Skip to content
Please select your location:
Bear Track Inn

Bear Track Inn

Gustavus, The USA

A large, hand-crafted log lodge, the Bear Track Inn is a traditional building set in the tiny hamlet of Gustavus, Alaska, gateway to Glacier Bay National Park. You enter through the enormous central lobby with its exposed beams, mounted displays of antlers and large central fireplace.

The inn has 14 spacious guest rooms with rustic but comfortable decor and private en suite bathrooms. Each room has two large beds and simple styling, while windows look out over the open meadows, dense forest or the aptly-named Icy Strait. The rooms on the upper level offer the best views with moose, black bears or bald eagles often spotted.

Hearty, traditional meals are served in the dining room with ingredients from the inn's greenhouses teamed with local fish and meat, though vegetarian options are also available.

Wi-Fi is available in public areas at an additional charge, and there's also a library, a games room with table tennis, darts and table football, and two large outdoor decks. The inn offers a free airport shuttle service and has bikes that guests can borrow free of charge. Guided tours of Glacier Bay, sport fishing, whale watching and kayaking can all be arranged.

OUR OPINION:

Bear Track Inn is a real Alaskan experience: simple furnishings, hearty food and tremendous scenic views.

OUR RATING: Medium

Speak to someone
who's been there

Audley Travel specialist Anna

Start planning your tailor-made trip by contacting one of our Alaska specialists

Rooms

The rooms are spacious and bright with two large beds with down pillows and comforters, as well as a table and chairs. Deep green carpets and warm woods in the log walls and furniture give them a rustic charm. Rooms on the upper floor have vaulted ceilings and better views with bears, eagles and moose often spotted outside. All rooms have a private bathroom with a shower over the bath, oversize bath sheets, and bathrobes.

Location

The inn sits on the shores of Icy Straits in Gustavus, Alaska. It is the closest town to Glacier Bay National Park and a starting point for many park activities. Gustavus is only accessible by air or sea. Flights to Juneau take half an hour, while the state ferry takes four and a half hours but offers compelling views along the way.

Food and drink

The inn's large dining room has rough-hewn wooden beams, long communal tables and wilderness views. There is an open kitchen so you can see the chefs at work and all meals are included in a stay. Breakfast is a diverse buffet with hot dishes available to order, lunch is often a picnic to take with you on an excursion, while dinner includes a choice of three to six main dishes accompanied by soup, salads, homemade breads and desserts. Expect plenty of local food, including fresh fish and shellfish, game meats, and some vegetarian dishes.

Facilities and activities

With the Alaskan wilderness on the doorstep activities focus on getting outdoors. You can take a guided tour of Glacier Bay, go whale watching or kayaking, see waterfalls, bears or moose on guided hikes, or try your hand at sport fishing for halibut and salmon on a saltwater charter or river fishing for salmon, trout or steelhead in season.

Accessibility

The Bear Track Inn has two rooms that are wheelchair accessible.

Location & places nearby

Places & hotels on the map

    Alternative places to stay nearby

    Where possible, we like to offer a range of accommodation for each stop of your trip, chosen by our specialists as some of their favourite places to stay. To help you make the right choice, we give each property a rating based on its facilities and service, but we also look for hotels with distinct character or a location that can’t be bettered.

    Gustavus and nearby places