Denali Totem Inn

This was a horrible experience from start to finish. We had 4 rooms, the dark rooms all smelled like stale cigarette smoke from years past. When I opened my window to get fresh air there was a broken down van right outside, I didn't know if someone was living in it or not, needless to say, the window stayed closed. From the outside, the place looked great and well maintained. But I didn't like the rooms at all and would not recommend nor stay there again.

I didn’t actually stay in the hotel but I did have dinner with friends at the pub. The bartender was really friendly and informative letting us know all about local beers to try. We had a great time and when we left I accidentally forgot my digital camera. I left the next day and wasn’t able to make contact with anyone in the pub because it was closed until the afternoon. I flew back to Canada and called the Totem Inn and they were so so helpful. I spoke with a woman named Lisa who sorted the whole things for me. She shipped my camera free of charge and was so kind through the whole stressful process. Thank you so much Lisa.

Exceeded all expectations! We stayed here in early December. The room was spacious, clean, warm, and comfortable. Amenities include an endless pool that works amazingly well. No hot tub, but there's a tiny yet very effective sauna in the fitness room. Dark skies all around so should be easy to see the aurora. Bobby(?) at reception was super friendly and gave us a wealth of information. Bar/restaurant also super good :)

This motel has had recent renovations and for it's price, the stay I found excellent. A buffet breakfast was included when I was here which I enjoyed, but from what I could tell, there were no vegan options and I don't recall non-dairy milk beverages.

Just a basic room with dated furnishings (set your expectations low). The bathroom was not cleaned well prior to our check-in (the sink was disgusting). The common areas are nice, but the room was disappointing. If you are looking for a low cost and simple place to stay near Denali Park, this is probably as good as it gets. The hot breakfast was basic, and a nice-to-have option.

Rooms and location were great. We stayed this past week when it was in the 80s. They had ac window units in each room but could not use them because they needed a special adapter plug to plug them into the outlet. They said that they already winterized them or something. We had stayed from 7/22/24 to 7/25/24. This was the only hotel that didn't have air conditioning during our whole trip!! They did have floor fans and a window that did open halfway and it was still super hot in the room!! This place is opened year round!! So do better when there is a heat wave during the summer season!!

I had a pleasant stay at The Totem Inn. The room was booked for me by the tour operator and it was a good choice. My room was big, the bathroom could have been cleaner but it was alright. The free breakfast was alright. I really like the pool and the fact that they have a laundry room. I would definitely stay there again.

Stayed here with a tour group and the rooms were very pleasant and HUGE. I could have done cartwheels with all the space in the room. The breakfast was good, but you have to go early as they were out of a lot of things towards the last 45 minutes. The chef was fantastic with the eggs and it was much appreciated to have a warm meal before trudging out into Denali in the middle of winter. Rooms are very warm so be sure to bring "summer" wear to sleep overnight.

Good food, good prices, fantastic service....if you want to escape the Denali overpriced food options, drive a few miles to Healy! Highly recommended

We stopped down the street to grab something to eat and was met over crowded, over priced food at the "trendy place." We had left a pair of glasses there the previous weekend and when we called they had found them with a promise To set aside--now no where to be found and the management was rude and dismissive. We opted not to stay. Thank goodness! Making this road trip many times being from Fairbanks, we had stopped on and off at the Inn. The food was good, the service great and the restaurant/bar was not overcrowded. Avoid the "cool" place, go to where Alaskans go, not the trendy tourist hot spot, you don't need to pay ridiculous prices for a burger and a beer.

AAA Rating: Atmosphere, Availability, Alcohol. Cafe is Noon-Nine PM, bar opens at 4PM, last call is 2:30AM. Billiards and cold drinks... you must place you order at the bar as a bar patron, BE NICE TO THE BARTENDERS! Local dive atmosphere.

