Aurora Denali Lodge - Healy, Alaska

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The rooms were spacious! The staff were friendly! The hotel is close to everything! However, the bathrooms need remodeling. Also, I was on the first floor and could hear every step in the room above me. For the price, it seemed like a reasonable deal.

Eileen W

We enjoyed a three night stay at the Aurora. It was convenient to the Denali NP. Our check in was easy and the staff were friendly and helpful. Our beds and pillows were comfy. The front desk recommended Rosie's Cafe next door, they had a delicious breakfast. We also liked the 49th State Brewery nearby for dinner. The room was clean and I liked the Keurig coffee maker provided for my early morning coffee. We have no complaints, all went well.

Vickie B

Our stay at the Aurora Denali Lodge was quite pleasant. Since it is right on the Parks Highway everything is easy to get to, but it is away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Healy. The staff was so friendly and helpful and our room was very comfortable. Our building had a beautiful common area on the second floor. They did not have a breakfast room, but each morning they supplied you with an on-the-go breakfast (which we did not utilize) because we found a delightful cafe and also another coffee house which were just up our alley. There is no elevator here (just fyi in the event that you have issues with doing steps) although we did not have a problem with that. I would definitely recommend the Aurora Denali Lodge to all of our friends and family.

GK C

This is a good hotel choice for this remote area, especially for travelers visiting Denali outside of the tourist high season. The accommodations are modest, but it is friendly, clean, and there are many small, but thoughtful touches that help optimize a stay. The two notable negatives were the condition of the bathrooms, and the extreme potholing on the hotel entry road. While the bathroom had clearly been cleaned, the sink, toilet, and shower fixtures were ancient (not in a good way), and did not function well.

Sandra N

The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful, giving ideas for places to eat and things to do. The hotel is right off the main highway but tucked down a long driveway allowing it to be private and quiet. While the hotel is on the older side, therefore has very thin walls and floors and a slightly older hotel musty smell to the lobby area, the rooms had some updates done and were very clean and did not have the older musty smell to them. Our room was on the first floor right next to the lobby, which I do not recommend as we heard the front entry door to the hotel slamming at all hours as people came and went. The rooms have a fridge (although very tiny) and a microwave. They have breakfast in the fridge that included hard boiled eggs, oranges, Gogurt, Nutrigrain bars, juice boxes, etc. That was a nice added touch. The lobby has a tray with snacks such as chips, candy, Easy Mac, Cup Noodles, water, pop, popcorn, etc. for purchase at very reasonable prices. Coffee and tea is provided in room and in the lobby. If you are looking for a resort with things to do, this isn't your place. But if you are simply using it as a home base to rest your head for a reasonable price while exploring Denali NP, this place is perfect and I would stay here again. Side note, I asked the front desk if they happened to have bear spray and the happily let me borrow a can of it for my stay, stating many people leave cans of it behind.

AR

I must say this is the best accommodation during our entire trip to Alaska in June 2024. We checked in late night and there were clear set of instructions on how to check in and they even called and followed up on what time we would check-in and made sure the check-in process went smoother. They even kept grab and go breakfast in the mini fridge inside the room.

When you visit remote locations like Alaska, its hard to find quick breakfast in the morning but the staff in this hotel made sure the mini fridge was stuffed with grab and go breakfast. So far till now, I have never come across any hotel/lodging with this facility.

Secondly, the rooms were so clean and everything was placed so neatly and we were very surprised to see such a clean accommodation. Our rooms also had a good nice forest type view. We sincerely thank the hotel staff for keeping this place so nice for us to stay. Our only regret is not being able to stay here for more time and not being able to meet the front desk staff due to our late check in and early check out. This place is definitely underrated for the type of accommodation and the location. With hotel being so close to the entrance of Denali, we will definitely stay here again for our next visit. We definitely recommend this place.

Mike Madison

Our experience at the lodge was great. The staff was very friendly. The room was very nice and clean (don’t let the 2 star rating of the hotel stop you). They even provide a breakfast bowl in your room for each guest!

Honestly the only “less than glowing” thing I can say about it is the beds are hard and the pillows aren’t very good.

Overall a wonderful experience and would definitely consider staying again (but might bring my own pillow). Very easy drive up highway 3 from Denali NP.

Pro Tip: literally every restaurant in Healy other than the Totem Inn Cafe shuts down in the off season. This is not obvious from google searching for food / restaurants.

Christy McGee

Room was clean and cozy. Location to the park and price were what made us book it. The front desk person was really nice and helped us with dinner choices. The breakfast bowls in the room were super helpful as we were traveling and didn't have time to get breakfast out. The beds were pretty firm... but overall, it was a nice, simple place to stay and lay our heads.