The sister property to Winterlake Lodge, Tutka Bay Lodge near Homer, Alaska offers a relaxing summer camp-style experience on the Alaskan coast.

Whether coming from Anchorage in the winter or summer, guests always make a grand entrance at Winterlake Lodge, arriving either by helicopter or float plane. Originally built as a family fishing cabin, Winterlake Lodge remains family-owned, with Carl and Kirsten Dixon at the helm. Set on a lake system 20 miles outside of Denali National Park, in Alaska’s magnificent Interior region, Winterlake is a serene, almost sacred place, and its backcountry, homegrown vibe only enhances the magic. The sister property to Tutka Bay Lodge, Winterlake also serves as the Fourth Checkpoint on Alaska’s famed Iditarod Trail and is home to 20 Alaskan huskies and a fantastic seasonal dog mushing school.

With six standalone cabins housing one to three bedrooms each, the property feels intimate and uniquely individualized, hosting only 20 guests at a time. All accommodations are fresh, comfortable and well-appointed, featuring basic en-suite bathrooms with showers, and most have private outdoor decks with sweeping views of the lake and distant mountain ranges. The Western-inspired main lodge features cozy indoor and outdoor nooks for lounging. Guests can curl up with a book from the lodge’s well-stocked library (which doubles as a wellness area where yoga, meditation and stretching classes are offered), enjoy a massage in the small treatment room or play darts and ping pong in the lodge’s game room. During the summer, guests can partake in Winterlake’s “sauna-plunge” tradition, enjoying the warmth of the annexed sauna or outdoor hot tub, before jumping off the dock into the chilly lake below.

The lodge staff is young, vibrant and enthusiastic, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere that is both comfortable and professional. The knowledgeable guides ensure that guests’ dreams of adventure are aptly fulfilled, and lodge-based activities are customized to suit the full range of guests’ experience levels and interests. Like its sister property, Winterlake Lodge offers wonderful culinary experiences developed by owner Kirsten Dixon, a renowned Cordon Bleu chef. There is a Western-style bar, where guests convene for wine tastings and appetizers in the evenings, and complimentary cooking classes are offered in the lodge’s spacious kitchen.

During the spring and summer months, the property offers kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddle boards and a motorboat for self-guided activities and wildlife viewing around the lake. Fishing, mountain biking and several great hiking trails are accessible directly from the property. And, with every three-night booking, one helicopter-based activity is included for an out-of-lodge adventure, such as dogsledding, ice climbing, glacier trekking, rafting or fishing. Snow bunnies, in particular, will love visiting the lodge’s dog camp, set on a nearby mountain glacier, where guests can try their hand at traditional dog mushing: a quintessential Alaskan experience.

Like many of Alaska’s more remote lodges, the property runs on a generator, so water and electricity usage are restricted at night, and WiFi can only be accessed in the main lodge.