| How many days should we plan to stay
in Denali? |
A lot of people ask us how long they should stay in the Denali
area. This depends a lot on the individual, BUT, if you are interested
in hiking in a beautiful tundra/alpine expanse, venturing out into
a six million acre wilderness preserve by bus, foot or bike and
searching for the numerous bears, moose, dall sheep, caribou, fox,
marmots, wolves, etc. that it harbors, rafting, golfing,
flight-seeing, learning about dog mushing and just plain relaxing
in a magnificent mountain landscape, then we can safely say that
you will want a lifetime. If this isn't possible, you will probably
want a minimum of three nights here. This is the average, with many
happy travelers staying for a week or more. Keep in mind that it
can rain here in the summer a lot, in addition to the grand 20,320ft
Denali, or Mt. McKinley, being enshrouded by clouds on many a day.
The possibility of overcast weather makes having three or more days
here a nice option. Many people come up for a day, however, and
are usually not disappointed.
Back to the top
| Do I need to make reservations,
and how do I do so? |
We STRONGLY recommend that you make reservations, as summer months
are very busy in the Denali area. June, July and August are especially
busy months. It is possible to show up without a reservation and
get a bed, but we can't guarantee that we will have space for you
as we do fill up. You can secure your reservation with a credit
card via phone or via our secure reservation form, linked below.
YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THE ENTIRE AMOUNT OF YOUR STAY INCLUDING TAX AT THE TIME OF YOUR RESERVATION! IF YOUR PLANS CHANGE ANY REFUND OWED WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE CONDITIONS OF OUR CANCELLATION POLICY. (Special note for groups of 10+ persons: a deposit of 25%
of total accommodations is due at time of making reservation. Please
see cancellation policy below.)
Back to the top
| What is your cancellation/changes
policy? |
PRIVATE ROOMS, CABINS, GROUPS OF 6 TO 9 PEOPLE:
ALL cancellations will incur a cancellation charge of either $10.00 or 10% of the cost of what you are canceling (whichever is greater). You must cancel or change your reservation no less than TWO WEEKS prior to your scheduled arrival. If you cancel with less than TWO WEEKS notice, you will be charged 100% of your reserved accommodation.
HOSTEL BEDS AND TENTS:
ALL cancellations will incur a cancellation charge of either $10.00 or 10% of the cost of what you are canceling (whichever is greater). You must cancel a reserved hostel bed or beds at least 3 DAYS prior to your stay. If you cancel with less than 3 DAYS notice, you will be charged 100% of your reserved accommodation.
GROUPS OF 10 OR MORE:
You will incur a cancellation charge of $25 or 25% of the cost of what you are canceling (whichever is greater) on any full or partial cancellation after your reservation has been confirmed. If you cancel less than one month prior to your scheduled arrival date, you will be charged 100% of the portion of the reservation you are canceling
CHANGES:
Any change to your reservation that results in you owing the same amount will incur a change fee of either $10 or 10% (whichever is greater) of the changed portion of your reservation. Changes that result in accommodation costs being the same will incur a charge $10. Changes that result in you owing more will not be charged a fee.
EXCEPTION: ALL CHANGES MADE LESS THAN TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO YOUR STAY (LESS THAN 3 DAYS FOR HOSTEL BEDS AND TENTS) WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE MINIMUM $10 OR 10% CHARGE BASED ON THE TOTAL COST OF YOUR ENTIRE RESERVATION.
NO SHOWS:
If we have not been contacted by you and you have not arrived by 10:00 PM on the first night of your reservation, we will leave you a Late Arrival Notice on the Office Front Door telling you where your accommodations are. If you have still not arrived by 7:30 AM the next morning we will consider you a no show. You will not be entitled to nor given any refund. MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE WILL CANCEL THE REMAINING PORTION OF YOUR RESERVATION AND YOUR ACCOMMODATIONS WILL BE OFFERED FOR RENT TO OTHERS. If after you no-show you contact us to cancel and a refund would be possible according to our policy, you will receive a refund minus the cancellation charges. If you wish to stay after your reservation has been cancelled because of a no show, you may, but you will have to pay again.
TOURS:
Changes and cancellations are subject to the terms of the tour provider, and any refund will be based on their policy which you will find at the bottom of each tour page on this site. You will still be charged $10 or 10% whichever is greater by Denali Mountain Morning Hostel.
If you are not entitled to a refund by the provider, you will still be charged $10 or 10% by the hostel
If the provider cancels your tour, you may receive an alternate time or day. If that is not acceptable to you, you will be refunded the entire amount charged to you.
Back to the top
| When is check-in and check-out? |
Check-in time is from 4:00pm - 10:00pm. Later arrivals are permitted too, just let us know. Check-out is at 10:00am.
