Base Camp Anchorage Hostel

Base camp is phenomenal! It is close to downtown Anchorage as well as the airport. The staff is incredibly flexible, accommodating, kind, and has lots of knowledge of the area with tips and tricks they’re happy to share. The vibes were incredible; there were interesting but non intrusive people to chat with and the common spaces are nice and the kitchen too. There’s even outdoor space with picnic tables etc. I think they’re bathrooms and laundry is some of the cleaner that I’ve seen at hostels. Furthermore, the beds were comfortable and rooms spacious. I would definitely recommend!!!

We had such a great evening! Walking distance to a Saturday market, the ocean trail, several parks and eateries. They provide breakfast and the bed is so comfy! The host was super sweet and so helpful. We loved the backyard and the amenities like a sense deprivation tub, hot sauna, bicycle rentals, camping rentals and more. Super affordable, great location!

The volunteer staff are helpful to be the best of the their ability. For the price of $100 to $150 per night (non American) for a dorm it is OVERPRICED!! Quietness and darkness in house after 11pm. Not a party night atmosphere. Breakfast is only oatmeal and self made pancakes, no fruits, yogurt or anything else. Washer/dryer is $10 extra. Bike rental or guided hiking tours are $25 extra cost, towel rentals $1, Tents in back yard are an option $50 a night with sleeping bag included. Bed mattress was comfortable. Washrooms were left over body/hair washes to share. Ready made free coffee only available when available by staff and free tea bags in kitchen. Take bus #40, 35 or 25 to get to the hostel. Half a block away from the road and cost $2 in cash only, no transfers. Day pass bus is $5.

This is one of my favorite hostels! People told me the location was kind of sketchy but I didn't have any issues. It's walking distance from many good restaurants. They have curtains up around the beds now for privacy, and I loved the chickens! People were respectful of my stuff while I was gone all day and didn't eat my food in the fridge, which is probably a first.

I really love the vibe of this hostel, it's definitely lovely and relaxing. It's located in middle town, 26th W street, so I took a bit of time to find it. But I was then amazed by the facilities inside, the lively backyard, multiple restrooms, clean and powerful kitchen and a very cute living room where is wonderful for small talk and making new friends. It's clean since everyone is asked to leave shoes outside.

The hostel is really nice. The crew is amazing, Chris,Dawson and all the others are always taking care of everything. Facilities are clean, room, kitchen and bathrooms. And the environment was super great. I would recommend it to anybody coming to Anchorage getting ready for some hiking

Everything about this location was great. We arrived late and the check in instructions were very helpful, we were also able to find parking in the front. The next day we were able to do a "real" check in with Dawson and he gave us a tour of the place. I really enjoyed the chickens running around outside and the sauna. Loved the pancake/waffle station in the morning. Everyone we talked to was very friendly. We also bought bear spray from them and it was cheaper than REI.

This was an amazing place to stay. Spacious, clean, all the amenities of home. Lauren is an amazing host, attentive, and genuinely cares about making your stay pleasant. Definitely will be staying here again.

I stayed at Base Camp Anchorage before and after my NOLS Alaska Talkeetna expedition in July 2024. The staff was polite and helpful, and most importantly the hostel is well run and organized. Hostel expectations for travelers were clearly defined and all travelers were respectful to one another, and I felt secure staying there. The cots were comfortable too. Great place to stay!

I went with a bunch of friends to anchorage for the first time and stayed at Base Camp! As a first timer in Alaska I had a great time- along with the amenities and lodging being clean and well maintained Ole and his team were amazing, organized and very efficient. The best part was meeting all of the other travelers and listening to their backpacking adventures and experiences. Alaska is beautiful and Ole and his team answered all of our questions and gave us tons of recommendations and things to do! I know my friends and I will all be back!

I stayed at the Base Camp a few nights before and after my trip in the Alaska range this spring. The staff and accomodations were incredible! There is a huge backyard with a wonderful teepee, wood fire sauna, a beautiful garden, and bikes for exploring Anchorage. This is a wonderful place to a few nights while in Anchorage for anyone that is traveling on a budget and wants to meet some wonderful people. Make sure to ask about the sensory deprivation pod, it is an amazing experience and a great relaxing space after a big trip in Alaska. I cannot recommend this place enough and will definitely be visiting in years to come! Thank you Base Camp!

