Thayer Lake Wilderness Lodge

Thayer Lake Wilderness Lodge sits inside Admiralty Island National Monument in the Tongass National Forest, about 60 air miles from Juneau, on a lakeshore that stayed virtually untouched by people until Bob and Edith Nelson established the lodge in 1947.

The operation deliberately runs counter to most Alaska lodges: the vision isn't trophy fish or must-see landmarks, but solitude — small-stream fishing expeditions, hiking, and paddling in unspoiled old-growth rainforest, for guests who want the island just as it is and has always been.