Back to the top
| Should I fly into Fairbanks or Anchorage
if I want to go to Denali? |
The hostel and the entrance to the park are located about 2.5 hours (140 miles) from Fairbanks and about 4.5 hours (225 miles) from Anchorage. Although Fairbanks is closer, most flights you come into Alaska on arrive in Anchorage first and then may continue to Fairbanks. It usually costs more to fly on to Fairbanks. If you plan to visit the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage, Anchorage a better choice. There is bus service and train service to both Fairbanks and Anchorage. If you don't rent a car, you will be coming by bus or train. We are an authorized outlet for the Alaska Railroad and The Park Connection bus We would be happy to arrange travel for you with these providers. If you stay in Anchorage, we recommend you stay at Spenard Hostel International. The Alaska/Yukon Trails bus to Denali picks up and drops off at Spenard's door if you ask. Plus we really do think it is the best hostel in Anchorage. Lastly, the trip from Anchorage is quite scenic with great views of 'the mountain' on both the bus and the train when weather allows.
Back to the top
| How should we get to Denali? |
Your three best options for transport between Anchorage, Denali
and Fairbanks are taking a bus, taking the train or renting
a car, or hitch-hiking. Hitch-hiking is technically illegal in Alaska, however it is very common and I have never heard of anyone getting in trouble. If you have a backpack on the Parks Highway, with a sign where you are going, you usually are given a ride in a short time. Most hostels have a 'rider board' where you can often find rides as well. The train is about double the price of the bus, but very scenic and we can make your arrangements for you; the buses are faster and cheaper
than the train. Finally we do have plenty of parking space for rental cars.
Let us know if you are arriving so we can make arrangements to get you to the hostel. Click HERE for more transportation information. And for more information on our FREE shuttle you can click HERE
Back to the top
| How will I get from the
Park to the hostel and from the hostel to the Park? |
We provide a shuttle to and from the national park FOUR TIMES DAILY. Our shuttle service leaves the hostel daily at 6:35 AM, getting you to the Park WILDERNESS ACCESS CENTER (WAC), where all park tour and shuttle buses depart, before 7:00 AM. We also provide a shuttle to the Park area at 8:20 AM, arriving at the WAC by 8:40 AM. Our shuttle service picks up at the WAC at 5:30 PM and 9:30 PM daily. Click HERE for more information. And remember, YOU are responsible to be at the right place at the right time to get picked up. If we have to come back, you will be charged.
If you are arriving by train or bus from Fairbanks or Anchorage,
we recommend that you go to the WAC while awaiting
our 5:30 PM shuttle. This is a great opportunity to find out about
the Park, pick up your bus tickets and make reservations for
Park tour buses. You can walk the mile or so from the train depot
to the WAC, or you can catch the free Park shuttle bus
(green bus) which stops at the train depot and takes you directly
to the WAC. If you have a long wait, you can check your luggage at the WAC. There are some great hiking trails nearby, as well as river rafting, the Morino Grill, the Park book store, and more. Click HERE to see a map of the entrance area trails. In short there is a lot to while you are waiting, you won't have to just sit and wait.
Back to the top
| What do you recommend we do while we are there, ARE THERE TOURS YOU CAN BOOK FOR US? |
Yes we have several things we recommend and are happy to book for you. Things such as Rafting (whitewater or gentle); Flight-seeing; Fly-fishing; Tour Iditarod Champ Jeff King's kennel and watch a dog team demonstration and more! Click HERE for a complete list and the ability to reserve. We don't book Park Buses into the park. You have to do that on your own, but you can do it on-line.
Back to the top
Am I able to rent a car in Denali? |
Nope. There was a rental car company in Denali, but the latest information I have is there are none. There may be a scooter rental. It was new last year and we haven't heard anything this year. It is usually cheaper to rent a car in Anchorage or Fairbanks, and you'd save the price of getting to Denali on the bus or train, if you want to use it more than a couple days. Another option is you can reserve a private shuttle trip to the Park (or wherever), but you do not want to have a rental car for your entire stay here in Denali. Private shuttles must run only during times it is not needed for our normal runs.
Back to the top
| Do you have kitchen facilities for your
guests? |
We do have a fully-equipped kitchen facility for our guests so
that you can cook your own food. This is a great way to save some
money, eat what you like to eat, and have a conversation with someone
from Japan, Spain or Michigan or even Hobson, Montana. Our kitchen is located in the Octagon and is available to all of our guests. Amenities include coffee urn, microwave, stoves, ovens, utensils, plates, cups, pots, pans, etc. - just about everything you might need to make a great meal happen!
An outside barbeque grill is also available for use by our guests at no charge. And don't forget our
Free Organic, Free Trade, locally roasted coffee, tea, sugar and creamer for
your coffee is available too.