My family ate here twice in three days. Both times we had a five star experience. My 13 year-old son said it was the best BLT sandwhich he ever had. My whole family shared the amazing bacon cheese fries (see our before and after photos). They were so good! Our server was very attentive, funny, and gave us great tips for exploring the area. Overall we loved Totem and highly recomend it!

I came here on three separate occasions to purchase some food for dinner. The first time I purchase dinner was great. A lot more expensive them with the food quality should be but still a good experience nonetheless. The second time I went, I order to go food paid for an entire meal and my drink was left out which was probably just a minor forgetful item. The third time I went I ordered to go food and I authorized a $19.50 charge on my card and I for the received an email that they overcharge me for $24.50. The third time I went to order food and also ask a manager a question about why I was overcharged came with my original receipt and was turned down by one of the servers two times. She was blonde and probably middle aged. I need to go on a different day when their manager is around to ask her to dig up the receipts even though I have my original copy. I don't mind if they admit that they made a mistake, but it was quite annoying when I was faced with attitude and accusations when I had a perfectly accurate, bank statement and eligible receipt. I would not eat here if you're looking for something affordable or proactive. A small basket of fries is a whopping eight dollars and an entire burger is close to $18 or $19. Seek food somewhere else!!!!

All this review can speak to is the food in their pub. We did not stay in the actual inn. We found ourselves at Denali Totem Inn on Halloween, after having driven from Anchorage to Healy. We were finishing the drive to Fairbanks in the morning. The snow was falling softly outside and there weren't a ton of food options available in Healy. The bartender was extremely kind and engaging. We decided to share some mozzarella sticks, onion rings, and a calzone. Talk about honeymoon food! We washed it down with some beers from King Street that were on draft. You could tell the mozzarella sticks and onion rings were thrown in the fryer from the freezer from the local grocery store. But the calzone had good flavor to it. There were several locals in the pub and we enjoyed chatting with them. We definitely stood out like sore thumbs. We ended up playing a few rounds of pool and watching some football. With it being Halloween, one group of locals showed up in costumes. I even got a gold medal from a Halloween "Shaun White".

Only place open when we drove through First impression NO. But Diane was a very efficient knowledgeable kind server ~ all 12 people in our group were happy w/their choice of entree. Overall a GREAT stop.

Ate in the pub section, the cafe part doesn't serve alcohol. Really good burger and fries, pool tables, games on numerous flat screens, great drink prices. Bartender was extremely busy, but still got great service with no waiting.

Wonderful staff and location. It's so great to be a few miles down the road from the park and avoid the crowds. The front desk staff are really helpful and nice, especially Tooile (spelling?). He just started working here recently and he has such great energy. The bartender at the pub, Mark is awesome and remembers everyone's drinks. Would recommend

Oh the Totem, our home away from home. Our group stayed at the hotel for almost 2 weeks. Nice spacious rooms, super clean and comfortable beds. Housekeeping was fantastic, always asking if we needed anything. Bobbi at the front desk is such a ray of sunshine- always smiling when you walk in the door. She truly cares about the guests and went out of her way to accommodate for us. The bar there is a fun hang out spot, good drinks and love the pool tables. Can't wait to come back!

It's fine. Best part of Totem Inn is that they are open in the winter, when almost no one else in the area is. In fact, this is the only place to get beer in the winter, and the only place to get food later at *night* in the winter. I had a burger here, it was ok. Beer selection is ok. Great place for local flavor though, you're sure to meet friendly Healians. (is that what they're called? I made that up.)

