Some Things to Consider
The Kodiak Island Archipelago (and most of Alaska) may experience undesirable weather, which may delay or cancel your arrival, departure, and/or various activities while you are here, including your fly out bear view if you selected to participate in this activity. While it is nearly impossible to plan on delays and bad weather, there is a chance it may affect your trip, and it typically delays about four of our groups throughout the summer. There isn’t a specific time of summer that we experience bad weather, Mother Nature seems to do whatever she pleases. Please review our cancellation policy to help understand how we handle weather delays and cancellations.
Arriving and departing from the lodge at the beginning and end of your stay, “check in” time is typically 3:00pm and “check out” time is typically 8:30am. This helps streamline our daily activities and gives our staff enough time to prepare our cabins and facility between groups. We transport guests to and from Kodiak City either by airplane or boat, depending on weather, tides, and availability.
We recommend Alaska Airlines and arriving into Kodiak City no later than 3pm on your arrival day, and departing Kodiak City no earlier than 11:30am on your departure day. This may give you a few hours of layover time in Kodiak City between traveling from the lodge and boarding the flight to Anchorage; so please be prepared to walk around town, where you may find several gift shops, museums, restaurants, and other sights to enjoy in the world-famous Kodiak, Alaska. You may have this layover on both your arrival day as well as your departure day. It is often easy for either the boat transportation and/or air taxi service to hold your luggage while you enjoy town.
There will likely be other guests at the lodge hunting. We feel more than one group actually benefits our success rate; the more hunters we can put into one area keeps the birds moving. We can commit the entire lodge to your group if you have six travelers or more, assuming someone else hasn’t already booked during the dates you are interested in. You may also reserve the entire lodge for an additional rate if you do not have the required number of people in your group. Eight hunters seems to be ideal for our location, keeping the birds on the move while still offering plenty of new area to hunt each day.
We offer complimentary beer on tap, made right in Kodiak by the Kodiak Island Brewing Company. We also serve complimentary wine, paired to Tiffany’s meals by a sommelier. We invite you to enjoy these libations but please ask that you enjoy them responsibly. State law dictates anyone under twenty-one years old shall not consume alcohol, even if given permission by a parent. We also do not offer beer or wine during daily outings, including while on the fishing boats. Discrete outdoor smoking is allowed, however, it is prohibited indoors, including in your cabin and bathroom. Please do not discard buts in the yard or bush, and feel free to request a collection container.
We have to follow a somewhat regular schedule to keep our lodge team healthy and happy. We ask guests to come down to the lodge at 7am, and serve breakfast at 7:30. Then activities begin and depart at 8:30am, and in most cases, return between 5:00 and 5:30pm. Dinner is served around 7:30pm, and staff retires at 9:00pm. For those of you enjoying a relaxing day at the lodge please note that the lodge is closed between 1:00pm and 4:00pm and ask guests to retreat to your cabin or enjoy a stroll along the beach or view from one of our observation decks during that time.
It is customary in this industry to tip the lodge and/or staff upon your departure. Please understand that we feel our rates and charges are fair and we truly appreciate your business, thereby, contrary to this tradition, we do not ask for, or expect, a tip or gratuity. However, many of our guests do wish to leave a gratuity and ask us for a standard amount, which is typically 4-12% of your package price. You may either tip the lodge, which will be divided equally among the staff, or tip the members of our team independently. Lastly, please understand that we are not budgeted to tip our subcontractors; like the pilot who may fly you out to the lodge, or your hunting guide if you choose a guided hunt. Please feel free to tip them upon the conclusion of your experience with them if you choose.
Tiffany and I are not Registered Big Game Guide/Outfitters. This means that you may not hunt big game; Deer, Elk, or Brown Bear, from any of our equipment, including our layout boat. We will not cross this line and please ask you to understand that any guided duck hunting days we offer will strictly not include any kind of big game hunting, UNLESS you request our big game guide to accompany you during that portion of your hunt. Or, you may either bring your own inflatable boat (like a Zodiac) or rent one in Kodiak (we can help you with this) during your stay. Daily drop off and pick up services will of course still be included in your unguided package.
Thank you again for considering a trip to Kodiak Raspberry Island Remote Lodge! We always welcome your questions and thoughts on the above or anything else.
~ Birch and Tiffany