Denali Hostel & Cabins

This hostel would have been great, except that Sheep Shuttle, the main shuttle service that takes people between the hostel and the park, closed down about a week before our stay. Consequently, it was very expensive and troublesome to get to and from the park and to our bus pick up spot. So I don't recommend this hostel for anyone who doesn't have a rental car. The only other thing is that the office opens pretty late and closes pretty early, so we had to check ourselves in and out, and it didn't really have that community feel that most people like from hostels. The washing machine only accepts quarters, which you can get at the office when they're open. But since we didn't get back until the office was closed, the owner had to drive back up after 10 pm to give us quarters, which wasn't fun for either of us. ||The hostel grounds are absolutely stunning!! The is a fire pit and we loved the s'mores kit! There's a creek running right through the hostel and it's surrounded by an amazing mountain view. Our cabin and the bathrooms were clean and comfortable. It's also right across the street from an amazing pizza restaurant with good beer and a cafe that's open early. ||I would recommend this place for people on a budget or just wanting to get away from all the tourists IF you have a car.

Nice, clean, comfortable, and affordable option for visiting Denali National Park. The kitchen is big with the necessary dishes and appliances. Ample room for parking if you have your own car. And, it's right next to several restaurants within walking distance. The sound of the creek in the evening was nice. Check-in was easy. The hostel was quiet and not one of those party vibes. And, I saw people of all ages from young teens with parents to retired adults exploring on their own. I wish I had more time to spend another night and meeting more interesting people. Highly recommend if you're looking for something affordable and clean.

HIGHLY recommend this hostel for a home base while exploring the park! The staff went out of their way to make it a special place, and the accommodations were great. I was in the bunk rooms and felt safe, warm, and comfortable. Best part is the people you will meet while chatting at the kitchen table. Will definitely return!

I never did get a very good feeling about Denali Hostel and Cabins. I had arrived early and waited out front for them to open and while I could hear them inside, they didn't open until well after 4PM. While I was waiting for them to open, I read the list of rules on the bulletin board and there were more don't than do's. It starts you off on a real negative note. The dormitory is located above the kitchen and common area and my first night staying at the hostel, there were a lot of people up late and very loud, so I didn't get a very good nights sleep. That and the Hostel is located right on the highway and the sound of trucks going by all night can disturb your sleep as well. I know that it's not the Hostel's fault, but one of the other guest became annoying to me in the same sense as when a drunk person becomes overly friendly when you're sober. He didn't seem to take a hint that he was bothering me and it was kind of creepy. I was never really able to get any rest and relaxation at the hostel so all things considered I decided not to stay another night and because of their no-refund policy I had to forfeit the cost of a nights stay. This seems unfair since they were never very busy while I was there. In fact one night I had the dormitory all to myself. I spoke with a young man in the office about my issues the day that I left and even asked if I could have credit towards a future stay and was informed that if I chose to leave I was out of luck and would forfeit my money. One plus is Panorama Pizza across the street serves phenomenal food and The Creekside Cafe had an amazing blueberry scone. That made up for some of the other downfalls.

We stayed in Canvas Castles (tents). Added to the adventure. Very nice people to work with. Cozy, clean sleeping bags on padded cots were quite adequate on a chilly night, but there were extra blankets available, if needed. Showers/toilets were close. Loved listening to the rain that started after we were tucked in and stopped before we got up. Only about 15-20 minute drive to Denali Visitors Center. Five minutes to Denali Air and Husky Homestead. Nice gathering area to prepare/store/eat your own food. We had breakfast at a restaurant across the road. I'd definitely stay here again.

This was one of my favorite hostel experiences to date. It was very cozy, clean, and stocked with good indoor games and books. I stayed for two evenings and found it to be the perfect base camp for Denali (National Park and State Park). Additionally, there are two great restaurants across the street with great beer - an unexpected amenity in that rural of a place!