I wish I'd taken pictures to show how terrible the food was. It was visibly bad. And it was kinda pricey! I had the salmon burger. I had been looking forward to having salmon while my wife and I took a road trip through Alaska (this was last summer--we still joke occasionally about this place). But the salmon was dry and waaaayyy overcooked. I mean straight up neglected while on the grill. And then, as if it was intentional, the "lettuce" was a big, hard chunk from the core of a head of iceberg lettuce. It was not edible. I'm saying, it was thick as my wrist and comically situated on top of the salmon in such a way that it broke through the bun. I was worried I'd pissed somebody off in the kitchen. Meanwhile, my wife had the seafood fettuccini. It was worse! I think it was a lot worse, actually. The word she uses is slimy. It was absolutely gross pasta. We are pasta and seafood lovers, both of us, and this thing was gloopy, like it had gone from frozen to microwave. When you're stuck in the middle of Alaska, and exhausted and starving from a long day at Denali, you don't want to overpay for carelessly made food. But hey--the lodgings were fine. Nothing to remark on. Stay there, but avoid the restaurant, and if you can't, I hope you get more thoughtful cooks than we did.

We stayed here for two nights after we left Fairbanks. We were so glad that they had available rooms when most places were closed or full at the end of the summer season. The woman who worked the front desk was incredibly helpful and welcoming. She also gave great recommendations about where to eat and what was open. The room was clean and comfortable. Would recommend to anyone needing a place to stop between Denali and Fairbanks. Plus it is open year round.

As a couple people have said, if you're looking for a place that's open in the evening during the winter or the break up season the totem inn appears to be one of the only places that's open. Although there are several restaurants listed on online searches and even though our hotel hostess told us that some restaurant were open in the evening, this was the only place available. It is adjoining a café which actually makes the food so this review is for the bar alone. Let's just say that if you're a tourist you probably will stick out like a sore thumb. They do have a couple of TVs to watch sports, some pool tables, and not really any room if you were looking to dance. You might as well order by the pitcher because it appears they don't really like to serve by the glass or cup. The beers were OK and the ambience was also OK. The ambience was OK because we were practically stared at the entire time we were there. Even my friends who frequent bars a lot even said they felt a little uncomfortable. I did not see the mechanical bear that people have mentioned so I don't know if that's only during certain times of the year. So if you're looking to play some pool and maybe get a few beers and sit among the locals then this place might be worth a stop. I would say though there is a liquor store close by so you can always purchase your alcohol and go back to your room or camper van & really have a party.

This is for the Cafe only. Hubby and I went there for dinner. It's a typical average diner. The waitress was very nice and positive. We had burgers and fries. Decent and filling. I also had a chocolate shake that was more malt than shake, but no biggie.

Pleasantly surprised!!! The Mediterranean food was perfected and made fresh on site (homemade pitas!)

I came home for a wedding and stopped here with my best friend. We sat down and there were four of us, the male waiter brought three drinks. He was extremely slow, apathetic and honestly acted like he hated his job. He didn't ask us what we wanted to drink, so while waiting for food we had to ask him for drinks, and he acted as if we were bothering him. When our food came, it was mediocre at best. The two corn dogs we ordered, were burnt and both in one basket when it was obvious they were for two different people. My fries were burnt and my best friends meal was not anything close to what she ordered. I would say that if you have the opportunity to come here, dont. It's a total disappointment. I was extremely disappointed because I use to love this place when I was growing up. I feel like some customer service training is needed or just a new staff.

Order the Gyro. Pizza's are also very good. Burgers are like the burgers everywhere else. Good but nothing special. My top favorites from the menu are clear #1 Gyro and #2 Pizzas.

Great breakfast at the cafe. Cheapest price on the block. Fast and friendly service. Great for lunch and dinner too. Free wi fi!!

Not great, but not terrible. The food was pretty mediocre, except the pizza (which was average). The service was slow and apathetic. There is a bar next door, where a double of Wild Turkey is $21. The salad bar is meager. It's fine, but if you want a much better meal go to Rose's Cafe up the road (which is also open in the off-season).

Mark is a friendly and great bartender. He puts up with a tough crowd and has the patience for most drunken fools. Thanks Mark for serving an amazing Moscow Mule!!! You Rock!

Honestly great food and awesome staff they are very friendly and love to share experiences and ticket times are great and they are extremely well ran.

