Bargain-Hunting In Alaska

After checking out the costs for a weeklong stay at a fly-in Alaska fishing lodge, I knew why they billed it the “trip of a lifetime.” The CEO who manages our family budget said no way, not at $2,800 a visit.

Forced to downscale my sporting plans, I learned to economize. I got to Alaska that summer with several fishing buddies, snug in a Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge cabin for $20 a night.

Coastal cabins in Alaska are preferred by hunters seeking Sitka deer. Inland cabins situated on rivers in national forests and wildlife refuges are prime spots for tackling salmon, char and cutthroat trout, as well as photographing grizzly bears.

Cabins in the highest demand on national forests and refuges are allocated through lottery drawings, some of which occur as early as late November for the following spring. Some Forest Service cabins, however, are offered on a first-come basis.

The structures are rustic, with little more than plywood bunks, tables and a kerosene heating stove. You’ll need to bring sleeping pads and bags, camp cooking stove, lantern and fuel.

“Fishing Alaska on Dollars a Day,” by Christopher and Adela Batin, recently updated, is an excellent guide to cabins on forests statewide.

Call (907) 455-8000.

, DataTimes