DIY trip to Alaska-need info

[tjcletsgo]

Hello, my BFF and I are planning a trip to Denali in late May 2020. We need to find:

 

Where to rent a car in Anchorage?

 

Where should we stay in the Denali area? We want a cabin type room with TV and views. We want it away from the road with preferably a small cafe/store. We'd love to stay somewhere near a creek or river. Total no more than $300.00/night

 

Great places to eat? Breakfast, lunch and dinner?

 

Thanks so much for any info you can provide.:cool:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wou

[mapleleaves]

You have plenty of time to research .... start by using the HELPFUL RESOURCES thread just down the page, where you will find web sites like this for Denali.

http://www.a1cms.com/_dcc/accommodations/

http://www.reservedenali.com/

 

But first off, you might want to reconsider your time frame. As you research Denali you will find that the park road doesn't open fully until June 10(Kantishna/Wonder Lake), and Eielson Visitor is accessible June 1.

[Kamloops50]

Also book all your hotel and car early for Alaska between May and October.

[AKStafford]

In addition to the advice you get here, you should also spend some time at the TripAdvisor forum for Alaska travel: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28923-i349-Alaska.html

I would suggest fly into Anchorage.

If you book the October or November before your travel, you should get a good price on the rental car. It's most convenient to book at the airport, but sometimes you can get a better price booking off airport.

As mentioned, it's not until early June that the entire length of the road is open. If you can delay a few weeks, it's worth it.

How long are you planning to be at Denali? And are you visiting any where else?

[tjcletsgo]

Yes, we will spend 3 nights at Denali then board a Princess southbound cruise :)

 

Has anyone stayed at the Healy Heights Family Cabins? They look very rustic and cozy and a great price at $150.00 a night!

[Budget Queen]

You are way ahead in your planning. :) There is no point in focusing on specific lodging at this early point. You won't be able to book anything until likely fall of 2019, so have plenty of time to get yourself a really great trip planned. Vendor's come and go, and new places and tours open, along with businesses closing.

 

Especially with first time visitors, the more they find out, the "earlier, "fixed" plans" go by the wayside and an new itinerary evolves. This is the pathway to a great adventure and itinerary for you. :)

[tjcletsgo]

You are way ahead in your planning. :) There is no point in focusing on specific lodging at this early point. You won't be able to book anything until likely fall of 2019, so have plenty of time to get yourself a really great trip planned. Vendor's come and go, and new places and tours open, along with businesses closing.

 

Especially with first time visitors, the more they find out, the "earlier, "fixed" plans" go by the wayside and an new itinerary evolves. This is the pathway to a great adventure and itinerary for you. :)

 

This will be our second visit, first time doing the land first. Loved Alaska but realize that we saw soooo little! Looking forward to Denali :hearteyes:

[Assateague Island Princes]

We've stayed at Healy Heights Cabins twice and really enjoyed the experience. The owners are lovely, friendly folks, the grounds are beautifully kept, and the cabins are cozy and clean. Try to book the smallest cabin (located by itself across the road from the property - sorry, don't recall the name of that specific cabin) with a deck overlooking the mountains and forest. That was our favorite - sitting in the window seat and looking out over the view after a long day on park shuttle is one of my favorite memories. Great value for the price, and we loved the location. Saw fox and moose daily as we left the area to travel to DNP. Would highly recommend.

[Robinhill]

Hello, my BFF and I are planning a trip to Denali in late May 2020. We need to find:

 

Where to rent a car in Anchorage?

 

Where should we stay in the Denali area? We want a cabin type room with TV and views. We want it away from the road with preferably a small cafe/store. We'd love to stay somewhere near a creek or river. Total no more than $300.00/night

 

Great places to eat? Breakfast, lunch and dinner?

 

Thanks so much for any info you can provide.:cool:

 

 

 

I got a great rate for a car rental at Enterprise for $125 for 4 days in Anchorage on 5th St. and a great place for lunch or dinner in Anchorage is Humpys.

 

i did stay in Denali Bluffs about 3 years ago which was nice and had a view, a little restaurant and place to buy some snacky things. Next summer i am staying at Denali Perch which is actually about 15 miles outside of Denali proper so maybe near Healy because i am saving a ton of money (it is approximately $120/night) and may not be as updated as some others but seems nice and has decent reviews. i am trying to save where i can. In Denali in a little strip type shopping thing across from Denali is Prospectors Pizza and is a decent pizza joint for either lunch or dinner. You can pick up boxed lunch for traveling into Denali at several different places around locally so i would check on that. The Morino Grill is 1.5 miles outside of Denali and i know they have boxed lunches to take with you. Also inside Denali there is the Cabin Nite Dinner Theater and yes it is a little hoaky but i enjoyed it- it is a play about gold mining back in the old days in Alaska etc. with some singing and dancing and comedy. The dinner is chicken and ribs with sides etc and tea, coffee, etc. It's about $75 per person for adults and $37.50 for kids. It's worth it to me and something fun to do in the evening. Babies on lap are free.

 

 

I hope some of my info has helped.

[tjcletsgo]

We've stayed at Healy Heights Cabins twice and really enjoyed the experience. The owners are lovely, friendly folks, the grounds are beautifully kept, and the cabins are cozy and clean. Try to book the smallest cabin (located by itself across the road from the property - sorry, don't recall the name of that specific cabin) with a deck overlooking the mountains and forest. That was our favorite - sitting in the window seat and looking out over the view after a long day on park shuttle is one of my favorite memories. Great value for the price, and we loved the location. Saw fox and moose daily as we left the ar

ea to travel to DNP. Would highly recommend.

 

Thank you so much, this info is very helpful:cool:

[tjcletsgo]

Hello, my BFF and I are planning a trip to Denali in late May 2020. We need to find:

 

Where to rent a car in Anchorage?

 

Where should we stay in the Denali area? We want a cabin type room with TV and views. We want it away from the road with preferably a small cafe/store. We'd love to stay somewhere near a creek or river. Total no more than $300.00/night

 

Great places to eat? Breakfast, lunch and dinner?

 

Thanks so much for any info you can provide.:cool:

 

 

 

I got a great rate for a car rental at Enterprise for $125 for 4 days in Anchorage on 5th St. and a great place for lunch or dinner in Anchorage is Humpys.

 

i did stay in Denali Bluffs about 3 years ago which was nice and had a view, a little restaurant and place to buy some snacky things. Next summer i am staying at Denali Perch which is actually about 15 miles outside of Denali proper so maybe near Healy because i am saving a ton of money (it is approximately $120/night) and may not be as updated as some others but seems nice and has decent reviews. i am trying to save where i can. In Denali in a little strip type shopping thing across from Denali is Prospectors Pizza and is a decent pizza joint for either lunch or dinner. You can pick up boxed lunch for traveling into Denali at several different places around locally so i would check on that. The Morino Grill is 1.5 miles outside of Denali and i know they have boxed lunches to take with you. Also inside Denali there is the Cabin Nite Dinner Theater and yes it is a little hoaky but i enjoyed it- it is a play about gold mining back in the old days in Alaska etc. with some singing and dancing and comedy. The dinner is chicken and ribs with sides etc and tea, coffee, etc. It's about $75 per person for adults and $37.50 for kids. It's worth it to me and something fun to do in the evening. Babies on lap are free.

 

 

I hope some of my info has helped.

 

It has, thank you so much!:hearteyes: