katmai, Jerry's Belgian Malinois dog (I will post a special post about the dog). I quickly had an idea that this was going to be a great experience, and it was. On my photography bucket list for years was photographing bears catching salmon. The first day's flight from a lodge to our day trip destinations was fantastic, especially before we fully unloaded from the plane. A bear walked up to us. Yours truly knew I was experiencing a Kodak moment and had two cameras going while the bear passed us. Every day was an exciting opportunity to photograph bears in action. I am pleased with the collection of 12,000 photos that I shot. If I weren't a photographer, my dream job would be that of a chief or an 18-wheeler truck driver. I was so thrilled with the food that I spent some time in the kitchen photographing the chef cooking our dinner. I'll post all trip photos on my website in a week or two. Again, Jerry and his team did everything in their power to make this a delightful and exciting experience, and I'm looking forward to returning yearly with other photographers. Thank you again, and bravo on your team's performance

The place is clean, warm, and welcoming. Janet and JB were amazing hosts and the rooms were comfortable, clean and cozy. The lodge is slightly out of the city so you have prime Aurora viewing right outside your door. Janet offers a midnight knock if you are wanting to get some sleep but don't want to miss the lights. She also provides information on tours and/or recommendations around Fairbanks. They provide hot breakfast which was great and have a great common area for commiserating while you wait for the lights to appear, as well as a tracker. My group of friends and I played cards while we waited. They have mini fridges where you can store food or snacks too! Overall such a great first experience in Alaska. I can't recommend this place enough. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. Thanks Janet and JB!

Just a delightful experience. The food was great, the folks who run the place are welcoming and fun, and the vibe was all around awesome. The excitement each night of hoping for a good view of Northern Lights was infectious. Janet stays up into the wee hours and will wake you if the lights get exciting. It's close enough to town to be very easy to go in for a quick trip but far enough away that it's peaceful and there's not a lot of light pollution. I might have to come back to Fairbanks just to come stay here again.

UPDATE! As I write this, I am sitting in the lovely common area of the lodge, watching the sun come up. I am updating my review because once we got here, the hosts were wonderful, and the lodge is exactly what we wanted. Very comfy, nice amenities, cozy chairs for reading, etc. The hosts, Janet and Fred, are very friendly and knowledgeable about both the local area and aurora viewing. Fred handles the hot breakfast every day and has been eager to accommodate my dietary requests, even tho I offered to bring my own items. Janet handles the night shift and happily wakes guests personally if and when the aurora decides to pop up. As others mentioned, there are multiple viewing balconies so you can see the lights wherever they decide to show themselves. Who knew that the "northern" lights are sometimes in the south? Well, now I know! In short, the place is great. I wish we could stay longer! Hopefully they get the website back online and get the other communication issues resolved soon. They are working very hard to keep up with everything (Fairbanks is not the most gentle climate for a big ol' wooden building!) and I wish them all the best with the business.

Janet and Fred are amazing. Wealth of knowledge with Alaska and life. The breakfast service was fantastic! Loved all of the local suggestions and recommendations. The viewing of the northern lights was exceptional. There are a multitude of balconies to see the light from. I cannot recommend this stay enough. Made our vacation.

Had an amazing stay here! Hosts are very helpful, personable and kind. It is a beautiful location not far north of Fairbanks. You will definitely need a car to get here. Room was very comfortable - bed and bedding lovely.

Prior to becoming the proprietors of Alaska Grizzly Lodge in 2019, the current owners had worked as Alaskan guides and in a variety of University of Alaska and governmental agencies in the natural resources and archeology field all while raising a family of three in Fairbanks. Janet and Fred are knowledgable educators and well versed in about all things natural, Alasakan history, and Alaska's many cultures. We echo the positive comments about Fred's fresh delicious breakfasts and easy conversational style, Janet's excellent wakeup service when the Northern LIghts come out, personable help with photography, taking group photos for guests, and exceptionally warm amiable hospitality from both hosts. We stayed for a week at the beginning of March with a group that included 6 days of a variety of guided tours hosted by Janet who guided our daily excursions while safely driving of one of their vans. She never failed to be ready on time in the morning or to set out the extra step for getting in and out of the van. Along the way, Janet provided a wide ranging narrative and exhibited her detailed expertise of wide range of all things Alaskan. Using an easy to hear amplified microphone headset through the van radio, she never ran out of interesting and entertaining stories and there was hardly a topic or question she didn't have a concise knowledgeable answer or perspective. As a minimum she always provided a short concise introduction to every indoor museum, eatery, and venue balanced against offering each guest time to explore on at their own pace. The innkeepers keep a room full of warm clothing and winter boots they will rent if you need one or more items. The Lodge is clean and comfortable in both the accomodations and large common areas. Take time to notice and enjoy the artwork and personal Alaskan touches all around the Lodge.

