Alaska Days 4-7: Camp Denali – An Exclusive Wilderness Experience
I built my entire Alaska itinerary around a visit to Camp Denali. The 70-year old wilderness camp has a storied history and specializes in immersive learning experiences for people who love adventure and nature. I opted for a 4 day / 3 night experience there.
HISTORY + LOCATION
Camp Denali is located in the western side of the park in the historic mining district of Katishna, about 92 miles from the main entrance. It was founded by a group of friends in the early 1950s. Two of them were female pilots in the Air Force that met during WWII. Not something you hear everyday! You can read more about Camp Denali’s backstory here, but it was designed for people who want to immerse themselves in nature. Things there have evolved over the years as they have added more amenities, but ultimately the ethos of Camp Denali’s founders lives on.
There is only one road in/out of Denali National Park and in 2021 a landslide caused it to collapse around the mid-point. Almost 300 ft of road was demolished, so vehicles and tour buses are only able to access the eastern half of the park until it is repaired.
Since the repairs aren’t expected to be complete until 2026, guests at Camp Denali pretty much have exclusive access to the western half of the park, which is AMAZING.
getting there
With no road access to camp, guests must fly in. Camp Denali took care of the logistics and arranging my flights. They also sent along a comprehensive pre-trip planning guide that included everything from a packing list to how I could pre-order some booze for my stay!
I was required to stay near the park entrance the night before my scheduled flight to Camp Denali since I’d l have to arrive at their offices first thing in the AM. I drove there from my hotel, which was about 15 minutes north. They took care of my rental car and extra belongings I needed to leave behind since guests are only allowed to bring a 25 lb piece of soft luggage on the plane. Luckily, they have a remarkable amount of gear at camp that you can borrow if you forget something or can’t fit more in your bag.
My flight with Denali Air was scheduled for 8:30a so the staff guided me and a few others across the highway to the air strip to get weighed and board the planes. I don’t enjoy bush planes, but I do always enjoy the views! The pilots were seasoned pros and I was quickly distracted by the breathtaking sights of the park from above. The direct flight takes around 35 minutes, but if the weather permits, the pilots will take you flightseeing. Even though it wasn’t the nicest of days, we still got some in!
Everyone goes to Denali National Park with hopes of seeing Mount Denali in all its glory. It’s the tallest mountain in North America and its peaks are often obstructed by clouds, so to see Denali on a clear day is a coveted sight. It was (of course) cloudy and drizzling that morning, but the pilot still flew us over the Muldrow glacier and right by Denali! You could feel the temperature drop in the plane the closer we got. It was incredible to see!
We also flew over Wonder Lake. You may recognize it from a famous photo that Ansel Adams took there.
Shortly after seeing Wonder Lake we landed on the Kantishna airstrip, where camp staff loaded us into a van and off we went! Note: The drive to camp used to be 5+ hours from the park entrance, so the flight does save a lot of time and the aerial views of the park are truly spectacular.
ACCOMMODATIONS + VIEWS
Camp Denali’s guest cabins are staggered along a rising ridgeline, giving each one a direct view of Denali and the Alaska Range. Many locals had told me the best view of Denali was from Talkeetna, and it is lovely, but the view of the mountain from Camp Denali is unparalleled.
The cabins are constructed in traditional Alaskan style and each one has a name that comes with a backstory. They are meticulously maintained, immaculately clean and undeniably cozy. My cabin was named Discovery. On the wall inside was a framed document that shared the history of the cabin. I thought that was a nice touch.
Each cabin is also equipped with a wood stove to keep you warm if needed. This was the first time this city mouse had to build a fire all by myself and I loved it. There was a trunk in the corner full of wood and lots of fire building supplies along with very detailed directions, which I greatly appreciated! Thank goodness for Kerosene wood chips!
My cabin had a sink with running water inside, but ones that don’t have a spigot with potable drinking water right outside the front door. There is no electricity in the cabins, but there are propane lamps that give off plenty of light and a propane hot plate to heat up water for tea and coffee. The beds are some of the most comfortable I have ever slept in and I have stayed in some 5-star opulence.
On the desk in each cabin, there is a notebook, where guests are encouraged to write about their time at Camp Denali. As you can see there are actually a stack of notebooks on each desk at this point since they have been in business for so many years.
I enjoyed reading about other people who had stayed in my cabin and how much they loved their experience. People from all over the world had stayed in it and wrote such beautiful things.
Now onto the fun part! Each cabin also has its own personal outhouse just a short walk away. I wasn’t opposed to using it, but I didn’t really need to because my cabin was a 3-minute walk from the main area, which had modern bathrooms and shower facilities. I was happy to walk the extra 2 minutes to use them. I will admit that I did use the chamber pot in the cabin once or twice in the middle of the night. It was a safer bet than me peeing down my leg if I got spooked in the dark on a walk to the outhouse. There are grizzly bears throughout the park after all! I didn’t see any personally at camp, but I heard there was one wandering on the property while I was there. The staff is highly trained and does not mess around when it comes to safety and they quickly got it to leave before any of us saw it.