We really enjoyed our stay with you a few weeks ago. The well-organised community room with its open and very well-equipped kitchen really made all the difference to our stay in our opinion. Apart from being clean and tidy, it was roomy enough and furnished in such a way that you could meet and chat with other guests or enjoy quiet time and read a book for example in a comfortable easy chair. The warm, cosy atmosphere and complimentary tea and coffee were a welcome plus! We would definitely come again. Thank you!!! 🤩

No complaints with this place at all! We reserved 5 beds in a 6 bed room and got the whole room. The beds are extremely sturdy and private, with outlets and a small light for each one. Showers were nearby and well maintained. Cute coffee shop and pizza pub right across the road.

Loved this place! I stayed in canvas castle, tent #5. It was perfectly described by host. The cot was very comfortable and the place was quiet. I experienced wonderful nights of sleep my two nights here. It was a very quiet place and easy to get around. The parking was very close and easily accessible. The showers were hot and clean and I never had to wait for a bathroom or shower. I would definitely stay here again. I felt safe and comfortable. It rained the entire time, and the tent remained dry.

Denali Hostel & cabins needs to be on your list of places to stay. It was very scenic and peaceful. The lodging was comfortable and the staff is incredible. Walking outside, hanging out by Carlo Creek and seeing mountains is just breathtaking.

What a wonderful time we had at Denali Hostel & Cabins. We stayed in a raised tent. It was super close to a few nice restaurants and is right next to a creek with mountain views!

This was the perfect place to stay for our trip to Denali. Only a 20 minute drive to the park entrance. We stayed in one of the canvas castles. They were spacious for a tent and had sleeping bags and warm blankets. The cafe/restaurant across the street was perfect for breakfast and dinner. The showers are clean and maintained. Highly recommend!

Stayed here three nights based off the price and good reviews it already had. It's a cozy location right next to a creek with mountain views. There are a couple restaurants/bars across the highway and you're a pretty short drive from both Denali National Park and the small town of Denali Park if you need supplies (otherwise there is Cantwell a ways to the south or Healy further north). As for the place itself I stayed in a dorm which was on the second floor of the main building called the octagon. This building is where you have the best wifi access and it also contains a good sized kitchen, a dining area and two half baths. They also have a building outside with showers. Everything was very clean and hot water was plentiful. The staff was warm and welcoming and booked a rafting trip for me (they have a great option when you're booking to add activities and such to your reservation). A couple other nice touches were the "take something, leave something" shelves for guests as well as a dry erase ride share calendar so travelers could get a lift somewhere. Definitely recommend if you're heading to Denali! You can also get a private cabin for a bit more if you're not into the hostel style dorm arrangement.

We had a blast staying here! Nice and net rooms, fully equipped kitchen, a cafe & a pizza bar cross street that opens until very late. You can choose either pay for a bed or for the whole cabin (or tent). The best part was hanging out the creek side fire pit, chatting with explorers from all over the world, sharing some hot dogs、 s'mores、 beers、popcorn and of course traveling experiences. The midnight sun comes quick when you are having fun

I was a little hesitant to find that my family had booked us some cabins in the woods for our Denali trip. How comfortable could this place possibly be? What's the bathroom situation? And most importantly, what about bears?? Denali Mountain Morning Hostel & Cabins, I found out quickly, was kind of amazing. It's situated right off of George Parks Highway and just a few beautiful mountain miles away from the entrance to Denali National Park. There are two restaurants directly across the road for meals you don't have to make yourself or coffee in the morning. A small creek runs through one side of the cabins next to a perfectly situated fire-pit (logs, fire, etc provided) and some chairs. This was extra IG-worthy at midnight with a very bright Alaskan summer sky. Inside the property there are about 10 or so cabins, most of them have beds and luggage space only (very sturdy and comfortable beds, btw), one adorable, two-level private cabin equipped with its own kitchen, a communal cabin with a larger kitchen, large dining table, a comfy sitting area with books and games for your leisure, and good WIFI! There is a separate bath house of sorts where I was pleasantly surprised at how clean and spacious they all were. I saw three or four individual bathrooms with a toilet, sink and shower in each. Plush bathroom mats and fun shower curtains really made me feel like I was just taking a shower at someone else's house. (I think there were a couple of stalls with toilets only, but I never even had to go in there. For such a small number of restrooms, I was surprised at how I never had to wait in line/wait too long for my turn in one) The only hiccup we had during our stay was the heater not working in one of our cabins on the first night. Luckily we had room in our other cabins to house the ones with no heat and the Hostel Manager Ali actually came to fix/replace the heater that same night. Very good customer service here even in the middle of a mountain. Truly a great first time hostel experience. No, the rooms aren't huge. Yes, you will get to know your cohabitants (and their sleeping habits) closely and personally by the end of your stay. But you should really be outside most of the time anyway! The views are breathtaking and the cabins are clean, cozy, and warm. I couldn't have asked for anything more. Oh, except for bears. Plot twist: I was actually sad there were none to be seen during our stay. Maybe next time.

