Lodge Owners Take Spotlight in Stride

For readers of “Into the Wild,” and viewers of the film by the same name, the Alaskan wilderness of Denali National Park represents a man’s journey of soul-searching.

For Jon and Karin Nierenberg, this is home.

The couple own and operate the EarthSong Lodge, which they built in 1996 and opened in 1997. The lodge is 17 miles north of Denali National Park near Healy, Alaska.

When the Nierenberg’s did their research on accommodations in the area, they found that while nearby properties were running at 97 percent occupancy during the summer season, no one had a hotel that catered to the eco-tourists that were looking to spend more time than the casual passers through Denali park, according to Jon Nierenberg, a naturalist, sled-dog guide and former Denali park ranger.

“We wanted to be part of our authentic lodge experience,” he said. “We didn’t know if we were successful until people started writing that we were the best part of their trip to Alaska. For most, this is a trip of a lifetime.”

The accommodations include four pillows per bed, new mattresses and wireless Internet. A coffee house and sled dog kennels also are on site. Sled dog tours help business in the slower winter months, according to Nierenberg.

The recent attention to the area since the release of the movie last year hasn’t been too much to handle, Nierenberg said. He’s recently talked to the Associated Press, “20-20” and USA Today.

“It has changed traffic a bit,” he said. “I don’t think it’s changed too much who’s staying here. We’re not getting people because of the story.”

There has been an increase in e-mail inquiries, but Nierenberg said that’s not a problem to manage yet.

Nierenberg said there is an increase in hikers going out to see the bus where Christopher McCandless, the subject of both Jon Krakauer’s book and Sean Penn’s film, died. The actual number of hikers won’t be known until the logbooks are checked this winter.

“A number of them will stop at our place,” he said. “Some leave valuables behind, some ask for maps and suggestions. I used to be a back-country ranger, so I feel the need to go over a few things before they go into the park.”

Nierenberg also educates hikers on river-crossing techniques.

“I do my best to convince them that if [the Teklanika River] looks scary, it’s not worth it,” he said. “I’m doing that with people who aren’t staying with us. None of us want to see anyone drown.”

EarthSong’s Web site features an “Into the Wild” page, which explains the reality of the Denali terrain, the myths of Christopher McCandless’s death and hiking tips for getting to the bus.

The Nierenberg’s goal to share knowledge and love of the outdoors is essential to their location in a major tourist destination in the state.

“Tourism in Alaska is a growing industry,” Nierenberg said. “If the economy is down, we’ll see more Europeans. But visitors from the lower 48 [states] now are choosing us over Europe.”

Communicating the lodge’s niche market—those searching for an authentic retreat in the heart of Alaska—is done through Internet marketing and guidebooks.

“We’ve cut out most of the booking agents,” Nierenberg said. “My wife has done an amazing job at marketing. People generally know what to expect, and that makes happy people when they get here.”