April 10, 2011 A splendid weekend at the lodge with epic snows! National Geographic Crews stayed with us and filmed the state troopers for Arctic Man! See the happy crew below and enjoy the spring snow pics!

April 8: A benefit concert was held Friday April 8 to raise funds for a local non-profit, “Plenty for All” that provides financial assistance to families who need a one time boost to avoid home foreclosure. Pat Fitzgerald and Robin Dale Ford performed at the home of a generous Fairbanks family with fifty people in attendance. The Lodge donated a two nights stay and netted the organization $700!

Getting ready for Arctic Man! Join us! Ride Hard, Sleep Well!

March 11, 2011 The Northern Lights are incredible lately!

GUEST REVIEWS

“A Paradise Hidden in the Wilderness” Trip Advisor Grossweineralina Location: Mariemont, Ohio Date of review: Mar 6, 2011 – New The Lodge At Black Rapids is a serene escape, nestled in between stunning mountains and distant, roaring river. Not only is the surrounding view of rural Alaska fantastic, but the service and overall quality of the lodge is overwhelmingly welcoming and comforatable. The entire facility is brimming with beautiful, rustic decorations, and the surrounding woods and mountains create the illusion of being absolutely isolated. The lodge also serves as a great place to go for wildlife filled trek, or a hike down by the rapids. Although the drive from Fairbanks, Alaska is not short, the lodge makes up for this in every respect. The quality of family that is created by the owners, Mike and Annie Hopper, makes up for going out of your way. Not only is the lodge and it’s owners perfectly equipped to make your stay comfortable and enjoyable, but it supplies the solace that only being extremely distant from civilization can create. I would recommend this retreat for anyone looking for a quiet weekend away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. • Date of stay: June 2010 • Visit was for: Leisure • Traveled with: Solo Traveler • Member since: March 01, 2011 • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes Wonderful, warm, welcoming, WOW.” Trip Advisor Handyrandy63 • Location:Fairbanks, Alaska • My travel style: Splurge occasionally • I usually travel for: Fun • Age: 50-64 • Gender: Male Date of review: Feb 27, 2011 My wife and I, along with two other couples took a short road trip to The Lodge at Black Rapids on February 19, 2011 for an overnight stay. We were met by the owner/ host Annie Hopper and Ryan, the Chef. Right away we were impressed with the location overlooking the road, the old historic lodge, the mountains and the Black Rapids Glacier. The lodge is sided with slate shingles and trimed in green with a copper roof. There is a large deck out in front and a smaller one in the rear. It would have been nice to sit out there to enjoy the view, but the winter weather did not allow it. We all intend to go back in the summer. Inside, the open beam woodwork throughout the lodge, and the two story front open dinning room surrounded by French doors and windows allowed for a very good view outside. The two story rock fire place with multiple fire boxes is a work of art in itself. There is decorative yet functional ironwork throughout the lodge and for the stairs and deck railing. The crows nest area is surrounded with stained glass windows depicting the northern lights, the mountains and the glacier. The large rooms all had high ceilings making them feel even bigger. The upstairs rooms, where we stayed, all have very comfortable queen beds, a love seat that folds out for a single bed, nice bathrooms and French doors that open to small narrow balconies. There is a living room area outside our room with facing leather couches where we played an electronic charades game. The dinner and breakfast expertly prepared by Chef Ryan and served to us by our host/waitress Annie, were epicurean delights. We were allowed to bring some of our own wine and were charged a corkage fee. Later, Annie became the after dinner show, playing the guitar and singing. What an amazing multi talented woman. Thousands of stars and the northern lights put on quite a show for all of us that night who were willing to put on our outdoor winter clothes again. The picture books documenting the rescuing effort to save the old lodge from disintegrating and the multiple year building of the new lodge are must reads. Two young couples brought their skis and headed out Sunday morning to find a place to ski. There is no lift, so one must use “skins” to go up then remove them for the slide down. All in all a wonderful trip. • Date of stay: February 2011 • Visit was for: Leisure • Traveled with: With Spouse/Partner • Member since: May 25, 2010 • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes Was this review helpful? Yes Wonderful time and stay!” Trip Advisor Date of review: Sep 29, 2010 ClevelandNative71 • Location:Columbus, Ohio • My travel style: Splurge occasionally • I usually travel for: Work and Fun • Age: 35-49 • Gender: Male Wonderful time and stay! Great ambience and layed back vibe with Annie, Mike and their dog, Rowdy. Great food too. Upon our arrival, some local friends were visiting from their nearby cabin. The result was a pleasant evening of laughter and music as Annie and her guests serenaded us. We loved our hike near Donnelly Dome and I had a whale of a time fishing Donnelly Lake, which is near MP244. A pretty, but short and simple easy to follow 10 minute hike in. I caught a rainbow or an Arctic Char with almost every cast for an hour and a half. The water was virtually boiling with fish! And the sunlight and colors on the lake were absolutely gorgeous. Our stay with The Lodge at Black Rapids was a highlight of our trip. • Date of stay: August 2010 • Visit was for: Leisure • Traveled with: With Spouse/Partner • Member since: May 31, 2008 • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes Was this review helpful? Yes “Fantastic” Trip Advisor andrewbryan • Location:Baker City, Oregon Date of review: Aug 20, 2010 The Lodge A Black Rapids is a fantastic place to stay. They treat you like family!! It is about 3 hours south of Fairbanks. The History of the area is unique. The scenery is magnificent. The beds are super comfy. Let them know before you arrive if you are gonna want to eat- it is yummy!!! The lodge is beautiful!! They welcome you. The common areas are comfy!! and relaxing. The rooms are spacious and have fold out beds that are amazingly comfy for kids or large family. We traveled with our large family. Mike and Annie made sure we were comfy- they kinda gave us the basement to our selves which was awesome. They made sure we new where to hike and made sure we got to see the Real Alaska. The 3rd story view is fantastic. the stained glass is beautiful. it was hard to leave. We spent 24 days in Alaska 2 days at The Lodge at Black Rapids- It was one of our favorites. Really nothing else compared!! • Date of stay: July 2010 • Visit was for: Leisure • Traveled with: Family with Young Children • Age group: 35-49 • Member since: August 20, 2010 • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes Modern Lodge with rustic trimmings – on Richardson Hwy (long way from Fairbanks)” Trip Advisor Location:Baker City, Oregon Date of review: Jul 21, 2010 Going down Richardson Hwy., at mile 227, you come to a recently build large lodge on the hillside. Drive up the hill and park in rear. Spacious common rooms. They serve meals if you call ahead — probably nearest other place is 25 miles away! Beautiful view and relaxing area. When we were there, only one other guest so very quiet and serene. Great place to go on a hike and come back and read a book (they have lots of interesting material if you do not). Unusual to see a 1st Class place so remote. A super out of the way place, yet on the Richardson Hwy (which is not very busy, probably 1 car every 10 minutes). Wonderful place to relax. • Date of stay: June 2010 • Visit was for: Leisure • Traveled with: With Spouse/Partner • Member since: August 15, 2003 • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes

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