Iniakuk Lake Wilderness Lodge

What an amazing trip. We went in mid-March for four nights--as soon as we got back to Fairbanks, our son asked if we could call up Dirk (the pilot) to take us back to Iniakuk Lodge. In just four days, we experienced so much...||Northern lights--Check! We had a preview on our first night and a spectacular viewing on our last night. ||Dog mushing--Thom was a fantastic and incredibly patient teacher and guide. Over the course of the four days, we mushed daily meaning we drove our own dog teams (not just sit in a sled), "helped" him take care of the dogs, learned so much about the dogs' personalities and backstories (Pheonix is in love with Jonah), and grew to love them all. For one of our rides, we pretty much made it to Gates of the Arctic National Park--yes we were that far north!||Camped out in tents on a riverbend--Camping is actually a misnomer... Fancy glamping is more like it. John and Thom set up a party tent for us so we slept on cots with sleeping pads and sleeping bags that were rated to -40 degrees. And a stove, which keeps the tent snug without layers of coats. There were lights and even a mini disco ball! :-) To keep things simpler, we eat our meals at the lodge, but very much appreciated the warm miso soup in the morning.||Flew in on a ski-plane--Dirk from Coyote Air flew us there and back. He shared stories with us about being a bush pilot, from how the plane works to stories from his adventures.||Built and SLEPT IN an igloo--there is a book about how to build igloos in the lodge, so our family decided to try building one ourselves. We started by making one that was WAY too big, so then repurposed our snow bricks to make a small one that can kinda fit two people sitting inside. Success! Our 14 year old then had this idea to sleep out there overnight. EEKS! John shared a story about how he and his sister had similarly slept out in an igloo on the lake when they were kids, so I grudgingly went along with it. John and Thom set my kid up with bear skins on the floor of the igloo and two sleeping bags (did i mention it was -30 degrees out this evening? which was still around 0 degrees in the igloo) so my son could sleep out there. Around the time of the northern lights viewing, i tried to get my son to come back to the lodge, to no avail...)||Hiking--we took a short (but steep) hike up to see the lake and lodges from up top. Absolutely beautiful.||EATING--one might not think about eating as the primary reason to travel into the backwoods of Alaska, but Sam is da bomb! He whipped up such yummy meals for us three times a day, and threw in bonus warm cookies and snacks midday. Yum!!||Hanging around in the lodge--All three hosts (John, Thom and Sam) are incredibly kind souls who are full of stories. When we weren't actively doing things outside, we would lounge around in the lodge. We played lots of board/card games, told stories, read books, and sometimes, we would even nap lazily by the stove with Neon.||If I could give this lodge more than 5 stars, I would. You'll love it. ||Note, we got lucky with the weather... although there was a blizzard for about 24 hours when we were there (overlapping with our night out in the tents!), the weather was largely clear for the days that we were flying in and out. I would take John's advice to have a day or so buffer on each end in Fairbanks to give yourself space to shift the trip (if possible) based on bad weather. If the folks behind us were in town a day early, they could have flow in as we flew out... but instead their trip was shortened due to bad weather on the following day they were supposed to fly in.

I could not recommend Iniakuk Lake Wilderness Lodge highly enough. It was like being hosted in someone’s home. The experience was totally customized vis a vis dietary preferences, daily schedule and levels of physical challenge. You need to love being in a remote wilderness, but John and his team make any city slicker feel both safe and also part of everything. The food is amazing and plentiful. The dog mushing with Thom is so fun. And even the flight with Dirk is a great adventure. This is a fabulous place to go with friends, family or even a work team.

A sisters' trip extraordinaire! Three sisters from the Southern USA spent three magical days and nights north of the Arctic Circle at Iniakuk Lodge - dog sledding, viewing the Northern Lights, eating marvelous meals, enjoying the hospitality of John and Angela (not to mention Neon and Phoenix), and being mesmerized by Thom and his sled dogs. Mushing was more fun than we ever thought possible. None of us ever got cold, indoors or outdoors; the lodge was comfortable and warm. Limited access to the internet was a giant plus! The flights in and out with Dirk from Coyote Air were smooth and uneventful; we felt safe the entire trip. Would do the whole trip again in a heartbeat.

My experience on this trip exceeded every expectation and all my hopes and dreams for this adventure. I can not say enough wonderful things about the lodge and the wonderful people who made my trip the experience of a lifetime.||I was able to do every activity that I had hoped to do, even though I went with an unexpected bad knee and don't see well in the dark!||John and Tom take you where you are at physically, and make it possible to experience every activity that you would like to do.||The location and the lodge are beautiful and so comfortable and cozy! Plus every single meal we had was fabulous.||We were lucky enough to see some fabulous aurora displays. I do not believe they could have been any better!||I also really wanted to be able to drive my own sled, but kind of thought it wouldn't be a possibility since I had a bad knee at the time. But, I was thrilled to be able to drive my own sled 2 days in a row.||Riding in the sled at night was a truly magical experience! With the sky, the stars and the snow covered mountains, I felt like I was in a snow globe!||John had told me when I was communicating with him before hand, that they wanted to to meet or exceed my expectations. They work very, very hard to do that and are so accommodating. The best group of people ever!||I can not recommend Iniakuk Wilderness Lodge enough. If you want to experience a one of a kind place and have a once in a lifetime experience, then this is for you!