By far, this Anchorage's finest hostel. In all my 37 years staying at hostels, this ranks the top five. It has been my fourth stay here. Basecamp has a very caring staff with a strong home-like atmosphere. A sauna is offered which is rare for any hostel. Please consider leaving a tip to show appreciation to staff for their dedicated work and efforts. I shall return!

I pulled in after a 2 week motorcycle trip from California, and I was exhausted. I was treated extremely well by my hosts, Jake and Brittany. I stayed in the queen bed for the first 2 nights, and it was clean, comfortable, and relaxing. I also got laundry done and the bus to the airport is a block away. People staying there were so nice too, from recent college grads to Denali climbers. I loved the fire sessions in the teepee, and there is also a sauna and a float tank which others enjoyed. I donated my half full propane canister and I got back an almost new pair of sneakers. Several hostlers and I rented a car for a day excursion. I am definitely staying there again on my next Alaska visit.

I recently moved to Anchorage. The whole move was sort of ad-hoc and minimally planned. And, since we all know moving in general sucks (let alone moving from the lower 48!), there were many snags along the way. For a couple weeks, off and on, Base Camp Anchorage was my home. I'm not sure why I initially booked this hostel given all the options in town, I think I was attracted to the name. I'm really into mountaineering, alpinism, ice/snow/rock climbing, whatever you call it, and the name of this place spoke to me. Also: one of my favorite breweries back in Portland shares this name, so that didn't hurt! Anyway, this place was great. If I could sum it up in one word it would be: "accommodating". The guys that work here have a wealth of local knowledge, stuff that you definitely cannot get from some boring guidebook and that would take a while to gather from the internet. Want to know where to stay in Denali/Seward/Homer? They got you covered. Want to do a local hike? They'll probably take you with them. Want to know where the good beer is? Easy. Have NO IDEA what you want to do with your time in Alaska? Tell them how much time you have and they'll give you some ideas. The owner, Ole, is very friendly and was a great help to me in moving to the Great White North. Every idea I ran by him he elegantly fine-tuned with his wealth of local knowledge. It's nice to be able to do the "cool" stuff in a new place and not get trapped into the "touristy" stuff. Also, the location is pretty great. This isn't downtown, but it's only about a 15 minute walk. And only a couple blocks from the Hostel are some of the greatest eats and drinks in Anchorage (Spendard Roadhouse, Taproot, Bear Tooth, etc.) It's also close to the infamous Chilkoot Charlie's (known quasi-affectionately to locals as "Koot's")...if that's your kinda thing. I also met many great and interesting guests while here, including many, many Denali climbers. I plan on getting up that hill sooner rather than later so it was great to chat with some sun burnt souls with fresh, inside knowledge. Definitely check this place out, you won't be disappointed.

I enjoyed my short stay here. The staff emailed me late arrival instructions that were clear and concise . I actually arrived earlier and was able to get checked in smoothly. Standard bunk bed in the room I stayed in with plenty of closet space. Plenty of space in common areas. There's a bathroom on every level(3)which helpful with am/pm foot traffic. The staff were so nice and transparent about suggesting things. 10 min drive to downtown. Definitely recommend.

The Base Camp is a lovely, clean and quiet hostel that was the perfect place for us to start our little Alaskan adventure. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and happy to share their wisdom on where to go and what to do. Also very useful to us was the fact that they have lots of equipment (ex. bear spray, tent) available for rent so that we didn't have to buy as much stuff as we were originally expecting for our 10 day driving tour of the region. Some good restaurants, brewery, nice used bookstore and an REI all within a couple of blocks. The Base Camp is really the place you should be to kick off your AK experience.

Very cool hostel with awesome employees. Unfortunately, I wasn't around on a day when the sauna was used but its supposed to be really awesome. Great vibes from this place and strongly enforced quiet hours which is appreciated. Comfortable bed, clean facility and lots of great resources for planning your adventures around Alaska (and finding rideshare options). I really liked my time there, wish I was around longer.