Think of it as a hostel meets old-school summer camp. As far as bathrooms, there are 2 in the communal kitchen/ living "octagon" building and separate building with 3 bathrooms with showers and 2 bathrooms with just showers. Each bathroom has its own door with a lock so you will not be disturbed. Nice seating by the creek with tables, chairs, fire pit, and hillbilly golf. General communal/granola feel to the place. Overall clean and well maintained. Bathrooms and showers get a lots of use but still stayed pretty clean. I did grab a clean bathmat for every shower I took. Bedding and mismatched towels of decent quality are provided to everyone. I love places like this and hope they survive into the future, but they aren't for everyone.

Great place to stay when visiting Denali if not actually wilderness camping in the park, and not wanting the more expensive and yuppie experience prevalent in the area. Comfy memory foam-lined cots in canvas tents, and right across from a great restaurant with cool people working there. The hostel employees and drivers are cool. The shuttle service to and from the park was a lifesaver for someone who likes to keep a light carbon footprint and not rent cars.

Amazing place next to the creek, budget friendly , best service and super clean. We enjoyed our stay here. Would definitely recommend this place to go around Denali.

Cozy cabin (we stayed at the Razorback) and was very spacious with lots of places to store thing. Super cute. Kitchenette was very helpful but can also use the grill that is right outside! Showers and bathrooms were very clean. Would most definitely stay again, we loved it! Only 20-30 minutes from the Denali National Park entrance so easy access to food/grocery store (to bring stuff back to grill :). Spent the entire month in Alaska and went to all 8 national parks - this was our favorite place to stay!

Convenient location. Clean, nice staff, community kitchen and showers clean and comfortable. We will definitely stay again!!!

About 13 miles south of the Park entrance, the Denali Mountain Morning Hostel is a fun, kooky place to meet people from all over the world looking for alternative lodging. One of the best attributes of the hostel is that they offer many different types of lodging: private cabins, bunks (coed or single sex), and even wall tents! There are no attached baths; the showers and toilets are in a central location to the beds and it's never more than 50-100 steps to the facilities. There's a fantastic main area called the Octagon with a fully-applianced kitchen with 2 cooktops, pots, pans, spices, utensils, plates, cups, really everything you need to cook. All you have to do is supply the food, and they have 2 refrigerators to store your stuff. They ask you label your food with your checkout date to ensure nothing gets gross in there. They even have a gas grill to bbq. I loved my room; I was in cabin Iceworm 2, and it was situated right on Carlo Creek. The sound of the running stream was so relaxing, and we had a big porch to sit under in case it drizzled. Just steps away we had a fire every night. The room itself was very comfy. The linens were comfortable and we were given ample towels. There's a space heater for those cold nights and the Iceworm was wired for electricity.

We lucked out and grabbed a room here right before they closed (9/19) for the season. It's a great place composed of multiple cabins and one main building where the dorms are housed. We stayed in the super cute "private" room where Christmas lights decorated the frame of the bed (automatic win). Best of all - it was $80 a night. Clean bathrooms. Full kitchen. 10 minutes from the park.

I'd give this location high praise for meeting and beating expectations. We stayed at the "Two Rocks" cabin which was very comfortable, featuring a pair of two bunk beds and it was near the restrooms (beautiful each heated with a toilet, shower and sink) and the Octagon community center. The room was spacious enough to settle in and also had an electric heater with room lights. Very clean and very safe, fun yet rustic environment.

One of the most beautiful places Ive ever stayed. I booked a cabin for 99$ a night for 2 people. I stayed for 3nights. It was just so cute and so clean. I also ddn't expect much of the bathroom when I picked the place but it's actually so convenient and so clean. I highly recommend this place. No joke!!