This is a great place to grab a bite to eat! Friendly servers, and good food. Ricky esp is the best! He gets to know you, and already knows what you want to eat if you're a regular. Highly recommend this place!

Big rooms. Cafe on site has great food and the waitress named Katie is literally the happiest human I've ever met. She helped us with recommendations on what to do around the area.

As of this year the Totem has a mechanical bear! I was surprised at what I saw the first time back inside the bar this year. This tiny dark hole in the wall has expanded, adding a giant new addition to the front and in that addition the only mechanical bear I've ever seen(I only made it 30 seconds). The Totem has always had great bartenders and is a great place to drink the day and night away. Usually they will kick you out about 4 am. Decently priced beer and always a "mystery keg" for cheap. If you get too drunk to drive, you can always snag a hotel room out back or a meal at the cafe.

Good food, great staff, and The Grizz: a mechanical grizzly bear in the bar! Stopped at this rustic log cabin bar/restaurant for a late breakfast on the way to Denali. Reindeer sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, and toast = YUM! Even better than all of that, though, was the order of biscuits & gravy that we shared: now THAT's some freakin' awesome gravy!! Prices weren't too bad and the service was great (of course the place was nearly empty when we were there so our server didn't have much else to do I suppose). The view from the dining room windows is amazing, too. Walked around checking out all of the wildlife and scenery photos on the walls and explored the bar in back-- was delighted to find an enormous mechanical grizzly bear hiding back there! I'd love to come back and check the place out when that bad boy is up and running...

Great place, they were able to accommodate a group of 16 within 60-90mins notice at 9pm at night, with 4 ppl to a room. Very pleasant to work with, the rooms were great, tv, microwave, fridge, little desk, tub/ shower, etc. My favorite part was the continental breakfast that was provided, this was an above and beyond breakfast. I personally am used to the cereal, muffins, and toast that is usually provided with a continental breakfast. They had hash browns, waffles, sausages, coffee, milk, cereal, muffins, toast etc. Very delicious as well! Great place to stay! They even accommodated with an hr past check out, due to our shuttle not being able to pick us up until 130pm.

Disclosure: I'm a vegan, and two of the three people I went with are vegetarians, so our options were VERY limited. The person in my group who ordered salmon said it was phenomenal. The sides that accompanied it were not so phenomenal, as his disgusted expression conveyed. I did not appreciate the customer service either. The waitress was snappy and impatient, and VERY inflexible when it came to modifying dishes to suit vegetarian/vegan needs. The salad I ended up ordering was WAY overpriced at $5+, with just a few dry pieces of lettuce and a couple of pieces of tomato. I had to eat it dry since there was a very limited array of dressings to choose from, all of which were dairy-based. A smell of gas permeated the air, which further suppressed my appetite. All in all, not too satisfied with this place. Salmon is good, though.

This is for the restaraunt - I did not stay here. I was recommended to have a bite to eat here after our drive through Denali. We found this place in Healy, which is right outside the park, and is nestled right inbetween two gas stations. Hard to miss. This place had really, terribly generic food. "Bar food", mostly. Burgers, various fried foods, some salads. I got their Western burger, which was basically a cheeseburger with barbeque sauce and an onion ring. It might have had ham on there too? I can't recall. That being said, it wasn't anything to write home about. My wife also got something completely unremarkable too. We both felt rather unimpressed with the cuisine. As we sat and waited for our bill, or for the waitress to at least check in on us (didn't happen once after she dropped off our plates), she took a seat with one of the locals sitting in a booth behind us and chatted him up for 20 minutes or so. Not paying any attention to the other customers in the building. I couldn't really believe it. It wasn't until we got fed up and got up from our seats did she take notice of us and THEN told us that we had to pay up front. I hate that, don't you? Waiting for a check that will never come? We paid our bill, and begrudgingly gave her an average tip. I will never return here.

Not bad food. We ate patty melts. Great homemade fries. First time stopping at Totem cafe. Nothing else was open at 5 pm for dinner in February.

