When you’re visiting the Copper River Valley for salmon fishing or exploring Wrangell-St Elias National Park, there are few few nice hotels to choose from. The Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge is the nicest between Glacier View and Valdez, and it’s a great home base for a fishing trip or just a one night stay. And you read that right, it’s Princess as in Princess Cruise Lines. This and the other Princess lodges aren’t just for cruise guests, but are open to the public for staying as well. I have worked for the Denali and Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodges and can say that they are lovely accommodations and the service is always great (maybe I’m biased).
We’ve got everything you need to know about staying at the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge as well as suggestions for activities in the Copper Valley, from fishing to hiking, museums to waterfalls. If you have any questions about the Lodge or visiting Copper Center, pleas leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great Alaska trip!
Why Choose the Copper River Princess Lodge
Depending on your overall travel plan for visiting the Copper River Valley and exploring beyond, the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge may be the refreshing reset you need in a long vacation journey. Given that so many of the accommodations options beyond Anchorage and the MatSu Valley are just not fancy and not updated for the 21st century, staying at the Copper Princess feels like a gentle reentry into the real world. The comforts of big leather couches in the lobby, the gardens and patio, conveniences at the ready… when you’ve been in small towns or camping, having a night or two here feels like extreme luxury. It’s just nice though, it’s not wildly fancy; nice, clean, comfortable and pleasant.
As a family of four, we appreciated the spaciousness of both our room and the property in general. When you’ve been traveling with a group for a while, even when it’s your family that you love, sometimes you just need the chance to have space between you when you’re not doing an activity. With both the main lobby and the mezzanine lounge, it’s very easy to relax in peace at the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge. Books, games and puzzles make the public areas easy to enjoy and just chill.
And the view of Mt Drum from the lobby, that’s the crown jewel of the Copper River Princess Lodge. On a clear day (or night) the view directly to Mt Drum in the Wrangell Mountains is breathtaking, and it’s stunning just how large it is. The grounds around the lodge are great for strolling and whether you’re enjoying the view of Mt Drum or looking out over the Klutina River, it’s just a pretty place to stay.
Book the Copper River Princess Lodge here!
Copper River Princess Lodge Amenities
It’s nice to get checked into a lodge and set back into some of the comforts of home that you have been missing while traveling. For us, it’s always having access to ice again, but the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge has more comforts and convenience to off than just ice. There is WIFI and television of course, but then for people that just want to relax around the property there are outdoor games including horseshoes and shuffleboard, and then plenty of trails to go walking in the summer air.
That’s something I’ve always enjoyed about each of the Princess Alaska Lodges, is their available trails. The Copper River Princess has some easy trails that take you to viewpoints and through the woods (and yes, you need to be aware of wildlife), but then there is also an intense river trail that will get your blood pumping. The viewpoint trail is cool because it actually has a view of the Trans Alaska Pipeline, which is a rare sight even though it’s 800 miles long. If you’re planning on doing the hike (yes, it’s an actual hike) on the Klutina River Trail, keep in mind that it’s 1.5 miles roundtrip, which doesn’t sound like a lot, and that it is strenuous down and strenuous up.
One of the best amenities offered by the Copper River Princess Lodge is actually the shuttle to and from the Wrangell-St Elias National Park Visitor Center. The park itself is very difficult to access except at the Copper Center visitor center or if you’re staying in McCarthy to visit the Kennicott section. When you’re here, you can take the shuttle to the visitor center where there are lots of exhibits about the Wrangell and St Elias Mountains, the salmon of the Copper River Valley, and the Ahtna Cultural Center. It’s a great place to visit, and you can easily take the shuttle or drive yourself.
Room Options at the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge
The Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge doesn’t have a ton of room types, as this lodge and the other Princess Lodges are designed to be one or two night stopovers on a cruise tour, but that doesn’t mean the rooms aren’t great. The 85 rooms are all Standard with either one king or two queen beds. Half of them face west towards the parking area and half of them face east towards the Wrangell Mountains and Mt Drum. You can call and request a specific side of the lodge in advance, but there are no guarantees of the view you’ll get from your room. Room blocking at the Princess Lodges is done in a way that accommodates cruise tour guests first and then “car arrivals” second. This doesn’t mean that you’re being blocked into a crappy room (there aren’t any) but it means that rooms are being blocked to be ready based on projected arrival times for the smoothest check in process.