The hosts, Janet & Fred were friendly, and Janet ensures you are up for the Aurora viewing. The blankets on the bed were warm and cozy. Breakfast was oatmeal, Danish, toast, and egg, sausage, English muffin sandwiches. Now the reasons why we would never stay at Alaska Grizzly Lodge again. We paid $275.40 per night. We did not expect to use a space heater to keep the room warm. We did not expect to use the shower head to fill the toilet tank with water so we could flush the toilet. This was Fred's recommendation because the waterline from the sink to the toilet "was frozen". We did not expect the breakers to keep blowing causing no electricity in our room. We did not expect the door to the room to not secure because "the house is settling" and the lock does not line up with the strike plate. The room was advertised as having a kitchenette. We did not expect to be told the water for the sink did not work. We were fearful of using the microwave as we needed the space heater to keep the room warm because it is Alaska in the winter. When we asked about the heat, the wall heaters are for the Lodge central heat and "they either do not work or the heat is so hot you can't breathe". Our second night was when we experienced the electricity and plumbing issues. When Fred said we would have to fill the toilet tank with the shower head to flush the toilet, I said this is not what we expected for the price we are paying. Fred was quick to offer another room, but it would not have the king bed that we were paying for. Considering the numerous issues, it is sad there was no offer to discount the $550.80 that we pre-paid in July. Alaska Grizzly Lodge requires full payment for reservations at the time of booking and one night's stay is non-refundable. This should have been a red flag. The Fairbanks area has a variety of places to stay for less money with working electricity, plumbing, and heat. Be suspicious of the 3.9 ratings.

We have been trying unsuccessfully to contact Grizzly Lodge by phone, email,Facebook about our upcoming reservation - NO LUCK

The one thing they do well is they wake you when the lights are out. There are a lot of issues (too long to list). Wrote to them to discuss our stay, but they never wrote back. Just do not expect a typical bed & breakfast experience. Do expect poor communication. On our last night, no plugs worked but the staff member said it would be fine which is not the case if you want your car to start so you can get to the airport on time for your flight.

Great place to stay in the middle of nowhere (but close to all the sights in Fairbanks). The lodge is not fancy but the perfect place to lay your head at night. It is clean and comfortable. Fred and Janet were the perfect hosts and very knowledgeable about all things Alaska. Although we arrived late at night, Janet greeted us with a smile and made us feel welcome. Fred cooked up a delicious breakfast each morning which was a great start to each day before we headed out to make the most of our Alaskan adventure. We were lucky to see the "lights" every night with the third night being the most spectacular of them all. If we're lucky enough to ever do it all over again, we would definitely stay at Alaska Grizzly Lodge again.

The staff was so friendly and accommodating. The room was cozy and had everything we needed. The breakfast was terrific, and made special for us being vegan. So glad we stumbled upon this nice B&B. Recommend or sure

We really enjoyed our recent 3 night stay. Janet was very knowledgable about the Northern Lights and offered to wake us if she saw them. She really went the extra mile when she sent several texts alerting us to the Lights even when we had moved to our next lodging. Now that's service! Breakfast was great. Each morning we had a different, individual egg skillet. There was also a variety of fruit and other breakfast items. We especially enjoyed the large common room. Comfortable chairs, good lighting and a TV with Netflix. Be sure to wait "Into the Wild". It's based on a true Alaska story. We found it to be riveting.

Room- 4 stars! Clean room, nice bed, own bathroom, and shared patio deck which you can walk out on to view the northern skies. It's nice that there is no light pollution from Fairbanks, but the lodge is only a 15 minute drive from the city. Unfortunately, the cloudy skies obscured the northern lights during my stay. The lodge is family-owned and they rent out some rooms for some long-term tenants. The family and their 3 dogs are caring and hospitable. Continental breakfast is available all the time. 3 stars- You really feel like you're staying at home as the common areas could use some organizing and cleaning. It's nice that you can use their kitchen to cook and store food in the fridge, but the cookware is quite used. I loved my room, but I also felt like I was staying at a hostel but at hotel prices. Note: I heard the breakfast is delicious, but I opted out of it.

Fantastic location, fantastic accommodations, and the best part is the owner, Anita! The rooms are spacious and comfortable! There is a downstairs kitchen for guests use as well as the upstairs living area where guests from all over the world can sit and meet each other. The breakfasts are homemade and delicious. There's a den with Netflix and all the movies you would like (and a tv in your room as well). A full library with a wide range of reading material, and every possible type of musical instrument is available for your use. Plus there's a wonderful large dog, Kiva who is docile and available for hugs. While it feels remote, it's only 20 minutes outside of Fairbanks. On the nights that were not cloudy, we were able to see the northern lights from the balcony outside of our bedroom! We met other travelers who stay here every time they come to Fairbanks and we understand why! Thank you so much to Anita and Peter for your wonderful hospitality!

I just made a reservation last Thursday. I got an email saying the reservation was received but "not confirmed". They have charged my credit card. I have called 5 times over 4 days and 3 emails. NO RESPONSE AT ALL. I am concerned that I have been scammed. Not sure what is going on but I hope they don't steal my money.

We stopped here for one night While traveling through the Fairbanks area. Anita was extremely helpful when I reached out to her regarding the accommodations. Our room was great for a family of four. It was roomy, clean and had a great deck that enabled us to look for the northern lights at 2am. We enjoyed breakfast in the morning and meeting the rest of people in the house.

This is the best place we stayed in our 2 week AK vacation! The hostess, Anita, made us feel absolutely welcome in her home, cooks an excellent breakfast and has a relaxed energy that really contributed to our enjoyment. The lodge location is killer: close enough to Fairbanks that we didn't spend valuable time/gas driving, yet it's far enough away from Fairbanks that we saw clear night skies and heard quiet countryside. Our room was awesome: two queen beds kept our party of 4 cozy and well-rested, decorations are wildlife related but not overdone, and there are two different decks we could use to bake ourselves golden brown (we had sun that day). We REALLY wanted to stay longer and just... DO NOTHING but hang out there. If that isn't a great endorsement, I don't know what is! :-)