We found John Gaedeke and the Iniakuk Lake Wilderness Lodge on Alaska.org when looking for an unique adventure trip to photograph the aurora. We were impressed by the reviews on TripAdvisor. ||||A email to John was rapidly answered with the good news that the first week in March 2020 was available which coincided with our schedule.||||John arranged for Dirk Nickisch to fly us from Fairbanks to Iniakuk Lake in Coyote Air’s DeHavilland Beaver. The flight-seeing along the way was a stunning overview of the winter in Alaska.||||On arrival, we put our clothing in our guest room on the second floor of the Lodge. The beds were set with warm flannel sheets and duvets. The room was comfortable and beautifully appointed. On the main floor, Sam had prepared hot soup and beverages to warm us up from the cold flight.||||We no sooner finished the soup when John asked if we were interested in meeting the dogs and trying out mushing. ||||Our initial request had been a photography specific adventure similar to what was described on his website. But we were very interested to try mushing so lead guide Thom Walker taught us how to harness the dogs and off we went, each with our own team. We had so much fun that we mushed every day in sunny but extremely cold conditions. Thom's coaching and amazingly well trained dogs made it easy to believe that we were actually good at it. It was exhilarating!||||John helped us ship in a case of wine to enjoy with our meals which were delicious. Sam always had snacks and beverages available throughout the day. The wood-stove was warm and inviting. Thom always brought a dog or two into the lodge to play with us.||||John arranged for Frank Stelges of Aurora Bear Fairbanks to teach us how to photograph the aurora in all it’s glory. Frank is an amazing photographer who went to extraordinary lengths to be sure that we got the photos that we wanted. He shot some photos of us that we will always treasure.||||We were lucky to have the aurora three nights. Our second evening had a display that appeared to have been produced by Disney. Green and pink shimmering curtains of light danced across the sky for over an hour. It was -54° F which slowly led to all of our cameras LCD screens freezing despite heat packs. ||||We were warm in the equipment that John had at the Lodge for us to use, which included custom Apocalypse Expedition parkas, beaver fur mittens and Neos overshoes.||||In the mornings after a relaxed breakfast, we went out on Iniakuk Lake to do science, ie; throw warm water into the air so it explodes into ice crystals for beautiful photographs. We also experienced what Thom and John call the ‘cuddle puddle,’ all 14 dogs running loose, playng in the snow. Lie down and the dogs all jump on top of you, probably the origin of the phrase ‘dogpile.’ It was incredible.||||The entire adventure exceeded every expectation that we had. John, Thom and Sam made us right at home. Frank was a pleasure to learn from and managed to catch us in some staggeringly beautiful photos.||||We highly recommend them without hesitation.

Wow, wow, wow! Iniakuk Lodge provided the experience of a lifetime for our daughter! Everything was customized to us and what we wanted to experience during our time in Alaska. The hosts are gentle at heart and did whatever our 12 year old wanted to do - from building igloos to sledding to blowing frozen bubbles! They spent so much time with her making sure she was happy and having a blast! Our daughter LOVED spending time and bonding with the dogs on the mushing trips. So much so that she cried when it was time to leave! You will be well taken care of at this lodge! We would recommend and cannot wait to visit again!

Our once in a lifetime trip to the Iniakuk Lake Wilderness Lodge in 2020 was so great that we returned in 2021.||||John had incredible surprises in store for us beginning with the opportunity to mush with multiple Yukon Quest champion Brent Sass and his world class team of Alaskan sled dogs. We never imagined having the chance to mush with the dogs who had placed third in the Iditarod just one week earlier. Brent was charming, enthusiastic and hilarious with stories of his races and rescues for which he is justly famous. We were dumbstruck at his photos and videos.||||We did not expect that John would take pains to completely vary the menus from our previous trip, each meal a delicious discovery. Sam was back to prepare lunch and dinner for us daily. His hot soups and freshly baked breads were perfect after the morning mushing run. Dinners included Alaskan halibut, salmon and were always followed by decadent desserts.||||Frank returned to continue teaching us how to photograph both the aurora and the impactful Arctic landscapes. The light in Alaska is a photographer’s dream. Incredible views of the Brooks Range surround the Lodge. At night we walked out on frozen Iniakuk Lake and shot stunning photos of the pink and green waves of the aurora above the Lodge. Stars so sharp and clear, undisturbed by any man made light.||||We had the good fortune to be at the Lodge during the historic snowstorm that hit Alaska in April. Over a foot of fresh powder dropped one night. John had set up an Arctic Oven tent about 8 miles from the Lodge. Brent led us as he broke trail out in the morning so we could have a hot soup lunch at the tent. The new snow let us see numerous wildlife tracks, moose, wolverine, arctic hare and vole were all present although we never saw the animals themselves.||||The Iniakuk Lake Wilderness Lodge winter experience is unique. John tailors activities to guests’ interests, in our case, aurora photography and mushing. His attention to detail is careful and considered. His warmth and generosity are unsurpassed. We highly recommend John without reservation. ||||Do something good for your soul and visit the last great wilderness in the United States.

We just finished five nights at Iniakuk Lodge with John and his great team. We were there for an Arctic adventure and had several days and nights of dog sledding and Aurora viewing including forays into Gates of the Arctic National Park. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. I cannot overstate how great everyone was. More than just organized and kind - they repeatedly went out of their way to make this one of the best vacations I’ve had anywhere ever. I cannot recommend them more strongly.