Also, since the rooms either have a king bed or two queen beds, you need to be sure that when you make your reservation that the number of people staying in the room is accurate. If you’re a family of four and your reservation only says two people, you will be placed in a king room, so book your room correctly from the start. If there’s a problem or concern, call the lodge BEFORE your arrival day to make sure things are sorted.
Dining at the Copper River Princess Lodge
There are two dining options on property at the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge, and luckily they have long hours so if you’re traveling in after a long day’s adventure, you should be able to get a bite to eat. The Two Rivers Restaurant is the formal dining room which is open for breakfast and dinner. I will say, they open for breakfast at 6:00 am daily, which is great because there’s nothing else really available anywhere this early. Dinner is available from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm and on a day with a fresh motorcoach of cruise guests, it can be quite busy, so make a reservation if you’d like to dine at Two Rivers for dinner.
The Whistle Stop Bar & Grill is open for lunch and dinner daily, from 12:00 pm to 10:30 pm, but they will stop seating well before they close, so try to get into the Whistle Stop early enough to be able to get food. In the morning, the bar at the Whistle Stop becomes Dragonfly Espresso, so you can easily pop in to grab coffee and a pastry if you like, but they do not offer seating in the restaurant at that time, but the big, comfortable lobby is right there with plenty of seating.
Getting to the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge
The Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge is located just off the Richardson Highway in Copper Center. It’s up on the bluff above the Klutina River, which we really enjoying salmon fishing on with Copper River Guides, and is just a few miles from the Copper River. There is plenty of parking, which is included with your stay. I do love the location of the Copper River Princess because it’s only about 15 minutes up to Glennallen and about 15 minutes down to the Tonsina River and Edgerton Highway, which have lots of beautiful spots and things to do.
Copper River Princes Lodge Operating Info
To complete your planning, here is all the information to plan and book your adventure.
- Operating Dates/Season: May through September
- Lodge office phone number: 907-822-4000
- Company website: Princess Lodges
- Lodge check-in address: 1 Brenwick-Craig Rd, Copper Center, AK 99573
- Hotel booking link: Book the Copper River Princess Lodge here!
More Things to Do in the Copper River Valley
The Copper River Valley is known for its world-famous salmon, but there’s much more to this vast region of Alaska. Stretching from Valdez and Cordova in the south and up to Glennallen at the north, the Copper Valley is a beautiful, mountainous with countless tributaries to the Copper River. Wrangell-St Elias National Park is accessible from the Copper Valley via McCarthy and Copper Center, and several state parks and recreation sites make it an outdoors destination you’ll love.
If this is your first visit to the Copper Valley, you’ll love the drive on the Richardson Highway and want to do it again. Starting in Valdez and ending in Fairbanks, the Richardson Highway is the second longest highway in Alaska, second only to the Dalton Highway which connects Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. As it heads north from Valdez, Keystone Canyon is the first beautiful stretch, full of waterfalls and the old railroad route. Heading up the mountains, Thompson Pass is next with beautiful hikes, epic views and glaciers you can walk to. As you keep driving along the Richardson Highway, you’ll pass through several tiny town and villages, and eventually you’ll come to Copper Center where you’ll enjoy fishing for the world-famous Copper River salmon!
Here are our suggestions for things to do and ways to enjoy your time in the Copper River Vally:
Where to Stay in the Copper Valley
While you may have lots of choices for lodges and hotels in the Anchorage area or around Denali National Park, the Copper River Valley, from outside Valdez all the way to Delta Junction, is very limited. There are not many hotels or lodges, and even private vacation rentals and cabins are few and far between. There are choices though! We’ve gotten to stay in a few wonderful spots which you can read about here on our site (see below). In the meantime, feel free to do a search for stays in the Copper River Valley or check out the map below.
I hope you’re excited to explore the Copper River Valley and have a relaxing stay at the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge. Between the views and calm of being perched on the bluff and the nice accommodations, I know you’ll love it. If you have any questions about visiting the Copper River Valley or putting together a fun adventure, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to help with travel planning for an Alaska Trip!
