McKinley Chalet Resort

September 12, 2018

Our bus dropped us off last night at Canyon Lodge. We got settled in, explored the grounds a little then went to bed early.

Our room was on the third floor of Canyon Lodge, the only building on site with elevators

An eight-hour tundra wilderness tour is part of our Alan package. Ikuko is still suffering from a cold so we decided to stay at the lodge instead. She could nurse her cold and I could try to catch up on my blog.

McKinley Lodge is the Holland America destination lodge here in the Denali area. It is well conceived and efficiently laid out.

There is the main lodge with its ancillary buildings, Denali Square with its buildings, and residence buildings arranged around several circular roads. There are 843 rooms with 90 more under construction, two large restaurants on site, souvenir shops and a dinner theater.

Bus from the old days

In Denali Square there are fire pits (gas) at some of the tables and several around the courtyard, some gas, some burning wood.

Denali Square

Karstens restaurant interior

The utilities are all underground and each building cluster is served by its own septic tank system. Even the septic drain fields are landscaped, lending into the park-like setting.

The complex is served by buses continuously circling around the roads, other buses run to and from nearby restaurants and the large coaches deliver arriving and pick up departing passengers. It's a pretty good system, well conceived and well run.

During our meals I noted wait staff from several European countries. Last night after dinner I asked how many nationalities were represented here. The answer: "I don't know but almost all the European countries as well as some other countries." They sign on for the summer then go home again. Some have worked here several summers while some come over a couple years to fill in breaks during their university years.