OFF GRID ADVENTURES IN ALASKA

 HEY! We are the Bramante Brothers, Joe & Zac.  We both married amazing women and started families. Along the way we had the opportunity to purchase and take over operations at Caribou Lodge Alaska, a tourist destination near Denali National Park. It is a dream job, but definitely still hard work. We spend around 3 to 4 months every summer hosting guests at the lodge from all around the world, but Alaska winters are long and while waiting for each tourist season we decided to start documenting our lives on videos. We started uploading them to YouTube and have had some fun ever since making videos for our online community.  

If you are interested in following our journey check out the links below. If you are interested in more information on the lodge and would like to book a stay here let us know. It's a true Alaska wilderness experience with a genuine Alaskan family.

Check out our life off grid in Alaska, and occasionally we take the vlog on vacation with us.

Here are all the ways you can get in touch with us.

YouTube: www.youtube.com/bramantebrothers

Lodge: cariboulodgealaska.com

Lodge email: info@cariboulodgealaska.com

Facebook: Bramante Brothers

                 Caribou Lodge Alaska

ALASKA 2021 - Thinking of Traveling to Alaska During Covid Pandemic?

As we broke into 2021 we were hopeful for a change! The 2020 tourist season left us battered and bruised along with thousands of other small businesses  who were all scrambling to figure out how to make it through our extremely short summer season without visitors to our beautiful state!

We are taking on 2021 a little older and little wiser as we understand you, as the traveler, want to balance physical safety with ADVENTURE! We know that's true or else you wouldn't be dreaming of visiting Alaska and reading this blog right now...

At Caribou Lodge Alaska we specialize in hosting small groups and social distancing comes easy out here! We are keeping a close eye on the Alaska Covid-19 travel restrictions, and preparing to adapt accordingly as the year progresses and the summer season draws near. We have always taken pride in the cleanliness of our lodge, cabins, shower house, and outhouses. We understand now more than ever we have to do whatever possible to combat this virus and we are taking our guests health and safety very seriously. 

Here are a couple ways we are making our lodge safer for your visit in 2021:

-  We are offering a discount on a full lodge blackout so you, your family or small group can have all 3 cabins and the lodge completely to yourselves.

-  We are offering meals prepared in a way so that you can take them to your cabin if you are not comfortable sitting in our dining room area with other guests.

We are glad you are planning a trip to Alaska, and we hope you consider Caribou Lodge if you are visiting the Talkeetna / Denali Park region.

We are a fly-in destination only accessible by float-plane charter with private, rustic cabins overlooking a lake. We are an eco-tour destination specializing in guided hiking and camping trips, wildlife viewing, and kayaking.

We would love to hear from you. Contact us at info@cariboulodgealaska.com or 1-877-700-2875 

Here is a link to some Alaska Covid-19 Travel information: 

https://www.travelalaska.com/Planning/Tips/COVID19.aspx 

Check out our website at www.cariboulodgealaska.com 

Read reviews from our TripAdvisor page by clicking here.

Alaska's Black Bear & Blueberries

Every year we look forward to a few key things here at Caribou Lodge Alaska that signal the seasons.

The bird migration is a refreshing sign of spring.

Cow moose move in closer around the lodge and use the open tundra as a nursery as they raise their calves, and that is a sure sign that summer has arrived.

But one of the biggest signs for us that summer is almost over is every August after the millions of blueberries ripen and instinctively the black bear know that it is time to pack on as many extra calories as they can before they head into the hills and begin hibernation. 

Black bear will spend more than 20 hours per day eating berries and only take brief naps between feedings just to make sure they get as fat as possible. It has been recorded that a black bear will consume up to 20 pounds (9 kg) of berries in one day.  

As completely wild animals black bear are never to be trusted or approached, which is why we never guide a hike without bear spray and a firearm for protection of our group. But as long as there are no young cubs around these bears just want to be left alone and also do a great job to leave us alone as they are just busy eating almost non-stop! 

A large boar black bear forages for berries just a few hundred yards from our hiking trail 

BLUEBERRIES OF SOUTH-CENTRAL ALASKA

It seems that as the guide I always have my eyes out for wildlife and my mind on the next creek crossing, or making sure everyone is having a great time. But in August and September there are countless times I will turn around to check on my group of hikers only to find that everyone is bent over with their hands in one of the millions of blueberry bushes. 

Caribou Lodge Alaska is surrounded by 3 types of blueberry species: The Bog Blueberry, Low Brush Blueberry, and the High Brush (or mountain) Blueberry.  

In addition to these crowd favorites our hiking trips also bring us through patches of Cloud berries, Crow berries, Watermelon berries and 3 different cranberry species. It's an incredible thing to walk through such beautiful tundra. 

Everyone knows that bears love berries, but so many birds, and small mammals also rely on this organic bounty. Wolves, River Otter, Martin, just to name a few have realized that the bear are onto something with how delicious and calorie packed the berries are. 

So if you are planning a summer trip to Alaska and have your heart set on picking your own berries (and don't want to be limited on how many you can pick, like in the national park) then make sure you plan a visit to Caribou Lodge in August or September. That is your best option for catching the berries while they are ripe.

Book your trip by reaching us by email info@cariboulodgealaska.com