About

The Most Unique Inn in Cordova, Alaska!

Night-time view of lighthouse

The Cordova Rose Lodge, LLC is a barge with its very own lighthouse. It sits on the breakwater surrounded by water on the shore of Orca Inlet. Our lighthouse is a navigation aid for marine vessels using the channel.

The main building of Cordova Rose Lodge is a 1924 landlocked barge, beautifully remodeled and upgraded. In fact, all the guest buildings on the property have been refreshed from new carpet to cedar plank walls. The Cordova Rose offers a rustic, yet newly refreshed, setting right at the water’s edge.

We are honored to have been voted “Best Stay” by our guests, many of whom have been regular visitors for over 20 years. The Cordova Rose Lodge has been in operation for almost 30 years, with owner Gary McDowell at the helm for the last 22. With our recent updates and improvements, the Rose has never looked better.

Availability in the 2020 season is from July through September. (Government long-stay contractors welcome all year round.)

History

barge on land being converted into lodge

Built in 1924 in Kodiak, Alaska it was named Berry #1. It worked the Gulf of Alaska as a pile driver and fish trap setter until it was towed to the current site just after the 1964 Alaskan earthquake. The site was once the location of a floating fish cannery.

Previously used as a machine shop, a home for a recluse and a houseboat for 12 years by the previous owners, Bob and Rose Arvidson, it now works as a community inn.

The exterior landscape consists of a breakwater with a lighthouse, several bridges, a ship’s mast and a statue of the Greek myth character, Sisyphus and his dog, Spot. Sisyphus is a Greek myth character punished by Zeus. Zeus told Sisyphus he had to push a boulder up a hill forever. Of course, every time Sisyphus got the rock to the top of the hill it would roll down the other side and he would have to start over. As the builder of the statue, Arvidson’s philosophy was that everyone has their own rock to push.

Eldon and Jan Glein purchased the property in 1992. They renovated the barge and remodeled a building next to it called the Gear Shed. Thus continues the history of the barge, Berry No. 1, working on Odiak Slough in Orca Inlet.

The current owner, Gary McDowell took over the lodge in 1998. All guest rooms have been renovated and the outside has been given a great new look while keeping the nautical look in each change.

A Great Place To Be

  • Watch the resident eagles
  • Enjoy the Kingfishers, Sea ducks, Stellar jays, songbirds, and sea birds
  • Observe the harbor seals
  • Keep an eye on local bears visiting to clean up fish carcasses and remains at low tide 
  • Panoramic breathtaking views
  • Enjoy our gazebo, surrounded by 3 sides with water
  • WiFi throughout the property
  • The Odiak Pharos working lighthouse is a real lighthouse listed in the coastguard house of lights and lighthouse magazines
  • We offer accommodations for the business traveler with special accommodations and work areas
  • Request special rates for contractors and government employees 
  • Alaska residents enjoy a 10% discount

The Cordova Rose Lodge has been

  • Featured in – Lighthouse Digest (April 2002)
  • Listed in – Best of Travel guide
  • Seen on – Food Network TV
  • Featured in – Sunset Magazine
  • Featured on – Larry Czonka’s Alaska outdoor show