Back to the top
| Do you serve free morning coffee for
your guests, and is it fair-trade, shade-grown, organic goodness? |
Why, YES, thanks for asking!! We are psyched (very happy) to be
serving a Locally Roasted, Free Trade Certified, Organic Coffee from Kaladi Brothers. We have served Folgers in
the past, a coffee more in-line with our budget, but not in-line
with our social consciousness. We feel that is important to support
sustainable practices in an industry that represents the second
largest US import after oil. Americans are the largest consumers
of coffee in the world, yet many Americans don't realize that agricultural
workers in coffee producing countries are often receiving far less
than living wages for their toil, that rainforests are being cleared
for coffee production and that pesticides banned in the US are still
being used by coffee producers in third world countries on the coffee
beans that we consume.
So, Mountain Morning is serving Locally Roasted, Fair Trade Certified,
Organic coffee as a morning service for our guests. We will have
a donation can next to the coffee so that anyone who supports our
efforts can help us out with the costs, which are much more than serving Folgers. In the long-run, we think it's worth it!!
Back to the top
| Is Denali Mountain Morning Hostel 'green' minded? |
We try to be. We told you about the coffee and why we buy the coffee we do (just above). In addition we use only 7th Generation toilet paper and paper towels which use only recycled paper. We use only earth friendly laundry soap and cleaning products as well. We did recycle, but there is no place for us to do that any longer, which is very sad and frankly for a place as special as Denali, unconscionable.
Additionally, we have some other plans in the works. We will soon be offering our guests a way to pay for the power they use while staying with us. They will get some kind of acknowledgment, a patch or sticker or something. Then 100% of the money we collect this way will be given to the local electric company for them to use exclusively to purchase electricity from the local people who are producing it with windmills and other methods. Isn't that great? You can travel impact free and make a difference. Currently our power is generated by Natural Gas and Coal.
We also hope to put a water wheel in the creek to generate some power.
So yes, we try to be green.
Back to the top
| Can we buy our groceries there or should
we bring them with us? |
There is a small grocery store in the Canyon area! We hope all the guests will help getting people there to buy what you need. We are working on a plan. We have stopped offering groceries now that this new store is open. It was very time consuming running a store on top of everything else we do. It is probably best that
you buy food at a grocery store in either Anchorage, Wasilla or
Fairbanks before coming to Denali. We still will carry other non-food, items we think you will like.
Back to the top
| If we don't plan to cook, where can
we eat? |
We are lucky in that we have four of the BEST Park-area restaurants
as our neighbors. Three are within walking distance! The best food in Alaska can be found at the 229 Parks, 5 miles north of the hostel. It is worth finding a way there. Next door to us you will find Panorama Pizza is a pizza pub, good food, good beer and good times there, and often live music. The Perch is the higher end dining with beautiful views and good food. The Creekside Cafe is good
home-baked cafe grubbin! Good food and better prices than most. The Perch and the Creekside will prepare a fresh sack lunch
that you can take with you on your journey into the Park.
Back to the top
| Are you a "youth only" hostel?
|
Far from it! Our guests fall in all age groups. The former 'American
Youth Hostels' association changed their name several years back
to 'Hostelling International,' reflecting the adult interest in
this popular type of budget accommodation. Many hostels, such as
ourselves, are not affiliated with HI, but nonetheless share the
interest in accommodating all forms of travelers! More and more,
hostels are being discovered by all travelers who enjoy unique,
comfortable and friendly accommodations in spectacular places without
the spectacular prices. Those who are staying in our private accommodations should keep in mind we are a hostel, not the Hilton. It's a wonderful place, but you need to do your part. If you want waited on, your in the wrong place. For a couple hundred dollars you can get a corporate hotel.
Back to the top
| Do you provide storage space
for luggage and gear? |
Yes, we provide a secure space for you to store your gear while
you are out camping in the Park, etc!
Back to the top
| Do you have camping gear for rent? |
No, sorry. It got to be just too big of a job for us. You can rent gear at Mountain Works in Denali, Call (907) 683-1542 or in Anchorage at Alaska Mountaineering & Hiking or REI.
Back to the top
| What's the deal is it Denali or Mt. McKinley? |
You might be surprised how long one could talk about this, but I'll keep it short. If you are Alaskan it's Denali Mountain in Denali National Park. If you are from Outside (elsewhere), especially Ohio, it is Mt. McKinley in Denali National Park which used to be called Mt. McKinley National Park.
Why you ask? The park and mountain were named for presidential candidate McKinley who supported the gold standard and since Alaska had so much gold, he was our guy. The fact is the man never stepped foot in Alaska and never saw the Park or the Mountain. So we have tried to get the name reverted back to the Native name Denali for a long, long time and continue to each year. We succeeded in renaming the park, but Ohio federal politicians have successfully stopped the change in name of the mountain. (McKinley was from Ohio).
With all due respect to the people from the great state of Ohio, give us a break. How would you like it if we made you rename the Ohio River to Toxic Dead Creek.
You will find some Cheechakos (newly arrived citizens of Alaska) call it McKinley, because no one has told them and this way we can know who they are! And by the way it's Den AL ee not Den ALL ee.
You will be considered more knowledgeable and show greater respect to many of us, especially Alaska Natives if you call it Denali Mountain.
Back to the top |