Kantishna Roadhouse

I have made a living out of travel for 39 years. I spend my off time well off the beaten path. Kantishna Roadhouse Backcountry Lodge far exceeded my expectations. From the moment I arrived, I felt like family. A warm and welcoming coordinator and crew, and an impeccable lodge was ready for anything I might want to do or see. Guided hikes, self guided mountain tours for wildlife photos, bike rides to the lake or beyond and of course, a campfire. The guides are very knowledgeable and love to share. It is difficult to explain just how truly awe inspiring the beauty of the park is, and how much I felt at home in the hills and the lodge. Flyfishing moose creek and panning for gold was just a bonus to the week. And a quick word about the food. In all my travels this is the first time Ive ever photographed my meals. Visual works of art, and a taste from the Gods. Every meal was an experience. They even catered to my special dietary needs. I could chat forever about this beautiful place and its family of people, but I think I’ll finish with this. I cannot wait to return and experience everything again and again. A special lodge, in a special place, with special people, who are especially sincere. Kantishna Roadhouse! What are you waiting for …

Fantastic location, excellent lodge, wonderful staff. Beavers, dal sheep, moose, swans, ald eagles and lots of smaller birds. ||Enjoyed biking, hiking and kayaking. Naturalists excellent, cooks superb and other staff interesting and friendly

Loved staying at Kantishna Roadhouse! The peaceful location, easy access to Wonder Lake and superior staff were amazing. The unexpected best part? The food. The chef was phenomenal — the most memorable dish was a larger-than-life Baked Alaska for dessert one evening. Thank you, Katnishna Roadhouse!

What a marvelous place. Beautiful setting, extremely comfortable rooms, welcoming lodge, and the best staff anywhere. Everyone from the front desk, to the naturalist guides, to the behind-the-scenes team was a gracious host at this perfect venue. ||The naturalist guides offered a variety of hikes and activities for all fitness levels, with expert guidance on identifying all the flora and fauna in the area. Each of them went above-and-beyond to make sure each and every guest had an ideal vacation.||And the CHEF! A private chef made three meals a day: nutritious (fresh-picked wild blueberries featured often), beautifully plated (with herbs and flowers from the greenhouse), homemade ice cream, and good portion sizes.

What a wonderful experience; everything was great! Charlie, the driver's in depth knowledge of Alaskan history, wildlife and terrain, foliage, etc. Our trail guide, the food, our cabin were all great. A shout out to Mary. And then you step outside to all the grandeur of Denali - amazing! !

A beautiful location deep inside Denali National Park. Indigenous owned and operated with Alaskan native staff that share their culture and traditions with guests. The road is closed shifting operations to a fly in/out operation with less guests on the property. Chef Melissa made the most amazing meals. The baked Alaska was a delight and it looked just like Mt Denali! The experience is very intimate and personalized. Highly recommend.

Visited late season (early Sept) 2023. |The road closure is both a blessing and a curse. |My husband and I were 2 of 4 guests at the time. It made for a very intimate experience, but also limited in options and social opportunities. ||We’re super flexible travelers so all of this was a-ok and taken in stride. Folks with different expectations might not be so amenable to all that. ||We had great hiking, but be advised that trail ratings are more ambitious than what is seen at other parks. What the interior of Denali calls a “moderate” hike, I would classify as “strenuous” anywhere else. And we aren’t entry-level hikers. ||Reading past reviews, I think Kantishna has really upped their food game. Our chef Melissa, was a big and enjoyable personality with a resume a mile long (hello Beat Bobby Flay season 11 episode 2) and I was delighted that lodge management allowed us (4) guests to pivot and spend an afternoon in the kitchen with her. She was delightful and I learned so much. I hope Kantishna continues to bring chefs like her in the future. ||The road closure presents some challenges - but enhances the remoteness of the experience. ||I really wish Kantishna would give us …say 15 minutes of internet a day…after breakfast and before hikes. (which they have, just won’t let you have any) so I could update my WSJ and local paper downloads. Total “off the grid” is anxiety provoking when you know the Wi-Fi is Right. There, and you have small kids/aging parents. ||Overall a great stay, expensive, but a wonderful rare experience to have the “end of the road” in Denali all to yourself.

Being in this remote, stunning location is a once in a lifetime experience. The bus ride to the lodge is an experience itself as the bus driver/guide is amazing! (Ours was Kirsty and she could identify caribou as she drove scary, cliff side roads!) We enjoyed our two days of hikes. But it was disappointing that all hikes were set for 9am, so guests could only do one hike per day. Our food was very good, but our packed lunch on the trail was kind of skimpy. Be sure to notify the chef if you have dietary restrictions. Seeing the peak of Denali is a true joy!

I have made a living out of travel for 39 years. I spend my off time well off the beaten path. Kantishna Road House Backcountry Lodge far exceeded my expectations. From the moment I arrived, I felt like family. A warm and welcoming coordinator and crew, and an impeccable lodge was ready for anything I might want to do or see. Guided hikes, self guided mountain tours for wildlife photos, bike rides to the lake or beyond and of course, a campfire. The guides are very knowledgeable and love to share. It is difficult to explain just how truly awe inspiring the beauty of the park is, and how much I felt at home in the hills and the lodge. Flyfishing moose creek and panning for gold was just a bonus to the week. And a quick word about the food. In all my travels this is the first time Ive ever photographed my meals. Visual works of art, and a taste from the Gods. Every meal was an experience. They even catered to my special dietary needs. I could chat forever about this beautiful place and its family of people, but I think I'll finish with this. I cannot wait to return and experience everything again and again. A special lodge, in a special place, with special people, who are especially sincere. Kantishna Roadhouse! What are you waiting for ...