Whenever I go on a wilderness backpacking trip, I usually stay at a hostel to save some money and meet some nice people in a community setting. This had everything I expected. Clean rooms and towels. Reliable hot showers. A nice community area (the octagon). But cheap it is not. This was the most expensive hostel I've stayed in.

Favorite place we stayed on our trip! The shared kitchen, bbqs, and bathrooms were very clean and never too busy, and nice to have cabin to ourselves. Provided towels / bedding and plenty of kitchen utensils / spices / plates / pans that our Airbnb's the rest of the trip did not have. Fun atmosphere with the other guests there too.

We had a great experience at Denali Mountain Morning Hostel. It was actually my first hostel experience - but a great one. We stayed in the High Water Cabin, which IS small, but can sleep up to three people (two on a bottom bed, one above). Luckily, it was just my husband and I, and we are relatively used to small spaces. The view from the cabin is truly lovely - as soon as you step out, there is a beautiful creek and mountain right in front of you - very picturesque. The kitchen area was spacious enough and the coffee was enjoyable... We never had any issues with other guests or noise... Bathrooms were always clean and provided privacy... I suppose my only complaint would be that the cost to wash clothes is a bit expensive. If we get a chance to return to Alaska - I would absolutely stay here again.

Situated only 15 minutes from the Wilderness Access Center at Denali National Park, this is a great place to stay right before you hit up the park. With a small convenience store and free leftover bear spray (yes you read that right!) to take, it's even better! My friend reserved the Razerback cabin for 5 of us (it technically only allows for 4), and it was quite a pleasant surprise. It's compact, but has its own kitchen and three beds - a full and two twins. Its kitchen is sparsely filled with the correct cooking tools, so we hit up the main communal kitchen for everything we needed. There, you'll find everything you need to make a decent meal, including even a rice cooker and a variety of spices. Check out the "free" shelf for things that others no longer want. Even if you rent out the cabin, you'll be using the communal showers and restrooms, which are quite perfectly fine for regularly use. Everything is clean and well-maintained.

This place was very clean and tidy. Cozy cabins with a nice common area. My wife and I stayed in Sanctuary #3 and met one staff member, Todd, who was awesome. We made a fire right next to the creek with wood provided by the hostel and watched for the aurora. I would recommend anyone looking to have a great stay while also getting a unique Alaskan experience to stay here.

I absolutely fell in love with this place. It's adorable, private cabin by Carlo Creek, quiet in spite of being on the Highway. The care owners put on this place is palpable, "Seventh Generation" cleaning products everywhere, nothing toxic. We rented one of the "Sanctuary" cabins for $100/night, it was so comfortable, bedding super comfy and warm, bathrooms were so clean and 3 towels are provided. We made friends in the "Octagon" main building while cooking, by the way the kitchen is fully equipped and there is coffee on the pot first thing in the morning, lovely! My only comment: Upon arrival, due to COVID, the office is closed and all the instructions are written on the bulletin board, took me a while to figure it out. I would suggest you make sure to have their phone number and email with you, as this is the only way to connect with the owners. I extended my stay an extra day and sent a text message and email to the owner, it was resolved within minutes. WIFI in the main building only (Octagon) and it was refreshing to just not be hooked on wifi all the time. I highly recommend this place to everybody.

What a wonderful place to stay near Denali National Park. It's cozy and clean. Full kitchen equipped and warm to stay. This hostel is beyond our expectation. We stayed two nights in the central area guest house, the lights is very sweets and we love to light up and relax. Recommend this place for everybody visit here

Easy place to be and want to stay longer. Very clean, cozy, happy, relaxing place. Great mix of people. Bathrooms with private shower and toilet. Cans of bear spray can be borrowed -- limited by availability of course. Right on a great creek. By the road -- as most everything in the area is, so ear plugs (hostel, so of course) help if keeping the fresh air flowing through the window at night. Comfy beds. I really don't have a single complaint. One of my favorite hostels on the planet

