Salmon Derby or Bust at Alaska's Scandia House

Timing for our first visit to Petersburg, Alaska was a bit off: Memorial Day weekend during the peak of the 28th Annual Salmon Derby. Hours before our arrival, local angler Duane Olsen had caught a 59.8 lb. king salmon and residents were in a tizzy about the record-breaking catch. With a $7500 prize on the line for the first place winner, competition was fierce and if you weren�t out fishing that weekend in Petersburg, you were pretty much S.O.L.

Luckily, our digs at Scandia House were within walking distance of all the dockside action (and lots of watercraft eye-candy). The hotel exterior evokes a European vibe, no doubt a nod to the town�s strong Norwegian heritage. Scandia House isn�t fancy, but then again, most accommodations we saw in Alaska don�t subscribe to a fancy school of thought. It is, however, practical in every way � a terrific concept to consider when most tourists visit Alaska for the sake of the great outdoors and not for five star pampering.

Scandia House offers everything you�d want from a basic hotel stay: honest-to-goodness hospitality, clean rooms that err on the side of spacious, cable TV, hairdryers, an ice machine down the hall, and free, around-the-clock coffee in the lobby. We witnessed the majority of the town�s social activity at the coffee house (or haus) adjoining the hotel � from Animal Planet film crews to heavily facial haired men suited up in Helly Hansen fishing rainsuits.

Since every marine outfitter in the small fishing village seemed occupied with Derby, we opted for a flightseeing tour to check out LeConte Glacier and the Tongass National Forest from a different perspective � a highly recommended, photo op-worthy experience that saved what have would�ve otherwise been a very sleepy stay on Mitkof Island. Rooms start at $110.

Full disclosure: The writer�s one night stay was hosted by Scandia House.

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