Sweet and friendly staff. I arrived at 2:30 in the morning and although there was some confusion around late night checkin, they recieved me with a smiling face. The slept in the female dorm room and sadly as female dorm room goes i kept waking up and waking up other people as well. Which is unavoidable in hostels. In the morning a group gathered around breakfast and we exchanged notes. As I was leaving the hostel, an middle-aged/older indian man walks in with a passport and talking with an Indian accent that I recognize (I am indian). He told me that his daughter is 13 years old and is summitting denali and will be the youngest to break some sort of mountain climbing record. So def I was impressed that such hard core people chose basecamp to stay for the night. PROS: Downtown anchorage Friendly staff Basic but clean facilities No breakfast is provided (for a lot of people this is a con, but for me it is, I like to control what I eat) CONS: A little overcrowced over july 4th weekend. At one point of time all 3 bathrooms were taken and that was a little rough

I had a great experience at Base Camp Anchorage in May 2014! The owner was kind and hospitable. Guests were a mix of people from all over the world who came to Alaska for adventures of all kinds. The price was right, too, at $25 per bed per night. I came in late at night, but called in advance to get information and make a reservation. At first, I found some of the policies strange, though not unreasonable. I later learned the policies are intended to ensure the hostel attracts the right vibe - namely, travelers passing through or visiting Anchorage - and weeds out the squatters. Bunk rooms have about 4 beds per room, which keeps noise, security and safety a little more under control. Private accommodations are an option, as available. I found the hostel to be clean, safe and comfortable. They were just getting established under new ownership and had done much to renovate and revitalize the hostel from top to bottom. I'm sure it will get better and better with time. On-site laundry, bike rental, complimentary oatmeal breakfast and proximity to REI, Wal-mart and local attractions (like the Bear Tooth Theater pub) make BCA convenient for those with or without transportation. Getting here from the airport is about a $15 taxi ride or a short $2-3 ride on one of the #7 buses. Parking at the hostel currently accommodates about 6 cars (dont park on the street if you dont want to be towed!). The owner loves the outdoors and people. He has a wealth of knowledge about what to do in the area and is happy to share it. Hope to adventure out that way again someday and if I do, I'll definitely make a stop at BCA!

Great hostel, great staff, great stay. They keep the facilities clean, and they have bed bug covers on the mattresses and pillows. A+ for those. Nate checked me in and recommended some good local food. The building is secure, and Spenard is a great location for the typical hostel dweller. Walking distance to bars, entertainment, Walgreens, etc. Not really sure what could have made my 3-night stay any better. Big thanks, Base Camp.

"I found a gold nugget in Anchorage" If you are looking for inexpensive, clean, friendly, and international, this is the place! Great helpful staff, big communal kitchen with very nice multinational clientele. A paradise for campers and backpackers, as it is very close to REI, Hoarding Marmot and Play it Again Sports. Take the bus to the hostel from the airport for $2, or $1 for seniors like me. Great for single travelers of all ages. I stayed one night then did a week long trip and it was only $10 for a day fee, including shower, breakfast and gear storage on my return while I toured Anchorage before my flight home. Can't be beat and I will return on my next trip!

When James owned & ran this place it was awesome warm, comfy and friendly. Became my go to low budget place when passing thru. Once the new owner took over, I felt like I was in a prison, no one was friendly, someone stole my labeled food from the community fridge both days/nights I stayed. I got bed bugs, the bathroom was filthy...I mentioned this to the new owner in the nicest way. When I left the following morning the bastard told me I was not welcome to return, I wont write what I told him. I dont drink or use, tho i see that is very much tolerated here now. I would not return for free. What a shame the new owner is wierd, I am a commercial fisherman, since I wasn't a hippie or a hiker or on a spiritual quest, it was made clear to me by the owner I was about as welcome as a homeless....I kid you not.