Camp Denali operates similarly to how African Safari camps operate. Outside of having your own sleeping quarters and some down time here and there, it’s a fully communal experience. As a solo traveler, that is always one of my favorite parts. Meeting other likeminded travels from different walks of life only enhances the experience.
Did I mention the views of Denali from camp?! I know I did, but here are more photos to enjoy. Even on a dreary day it was absolutely beautiful there.
the eats
The camp may be in a remote part of a national park, but when it comes to dining, the have a really talented kitchen staff and it is evident how much pride they take in their work. What I ate at Camp Denali was better than what I ate at most restaurants in AK. All sit down meals are served in the main dining building called Potlatch.
Sit-down meals are one of the best parts of the experience. Not just because they are delicious, but because they are very social. The staff assigns the seating at each meal so that you get to interact with every guest during your stay. I got to meet such interesting people. Each one had a story that ranged from fascinating to heartbreaking. I wish I could share more, but this post is already going to be a long one.
Potlatch is essentially homebase. At each meal there is some sort of informative presentation from a senior staff member. While I was there a lovely woman named Andy from New Hampshire led the charge, assisted by a man named Lee from Pasadena.
Breakfast varied by day but was always plentiful. You could choose between a hot breakfast and cold. On the bar, there was cereals, granolas and other baked treats from the kitchen like muffins and breads. If you opted for hot breakfast, it would be anything from sausage and eggs to fresh homemade cinnamon buns.
Dutch pancake
Fresh berries
Homemade scones
Cinnamon Rolls
Eggs + Potatoes
At dinner each night you receive a menu to order to your breakfast and lunch for the next day that will be bagged for you to take along on your daily excursion.
For the record, they make the best trail mix ever. There are two kinds. I ordered double as you can see by one of the lunch tickets I saved. My favorite combo was pepitas, almonds, sesame sticks, and wasabi peas. I still make this regularly to have at home but I throw dark chocolate chips in there. It’s THE BEST.
The sandwiches at lunch were so good too. There was a chicken salad one that I was obsessed with – — and the PBJ is also not to be missed. They offer so many sides I always had some left over.
There is also a green house on the property. In an effort to be as sustainable as possible, they grow a lot of herbs, vegetables and edible flowers that appear on guests’ dinner plates every night. They had just foraged a bunch of things before I got there but it was still cool to see it.
Dinner had a different theme each night, often with some international flare, but the meal always started with a salad made from ingredients grown in the green house. One night we had a Mexican pozole, another night a pulled pork dish with asian flavors and influences. Of course, we had salmon too. It wouldn’t have felt authentically Alaskan if we didn’t have salmon one night! The desserts were also out of this world. Gorgeous and delicious.
EXCURSIONS
Each day guests are presented with 3 types of excursions. You can choose from 2 hikes – strenuous or moderate – or you can opt to do a foray. Forays essentially involve exercising your brain. You do walk around, but you get to do it with a naturalist guide who will teach you about all the local terrain, wildlife and more. I always chose the foray because I wanted to learn as much as possible while I was there. I particularly liked walking on the tundra, learning about the berries and wildlife there. It was surprisingly squishy beneath our feet. I had never walked on that kind of terrain before. It was so colorful as well. All of the flora and fauna changing hues for fall. It was the perfect time of year to experience it. While we explored we saw moose, caribou and bears in the distance. The Alaska range and Denali set the perfect backdrop each and every day.
Denali
A grizzly bear filling his belly with berries
Fireweed
Blueberries
Wonder Lake
Different mosses
Caribou in Denali National Park
A moose rests in sunlight
The Alaska Range
GRAND FINALE
On the final morning our flights were delayed due to bad weather. We played board games and ate snacks in Potlatch. It really did feel like camp for adults. When it was finally clear and time to head to the airstrip, we were in for some treats starting with a giant moose on the runway. Luckily, he didn’t come too close, but he was a sight!! As we flew out of the park, we got a front row seat for mother nature’s grand finale – 6 or 7 rainbows. It was insane! One after the next. Right side, left side, thick, thin, it looked like they were chasing us out of the park. Every trip I have taken since my father passed, I have seen a rainbow and I have a crazy story about how that started that I’ll save for some other post. So to see the most rainbows I have ever seen in the shortest period of time on a trip that I took for him got the waterworks going. I think others felt it too. I had told them the story and they were just as excited as I was. It was a truly special and extremely memorable way to conclude the first half of the trip. Camp Denali is a special place and I will absolutely return someday!
A moose on the airstrip
Rainbow 1
Rainbow 2
Rainbow 3
Aerial Views of the Park
A wild mushroom in front of the office