The Alaskan backcountry is an untouched wilderness that tests your limits and exceeds your expectations.

In 1970, at the age of 14, I moved to Nome, Alaska. I spent all of my free time out enjoying the wilderness. This naturally led me to my passions for hunting, fishing, camping, carving wood bowls by hand, and anything outdoors. I started guiding hunters professionally in 1974, and through the years I paid my dues and worked my way up the guiding ranks to hold the title of Master Guide (#M-80).

In 1976, I made my way into the wilds of Alaska with the nearest human 30+ miles away to stake my slice of heaven with just my horses as company. After making the state regulated improvements, they let me purchase the land that I homesteaded. This is where Hidden Alaska Lodge rests today, a front door to bear and moose hunting (plus the occasional caribou or wolf), and the perfect base camp for heading out on remote camps and float trips.

Before I built the lodge and cabins of Hidden Alaska, I lived in a 14’x14’ dirt floored cabin. From these primitive quarters I lived on my own for six years, and I lived off the land regardless of the conditions. Year-round bush living offered up the unique opportunity for me to live and guide without interruption.

I would only go into town (Anchorage) 3 or 4 times a year.

Along my journey, I have been a trapper, homesteader, horse packer, river rafter, and big game hunting guide. I am also a Commercial, Instrument, Multi-Engine, and Seaplane rated pilot. In a former career, I was an Alaska Fish and Wildlife enforcement officer before building a lodge with several outbuildings and cabins. These structures I built by hand with logs from trees I felled & milled onsite myself. I spent a good deal of many summers getting ready for the fall hunting season and making the lodge better and better. Keeping it in tiptop shape for every guest is a job in and of itself, but it is essential to provide the unforgettable opportunities Hidden Alaska has offered for decades to countless clients looking to escape city life and enjoy the outdoors.

The Hidden Alaska wilderness offers adventures of a lifetime, even if hunting is not your thing. Snowmachining, skiing, and snowshoeing are a blast in the winter and spring. Aurora Borealis viewing in the dark of winter is magical, to say the least. Four wheeling, rafting, fly fishing and hiking adventures are perfect for late spring and summer.

Welcome to my little slice of heaven.

Mike “Buck” Bowden
Master Guide

Founder, Hidden Alaska Guides & Outfitters