Frisky

Who's stayed where? We are looking for clean, but affordable. We would rather be close to the park entrance. Many of the brochures I read say 6-10 miles, but if we look for animals at dusk, isn't that a very dark ride back? Any help would be appreciated.

Bill_H

Just outside the park entrance there's a trashy little township with many lodges and hotels. Many of these are big lodges owned and operated by the cruise lines, which offer ground packages to their cruise customers. Princess, Holland America and a couple others do this ... these are typically expensive but if you can hit a date when there are no cruise ship groups going thru *sometimes* you can score a deal. For example we've stayed several times at the Princess for $99 and I think $99 at the beautiful Grand Denali (or was it Denali Grande ... the Holland America affiliate high on the hillside, with great views). But a lot of times the rack rate is almost double this.

There are a few smaller hotels with better prices but some of these we've used were very small, scarcely enough room for all our gear, and there are few bargains near the entrance, in part because their season is so brief.

There are lodges south of here which are fine but I think your best bet for "clean but affordable" might be in Healy a bit to the north. I got an emergency room there once for about 50% less than the rooms near the entrance were going for, but as you note it's a bit of a drive from the entrance. I think it was a pre-fab building but OK.

As for dusk driving, if you are there in the middle of the summer it's dusk for several hours ... but if going in say early September then it's different and nice to be closer to the entrance.

Bill

historytraveler

Most of the affordable accomodations will be 6-10 miles from the park entrance. Dusk and dawn are purported to be the best times for animal veiwing, but thta's really a generalization.

Don't know when you're planning to go, but in summer the sun doesn't set until 11:00/11:30, plenty of time to view at dusk or just before and still get 10 miles down the road before it gets very dark. Arguably it doesn't actually get very dark in Alaska in the summertime.

BDOHIO

We stayed at the Denali Lakeview Inn, a really nice place at reasonable price. It is a short drive from park in Healy. Their web site is denalilakeview.com A Bed and Breakfast but very private.

Kristinesonja

Frisky,

I see this is an older post but your still getting AK info. So, I'll answer anyway.

Yes, we used the Denali Lakeview Inn also and would recommend it.

Only a short ride out of town, on a quiet Late Otto, beautiful veiw, great room (try for the 1st floor), very nice.

Kristine