Let me start by saying I have never stayed in a hostel before so I can't compare 1 vs another. The actual hostel is in a beautiful location close to Denali. The accommodation in the private cabins is nice - I didn't stay in a bunk house or tent. They have 3 bathrooms with a toilet, sink and shower that are private but in the shower house building. They have 2 plain shower rooms that are private. Because these rooms are not in your personal cabin they are subject to getting dirty from the other travelers staying on the property. They close for cleaning for several hours a day 1X a day. There is a community fire pit - but my experience was that the people around the fire were not what I would deem friendly while we were there. The people inside the common areas seemed to keep to themselves unless you were staying inside the bunk houses. Those people seemed to be able to bond - but this has really nothing to do with the actual hostel. The hostel has a shuttle that will pick you up in the park at Denai with a van and a small uhaul trailer for your luggage. However if you need any assistance with moving bags/luggage this is not the place for you. If you expect nice quality things like non stained towels and clean smelling linens this is not the place for you. We stayed in a cabin comparable to a KOA Kabin. It was warm and decently comfortable. After that we stayed in the only cabin with a kitchenette for a few days. This cabin has a 4 burner propane stove and oven, a small microwave, a mini fridge that freezes your food, a coffee pot and a very very small selection of dishes, silverware, cooking utensils or pots and pans. You must supply everything used to cook such as oils, spices, paper towels, pot holders, kitchen towels, paper towels etc or if the common area has them you can borrow them. I opened the oven and located a previously used greasy pizza pan which I had to wash so we could bake chicken for dinner. Apparently the on site cleaning person/caretaker failed to notice it. They have internet access but it's limited and frequently needs to be reset unless you are lucky enough to have a router extender in your space. There are 2 router extenders. 1 in Sanctuary 1 and 1 in the common area. All in all it was an ok experience but if I travel to this location again, I will choose to stay in Healy AK which is approximately 20 minutes from the park and has a lot more affordable hotel style lodging to choose from.

This place is awesome, lots of character plus it's on of the only places I have found where you can have a campfire and drink if you want. Minus one star because it IS about 14 miles from the park and the shuttle doesn't run very often. The staff were all very cool and maybe even a little quirky but the abundance of foreigners and fun chats around the fire made this place very memorable for me. Also, if you've missed the last shuttle there are a few places close to hike, just ask the front desk and try to bring a partner because there are bears and the trails are less traveled.

I was grateful that there is a hostel near Denali but it is rather far from the park entrance. The location is good and bad; there is decent food and good beer directly across the street. $35 for a dorm bed is pretty pricey for a hostel but maybe not for Alaska as everything costs more there. One thing that you should be aware of before booking is that there are no locks or keys and any random person can (and did while I was there) just wander in and sleep on the couch - if I had known there weren't keys, I wouldn't have booked this hostel. I did speak to the manager about my concerns the next morning but it was mostly dismissed as "common in Alaska" (which, having since spoken to local friends who've stayed in hostels all over the state, isn't true). Generally you book a women's only dorm because you want to feel safe. I did not feel safe here. There are also weird mirrors on the walls in the dorm that are positioned such that you can see into the other bunks.

Friendly staff, awesome amenities, cabins are super cool, free wifi, fully equipped kitchen/common area, plus cheap hats, shirts and swag in the gift store! Will always come back here when visiting Denali. If you want to camp but don't want to be cold and dirty, stay here!!

We booked at the last minute for a three day weekend and got the splatter rock cabin for one night and a double bunk for the other. wish we had booked earlier so we could have had the cabin both nights. It was super comfy and cute. The double bunk wasn't bad, it was in a cabin too, in a loft above a couple single bunks. The common areas were clean, the hostel is right on a creek and they had a bonfire one night. The only downside was that there were only two showers so you often had to wait 15-20 minutes to snag one. Not a big deal though. They rent binoculars and bear spray too :) Overall we had a great time!

Best hostel! The octagon was warm, fun and cozy. Met a lot of fun people there! Great location in proximity to the NP. One of the best hostels we've been to.

First time at a hostel awesome experience "truly an Alaskan experience!" A must-see for anyone staying over night in the Denali park area. Very friendly staff, beautiful rooms, and very clean and we'll kept living areas. I look forward to staying here again.

While the nature of a hostel is louder than I like, that's to be expected. The place was clean, comfortable, and affordable, the staff was fabulous (Ali went way above and beyond the call of duty) and the location took my breath away. Seriously, I just wanted to start walking down that road and never stop. Highly recommended.

