savonoski loop

Canoeing this 80 mile loop is THE way to experience the Alaskan wilderness! It is not, however, for a beginner. It can be rainy with poor visibility, as it was the first 2 - 3 days of my paddle, and made orienteering the Bay of Islands difficult. The portage trail is long and strenuous. If you have the extra cash, have a plane drop a canoe at Grosvenor Lake and then take you to it. That way you avoid the portage trail. This, however, will make your trip considerably shorter. In my opinion, Grosvenor Lake is the more scenic part of the trip (although my opinion is biased because it was raining almost the whole time on the first leg of Naknek Lake). But, the views are AMAZING, the wildlife is everywhere, the fishing is great and I can't wait until I have another opportunity to do it! Just make sure you have good rain gear, a portable GPS is helpful, and follow ALL the bear precautions that you are told about at Brook's Lodge....because there are a LOT of bears!Just wanted to add that when you get to King Salmon, the charter plane company that I used to get to Katmai was C-Air. They are great people! When I was done with the canoeing, I met some locals at the "bar" at brooks lodge. When I got back to King Salmon, Phil (the pilot) drove my friend and myself to the city of Naknek (on Kvichak Bay) to meet up with the new friends. This is a 30 mile drive (each way) and it was about 10 o'clock at night! It was a great time and the people at C-Air made it even better.