One of the greatest hostels I've ever stayed at! This was my first hostel in America, but compared to all the ones I've stayed at internationally, Base Camp Anchorage really did an outstanding job! The staff are all SO helpful and nice. Before I even made a reservation, I called and asked a bunch of questions about what I should do & about Alaska. Corey & another guy (I forgot his name) were so helpful and informative! I also love how they have binders of very helpful info at the hostel: what to do in Anchorage, what to do in Alaska, etc. They have a float pod ($30!!), a TP, and a sauna!! They also have a mini-concert every once in awhile too. They have lockers in the rooms which was awesome! The hostel was always clean & had strong Wi-Fi. The only downsides were: there was always a wait for the bathrooms (it'd be nice if they had separate bathroom with just a toilet & a separate bathroom with a shower so it's more available/useful), the beds were kind of uncomfortable, and I booked an all female dorm, but they put males in there... I was a little surprised but I didn't really care. Just a heads up if you do plan on booking an all female dorm... there might be guys in there. There's a lot of electrical outlets & extension cords (huge plus for top bunkers). There's laundry machines, games, blackboard with ride sharing, huge backyard, bike rentals, kitchen, free breakfast (pancakes & oatmeal- yummy! And amazing they provide that), and a great atmosphere! It's a small hostel so everyone hangs out in the common spaces- great vibe. Location is a little far from downtown Anchorage. There's a lot of restaurants nearby the hostel though. Overall, amazing experience and I definitely recommend staying here!!

Base Camp is a good place to get some sleep, use wifi and cook something. They have a big backyard and you can aslo rent bicycles. The staff is friendly, but I would't recommend it for more than a few nights.

Great place to stay if you're looking for a social place to hang out for a day or so before or after your flight. They have this big chalkboard where you can ask if anyone else in the hostel wants to go visit somewhere and split gas, etc. I didn't get to take advantage of it, but I will make sure I have time to try it out next time. I was only here for one night, but I met so many people who just wanted to hang out and meet new people. Great stay with some really nice people.

I have stayed at this hostel for many years. Ole,Johnathon,Dan where the best hosts ever. The place was clean,well run. They did a great job with all the guests. It was a great mix of people. Can't wait till next year. GREAT JOB!!!!! Mahalo Stan :)

As stated in other reviews, this is hands-down the best hostel for backpackers! It was our first time in Anchorage, and the entire staff was great (especially Tim- who let us borrow a tarp for our tent). We stayed for a total of two nights, 1 night before our 30 mile backpacking trek in Denali State park, and 1 night after. For our first night, we checked-in in the afternoon, and rented bikes from the hostel for only $10/each! We were able to cruise around Anchorage and see the entire city. We had overpacked a little for our trek, and since we were going to be returning guests, the hostel let us keep some of our stuff in a locked area for when we returned. After 4 days (of mostly rain) in Denali, we were tired and couldn't wait to be back at Base Camp. We had rented the private room with a nice queen bed. Our clothes were dirty and soaking wet. Luckily, the hostel has washer machines and dryers in the basement, and we were able to clean our clothes before our roadtrip the next day. They also keep the bathrooms/showers very clean. Aside from the hospitality, we met a lot of great travelers at the hostel. We shared stories over dinner and connected with people we hope to stay in touch with. Sidenote: Free coffee and oatmeal in the morning (with a full kitchen to cook your own meals). You won't be disappointed with Base Camp!

my first hostel! this was a great introduction to the hostel life as I watched other travelers interacting and being totally awesome. the place was clean, beds were about as comfortable as can be expected. and it really was like a home. the folks that work there were pretty great too. everyone was nice and welcoming. good location too, it's really is perfect as a "base camp".

Best. Place. Ever. The manager there is absolutely AMAZING! My friend and I have been traveling around Alaska for the past month and a half and this was the third hostel we stayed at. If we ever come back to anchorage this is the only place we would ever stay. Here are the reasons: 1) Ole the manager. He is probably the coolest dude ever. He was so helpful and we sat talking to him for about an hour. He even offered to drop us off at a good place to hitchhike to Denali! He's really welcoming and really I can't say enough good stuff about him. 2) it's so clean!!!! 3) that was the comfiest hostel bed I've ever slept in. 4) it's cheaper than any other hostel we've stayed in (only $25 a night) 5) located next to so much! There's a fair trade/organic strip mall down the street right next to an REI for any last minute buys (or returns), move theater if you want to do something city like (we've been away for month it was really nice) and a 4 minute walk to the bus stop. 6) the place is huge. He has computers you can use, books, full living room and dining room and kitchen with some community food. All in all, I had an awesome time. You should NEVER stay anywhere else.