A hidden gem in Healy, Alaska. The pizza was excellent! Great service. Reasonable prices.

Great place to eat. I love the milkshakes and the pizza. I work in the area and going there after is so welcoming. Ricky is a great and funny server that always make's me and my friends smile as we eat. I would recommend there Hawaiian pizza. All and all a great place for laughs and fun.

I love going to Totem after work or on my day off for pizza and milkshakes. Ricky is the best server there. He's always prompt and delivers fast and kind service. They also have free WiFi. What more can you ask for?

Decent room and good service. It is a 20 min drive from the Denali National Park. We saw boards saying 'cabins available for $69 per night'. So not sure if it was worth for the price. Also no breakfast was a negative. We booked it for $155 per night for a room with 4 adults for June 30.

First time stopping in to have a bite to eat. My husband and I thought this place was a nice, quite place to eat. Totem Inn's food was almost home cooked like. We had a couple of burgers with fries, which were "hand padded" patties and homemade fries. If your looking for just a selective menu to order from, this is the place. Over all we thought it was fantastic place to stop and get a quick bit to eat. As an Alaskan, who lives in the state, you can't find many places where you can get a fresh made patty and fries with out them coming frozen to be cooked.

Great hotel near Denali. Very fast wifi internet! There's also a great pub right next to it.

I have had different problems over the years. One issue with a particular bartender is that they potentially overcharge. Unsure of how they calculate their tabs, given they are written down on a legal yellow pad, but I feel it's incorrect. I feel as if I'm being overcharged, which is not ok. And being yelled at and my fresh beer being poured out, that I may have paid for, for just talking out my tab with my bar mates that I came with its not acceptable. I have no problem with my tab and whatever the amount may be. However if other patrons are paying for my tab and they verbally order it, why is my tab overcharged. I don't drink as much as my tab was this particular night and I have no problem with paying, I don't appreciate being patronized for a continuous customer of his venue, whether it be food or drinks. I was yelled at and embarrassed for attempting to understand why my tab was so much and I don't appreciate that. I was also not given a customer copy and I took a picture of my receipt. Normally I am given one and my bar mate was given theirs also.

This place was just fine but nothing special. Rooms seemed clean but the carpet and decor is old. It's cheap and the restaurant on premises has decent food. No A/C but who expects a heat wave in Alaska? The best thing about this place is the bar. Drinks are cheap! There's even a mechanical bucking bear. I think they only run it on weekends but come on...that's awesome!

Resteraunt was a one-and-done. There's gotta be better in driving distance. The hotel itself is deemed acceptable for survival style hotel, but as far as hotels go, kind of a dump. Fortunately I can now tell, as I write this, the wafer-thin "gourmet burger" won't be staying with me long. Tasted like a $3 diner burger, cost more than a red robin burger, $13!

Okay, normally I would not snitch myself out like this, but this was so much fun....I was on my way to Denali, me, Chopper the trailer and the Burb..I have to admit, Chopper and I were getting to look a little "Crusty", but what the hell, the fish were not complaining...anyrate...we were approaching the Totem Inn, and I saw that they had a cafe, and I was really feeling like having a nice meal and a salad...problem was I looked like hell, and there were alot, and I mean ALOT of tourists...so picture this when I stopped. I climbed out, knife in a sheaf on my shoulder, one on my waist, and a .357 magnum on my side. I looked like crap, unshaven, dirty suburban, trailer in need of a bath, and Chopper, (who stands 6'1) on his hind legs...I walked towards the cafe...and everybody just kind of stepped aside...the staff was fantastic, the salad was fresh, the Turkey-Club spectacular tourists....smelled worse than me....:) Try the place its really good.

For the price and proximity to Denali, you can't go wrong staying here. Having a restaurant is probably a bonus for some, but we never ate there, to be honest. They also mailed my jacket that I left behind back to my house in California. It was there the day I got home.