We stayed here 15 years ago and enjoyed it very much so we dcided to splurge again and spend another 3 days. Many people complain about the 6 hour bus ride to cover the 92 miles to the lodge but for us it is one of the highlights of the trip because that is the best place to see the wild game of the park. Certainly there are no guarantees but we saw bears, carabou, dall sheep, a golden eagle, an arctic ground squirrel and magnificant scenery. The bus drivers are knowledgable, experienced and excellent game spotters because they know where to look. Some people choose to fly in or out which provides unimaginable views of Denali if the weather is good. We chose to return by the Kantishna bus because the first vehicle on the park road in the morning has the best chance to see wildlife. Compared to our previous trip, we had the place to ourselves. Only about 25% of the dining room was utilized and many cabins were empty. Covid rules required that brakfast be served instead of a buffet but the meals were memorable. The meals were some of our best in Alaska and the chef was really creative in his preparation. Service was attentive and friendly. It was obvious that the lodge was short staffed but everyone did a good job of meeting our every need. The guided hikes were informative and varying levels of difficulty were offered. The staff shared duties guiding, serving in the dining room, driving vans, etc. but each had speciaties as naturalists and they were expert sources of knowledge about birds, flowers, plants and geology. We were exceptionally lucky in that Denali was "out" every night and morning and we were shuttled to Wonder Lake to get the best views. This involves a 1/2 mile walk from the required parking area. Prices in the bar were comparable to what you would pay in Anchorage or Fairbanks. Be aware that in June, hoards of mosquitos will try to carry you away. Be prepared with long sleeved shirts and lots of repellent. Without question, this place is expensive at $1150 a day per couple but it is an incomperable experience. The cabins are large and comfortable but at the same time rustic. Any place else in Alaska, this cabin would rent for about $150 a night without the food, guide service and transportation but in this special spot there are no inexpensive options. Some people choose to spend outrageous amounts on elaborate weddings or first class airfare. This is the same kind of once in a lifetime experience, so go big if you are willing to forget the cost.

An off the beaten path gem! If you want to get away from the crowds to a nice, quiet, relaxing, remote location, this is the place to do it. Away from cell service and Wifi, the cabins at Kantishna are nestled near the end of the road, as far as you can travel into Denali National Park. They offer a variety of daily activities, including guided hikes to various locations and trips to Wonder Lake, where you can see the mountain range and Denali reflecting in the water. The staff are all friendly, fun and well informed. Our bus ride into the lodge from the Denali Visitor Center with tour guide Kirsty was phenomenal. She knew everything there is to know about the area, the history, the flora and the fauna and narrated the full trip. She slowed or stopped the bus where she could and let us off at a few stops along the way. Even when we could not get off, the bus windows slid down and she positioned the bus, so we could get unobstructed photos of the wildlife. Probably the best thing about Kantishna though was the food. Chef Jimbo forages the local land and creates the most mouthwatering, amazing meals. It has been 5 months since our trip and we still talk about Jimbo's food. If you have special dietary needs, he will take the time to talk with you, understand what you can and cannot eat and will create custom meals to match your needs. No matter what he makes, the taste is guaranteed to be amazing! Some things to be aware of when traveling to Kantishna: There is not much wildlife at this end of the park so, if you think the more remote location will mean more wildlife, you will be disappointed. The wildlife on the drive in and out is incredible (we saw all of the Big 5), but once at the Kantishna Roadhouse the only mammal we saw was a rabbit. Also, bring bug spray. The place was crawling with mosquitoes. We couldn't sit and relax outside because the mosquitoes were vicious. However, there is a great upstairs to the lodge where we could relax, with a reading room and several games. Don't let these things deter you: For an off-the beaten path, relaxing, remote get-away, Kantishna can't be beat.

We really enjoyed our stay there. Very good service, simple but comfortable accommodations. Beautiful views, very helpful and knowledgeable staff.

This was a small basic cabin. Cleanliness was acceptable. Only reason for 4 stars instead of three was that the food was outstanding. In nyc, the food would be 4 star. The chef was amazing. Bring lots and lots of Mosquito spray. Lots!!!! Scenery was very nice. The close by scenic flight was great!

We came here for lunch as part of the Denali National Park tour of the Alaska Tours and Travel. I told the travel agent beforehand that we have dietary restrictions. He said he'll make a note of it. My husband and I are vegan and I have gluten intolerance so we were prepared not to eat anything. It's Alaska! Reindeer, salmon and crab. The driver/guide called ahead for dietary restrictions. Didn't really think much of that. But to our surprise, they accommodated us. Everyone had some kind of a wrap with meat (I think it was turkey or chicken) and minestrone. My husband and I had tofu and vegetable filling and for me, they used rice paper wrap! They even put a little flag to indicate the restriction. I didn't want to eat the minestrone at first until the server informed me that it is also GF!! I was floored! And I was hungry so I really, really appreciated that. Customer service was the best too. The associates were very friendly and knowledgeable. We got to see the sled dogs run, we went gold panning and found a little heart-shaped gold which I got to keep. Overall an awesome experience at the Roadhouse.

If you love the great outdoors and want to be surrounded by nature, then this is the place for you. The Kantishna Roadhouse is 92 miles from civilisation in the heart of Denali National Park, which does involve a 6hr bus drive if you don't fly in... We saw all the main animals: bear, moose, caribou, dall sheep and even an arctic ground squirrel that posed for the camera! There's a lot to do there including: hikes, seminar talks from students working there about glaciers or wildlife, gold-panning, tours of the local cabins from the gold-rush era and a GREAT bar! You can also do a fly-past Mount McKinley from the local airstrip for a small fee - good for during nice weather... You do however need to take mosquito repellent as there are many mosquitos... HEED THE WARNINGS! Good place and I also found some gold...!'