Denali Cabins: Peaceful, Rustic Lodgings near Denali National Park

Planning my first trip to Alaska, I found that figuring out where to stay near Alaska’s Denali National Park could be somewhat complicated. Within the park itself, you can camp, but if you’d prefer to sleep indoors, you need to find accommodations nearby. Many lodgings are clustered north of the park entrance in the crowded strip of hotels, eateries, and souvenir shops often referred to as “Glitter Gulch.” A far more scenic and peaceful option is to stay at the Denali Cabins, 46 cedar cottages in the woods eight miles south of the park entrance.

Here’s the scoop:

Denali Cabins are part of the Alaska Collection by Pursuit, which operates several hotels and experiences across the state. The parent company runs lodgings in the Canadian Rockies as well, including Mount Royal Hotel and Elk + Avenue in Banff, along with several hotels in Jasper National Park.

Denali Car Free

We traveled to Denali on the Alaska Railroad — from Fairbanks to Denali, then on from Denali to Anchorage — so without a car, we needed transportation to get around the Denali area. Denali Cabins provides an all-day shuttle service between the property, the Denali rail station, the Denali National Park bus depot (where transit buses and tours into the park depart), and Denali boardwalk (aka “Glitter Gulch”), if you want to go into town for dinner, drinks, or other supplies.

We were able to check our bags at the Fairbanks rail station, and they were waiting for us when we arrived at the Denali Cabins — an especially convenient option that allowed us to go right into the park when we got off the train without needing to deal with our luggage. 

The Denali Cabins shuttle drivers were also a great resource for exploring the region, with ideas for places to hike, eat, and go adventuring.

Denali Cabins Rooms and Amenities

With cedar paneled walls, wood floors, and comfortable beds, Denali Cabins are rustic but cozy. All units have flat-screen TVs, one-cup coffeemakers, and decent wi-fi. A sink is located outside the bathroom.

While the cabins don’t have refrigerators, the front desk staff was willing to store our small bag of cheese, fruit, and leftover pizza in their office fridge overnight.

The cabins come in three different styles. “Classic cabins” include one bed, the standard units have two, and the larger family cabins have two beds in the bedroom and a futon on the sofa in the partially separated living room.

Facilities and Services

On the property is a wood-fired sauna (reserve at the front desk, and they’ll heat up the sauna for you), an outdoor hot tub, a coffee shop serving coffee, pastries, and light bites, and Prey Pub & Eatery, which is open for breakfast and dinner. Staff will pack a lunch for you to take into the park if you let them know in advance.

The crowd-pleasing menu at Prey runs from granola to omelets to pancakes with berry compote (thumbs up on the pancakes) in the morning to sandwiches, seafood, and steak in the evenings.

But Can You See the Mountain?

The tallest mountain in the United States is not visible from Denali Cabins. And while we had decent-enough weather for hiking and exploring Denali National Park during our late summer stay, the famous 20,000-foot-high mountain never came out of the clouds.

Fortunately, at Denali Cabins, we were cozy in our cottage in the woods, we had convenient options for traveling car-free — and we could kick off our day with pancakes.

Rates

Double room rates at Denali Cabins start at $229/night. The cabins are open seasonally from May into September. You can book your stay direct with the property or go through a hotel booking site such as Booking.com or Expedia. You might get a better rate, especially if you have an account on the platform.

 

Hotel feature by Vancouver-based travel, food, and feature writer Carolyn B. Heller. Photos © Carolyn B. Heller. The Pursuit Collection arranged my stay for review purposes.