Maclaren River Lodge

The cabins were great as was the food at the restaurant. The staff was friendly and we were even able to watch the first NFL game of the year while enjoying their pool table. We’d be happy to stay here again on our next Denali Highway trip.

Drove the entire Denali Hwy on my own & had a flat. Was super grateful to roll up to this lovely spot for soup & wine while the gentleman owner looked into fixing up my flat tire for me. Hospitable, kind folks, who helped me safely finish my journey. I’d recommend stopping here for whatever reason!

We were traveling from Denali to Chitinia to catch a small plane to McCarthy via the Denali Highway and needed a place to stay in between to position us for a flight the next day. We enjoyed the Denali Highway until we found the road closed to replace a culvert. We had to just sit and wait for a few hours. By the time we got to Maclaren River Lodge we were tired and hungry. The staff was friendly and informed us the kitchen would close in half an hour. We ordered and got settled in our cabin. It was cute but rustic. Our cabin did not have water and there was a shared bathhouse for our use. I knew this when I booked, but was all that was available and was fine. They do have other cabins with plumbing. The cabins face a small lake and the river is just on the other side of the parking lot with mountain views all around. Dinner was good and breakfast the next morning was really good. We enjoyed our stay.

Not so much impressed.|The hotelroom we had, was not as clean we had hoped it was. There were a lot of flies in it, death and alive. And they kept coming back.|For hikers the area isn’t that great: only a few hikes that are properly described.|Diner and breakfast options are okay

Very remote. If you're looking for an out of the way place, this is it. The rooms are clean and the beds are comfortable. Food in the lodge is pretty good, and it's the only place to eat within 50 miles. The service was great.

This lodge is situated in a great location. The rooms are nicely constructed and comfortable. But some of the finish work is incomplete. For example, our patio door had no door-knob was covered with masking tape. The views of the river and small cove were very nice and peaceful. Unfortunately, the food was horrible. The supper that we had at McLaren was the worst food that we had during 17 days in Alaska, and that included tailgate sandwiches, and galley food on day cruises. Suggest ordering from the lunch menu for dinner, it has to be better than the dinner fare. Please note that the service rating is a combination of the lodge and the restaurant.

My wife and I snowmachined the Denali Highway from Paxson and spent the night of March 7th at the lodge. ||||Our stay was nothing short of excellent. The lodge is very well run. The food was all terrific, particularly the homemade bread. The cabin rooms are really nice and comfortable. And, the owners and staff are very friendly and accommodating. As the only operating lodge along the western portion of the highway, it is welcoming, warm, and delightful. ||||If you make the trip, just be aware that Maclaren River Lodge is the first place along the highway (from the Paxson side) that has any services. The Tangle River Inn and the Tangle Lakes Lodge are both currently closed. On our trip in, we passed 1 group with 5 snowmachines, and on our trip out, we didn't pass anyone else. Solitude and privacy are great until your machine breaks down, so be prepared; however, also be prepared for a wonderful and unforgettable trip into the Alaska backcountry. ||||For a longer description of the trip, see my blog post at alaskanoutdoors.site

The most relaxing place I've visited in my life! The cabins are no frills (no TV, no WiFi, no distractions) and bring you back down from the glued-to-the-phone, political nonsense, consumed by work world to a peaceful place nestled on the river in the middle of the most beautiful parts of Alaska's interior. The restaurant and bar on site has great service, good beer selection, and good food. It was also the social hub as fisherman and hunters ventured in and out for the day. I wish we could have stayed our entire vacation there.

I can only speak to this as a spot we stopped along the Denali Highway. The cabins where people stay do look very nice. I saw one family check in and the staff was on the ball. They serve food at certain hours. Make sure to check on that. I think they were serving dinner from 5-845 when we were there. It looks like have an "all day" style menu with appetizer style meals. It is a very laid back atmosphere with a bar, couch area, and tables. There's a super friendly Great Pyrenees roaming about. It looks like they are well stocked on DVDs for long winter nights. Bucket list item: ride snow machine out the Denali Highway in wintertime and hang out at this place. Definitely a neat place to stay along a drive down the Denali Highway if you're not into the dozens and dozens of free camping along the road.

We have stayed at this lodge in both winter and summer. In the winter you must ride to the location using a snowmachine (or similiar) which just adds to the magic of the place, in my opinion. In the summer we brought our camper and stayed at the DOT&PF pit across the river/bridge. Every time we have stayed, they treat us like family, going above and beyond on their hospitality. Oh, and they use homemade bread for the french toast! We spent July 4th weekend at this location, enjoyed the music, 4 wheeling in the area, boat rides, the B&B atmosphere in the lodge main area, the friendly staff/owner, and so much more. I highly recommend! The road to this location is more or less paved, it doesn't turn to dirt until you are many miles past MaClaren.