3 Best Hotels in Kenai Peninsula, The Kenai Peninsula and Southcentral Alaska

Getting off the road and the beaten track is the most authentic way to experience Alaska, and Kenai Backcountry Lodge is about as true as it gets, with access only by boat across Skilak Lake. Once there, you will stay in a log cabin, taking all your meals (included in the price) at the main lodge. All cabins are equipped with running water, bathrooms, and electricity. The company stresses a low-impact, environmentally friendly ethos, and is fully run off solar and hydropower. The trip cost includes two nights at Backcountry, one night at the Riverside Lodge in Cooper Landing, transportation, and all guided activities such as hiking, kayaking, a Kenai River canyon raft trip, motorboat tours, and wildlife viewing. With all the moose, caribou, wolves, bears, eagles, and spawning salmon, chances are you'll see more animals than people during your stay.

Located in Aialik Bay, this is the only wilderness lodge within the 700,000 acres of Kenai Fjords National Park. To get to this all-inclusive lodge within the Alaska Native-owned wildlife sanctuary, you will depart via water taxi from Seward. Set against the backdrop of the Pederson Glacier, you can enjoy a number of activities here, including kayaking, hiking, beachcombing, or just plain relaxation on the lodge's large deck or in their cedar sauna.

Run by Alaska Wildland Adventures, this collection of cabins on the bank of the Kenai River offers a "roughing it in authentic comfort" all-inclusive, two-night package, with cabins that have private baths. Whether you choose to hike, raft, attend a naturalist program, or stroll the nature trail, in the evening your most difficult decision is whether to venture into the wood-fired sauna or pour yourself into a rocking chair on the deck overlooking the Kenai River. Fishing excursions are offered for an additional fee.