This was my first time in a hostel, so nothing to compare to, but we enjoyed our stay and the price was a heck of a lot better than any Denali-area hotel. We stayed five nights in one of the wall tents and would do so again. Just enough room for two cots and space between them - but you're not in Alaska to sit in your room, are you? The Octagon (central building, woman's bunkhouse) is fine as a hangout and there was a fire going most nights, too. The shuttle to and from the park was always on time and the drivers were nice enough. Apparently the schedule changes from year to year so check their website. We would have loved a ~7:30 shuttle to go with the ~5:30 and ~9:30. Days in the park seemed to naturally end around 5:30 and after the walk back to The Canyon, maybe dinner...we seemed to be ready to go by 7:30 - 8:00 but then had a long time to wait. Of course, it was nice and sunny.... The afore-mentioned Octagon has a well-stocked kitchen and it is common and easy to cook for yourself. Be sure to check out the scrapbooks on the bookshelf. All kinds of great photos and news clippings. They give a great perspective on Alaska that's happily in the middle of "formal history" and "pick up and read a random newspaper" And of course, we met people from all around the world - some friendlier and more interesting than others. For AR and i, traveling as a couple, it was fun (if tiring, at times) to have other people to talk to.

I would recommend this place to anyone. I stayed there 2 nights in July in the octagon. It was less than 15 miles south of the park entrance, so a perfect location - and definitely worth it for the price. Everything (bathrooms, bunks, kitchen) was really clean. There are a lot of different options dorms, cabins, platform tents which makes it a great option for singles, couples or even families. Definitely a place I will go back to if I'm get a chance to go back to Denali and will recommend to friends.

Decent place but I wouldn't stay here again without a car. Pro's - very clean and super hot showers. Definitely exceeded my expectations in this area, it was great! - small heaters were present inside the cabins. We stayed in 2 different cabins and it did take several hours to get the heat up the mid 60's in the iceworm. - it was nice to have washer and dryer available, price was steep though- $3 to wash and $3 to dry. - they use seventh generation dish wash and toilet paper and also have organic coffee. It would be nice to have something other than dial for hand soap in bathrooms too. Cons - no flexibility on shuttles, if you don't want to leave on a shuttle at 6:35 or 8:20, you are out of luck. This wouldn't be so bad except there are basically no other options to get to the park other than hitchhiking or a very expensive taxi. One of our group members took a bus trip which was delayed so she missed the 5:30 shuttle, she called to ask if they could come and pick her up since the WAC closed at 7, there reply was "absolutely not". She was given a number for taxi service (unclear if it was from WAC staff or the hostel) and told it would be about 100$, the number was disconnected so she didn't confirm this specific price but we heard several times that the taxi prices were "astronomical" in the park - they have free wifi but it was very spotty, none in our group were able to get it in our cabins and it often wasn't working in the Octagon either. We heard several other people commenting on lack of wifi as well. One of the staff members reset it several times but it didn't seem to make a difference. - hostel is very crowded during meal times, fridge gets full easily though we did have enough space for our stuff. There is another fridge outside but it had moldy food in it and was gross -no tea- the website specifically states they have coffee and tea and I didn't find any tea. I asked one of the staff members- Rachel- where the tea was. She said they don't have any, I let her know the website says they had it and she just said, "well we don't have any". Would have been helpful to know this since I could have planned to bring more from Anchorage so I didn't run out. - some of the group thought the hostel staff were rude at times. I didn't personally experience them as rude but I would say they definitely don't go out of their way to be helpful and didn't once ask how our experience there was.

This place makes for the perfect Alaskan experience, even if you don't like staying in hostels. Totally beautiful property, loved staying in my tent -- followed by a day in the park, you really feel like you're camping and experiencing the outdoors. Get a little mosquito spray and you're good to go! Very friendly and helpful staff. I could not have asked for a better experience. Bravo!

We stayed here for one night and it was, by far, the best stay of our 3 week trip. The views, people, accomodations, comfy and clean beds, amenities. Great location and a creekside fire pit, to boot! I'd highly recommend this place!!