Denali National Park

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This was my third trip to Denali National Park in five years. On my prior two visits to the park David and I used the required NPS shuttle bus service to enter and explore the park. This trip, however was different as it was during the annual "Road Lottery Weekend" when 400 cars per day (for four days) are allowed to drive the entire 92 miles, weather permitting. This entry will chronicle my first-time experiences utilizing some of the park services and programs during my lottery weekend.I had camp reservations for four nights at the Teklanika Campground (aka TEK), located inside the park at MM29. This is the same location where we camped last summer and as luck would have it, I was abl...Read More

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Denali NP- Road Lottery Weekend (part 1 of 2)

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Denali Park Road - Road Lottery Weekend Photo - Denali, Alaska

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The Denali Park Road Lottery occurs annual in mid September, at the end of their season, weather permitting. The National Park Service conducts a drawing whereby 400 people are selected for each of the four days of the road lottery. This year there were more than 10,000 people who paid the $10 entry fee at a chance to drive the Denali Park Road. Those selected in the random drawing are also assessed an additional $25 for their road pass. Since entries are limited to one per person, David and I enlisted some family members (seven of them) to enter the lottery too as winning passes are transferable to others. Out of our nine entries, my sister's mother-in-law did win a Saturday pass. Hurray!...Read More

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Denali NP- Road Lottery Weekend (part 2 of 2)

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That is One Big Bear Head! Photo - Denali, Alaska

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Continuing with Sunday 9/18 . . .I went back into the park, in hopes of seeing those sheep and the bears closer. I was fortunate to arrive at the location for the afternoon bear jam before there was anyone else (other than a park ranger) there. She said that the three had been sighted but headed down a ravine, not to be seen since for about an hour. I told her I would just park and wait to see what might happen. About 15 minutes later, they all appeared. Hurray - the bear jam was on.I stayed for just under an hour, until the bears crossed the road and headed up high into the hillside. I got a lot of nice photos of them eating berries throughout this little valley area....Read More

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Prospectors Historic Pizzeria & Alehouse

Restaurant | "Wonderful Dining Option in Glitter Gulch"

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The area of the Parks Hwy near the entrance to Denali National Park is known as "glitter gulch" and is full of the trappings of any popular tourist area. There are several gift shops and high priced gasoline ($4.69/gallon vs. $4.20 just eight miles away). This area near the park entrance mostly caters to the cruise ship land tour crowd who are herded in from Anchorage or Fairbanks on either end of their Alaskan cruise vacation. Most of the large lodges in the area are also owned by the cruise lines (Princess or Holland America).For me, all of these touristy aspects of glitter gulch is reason enough to avoid the area at all costs. That said, I fought my instincts to skip it, opting inst...Read More

The area of the Parks Hwy near the entrance to Denali National Park is known as "glitter gulch" and is full of the trappings of any popular tourist area. There are several gift shops and high priced gasoline ($4.69/gallon vs. $4.20 just eight miles away). This area near the park entrance mostly caters to the cruise ship land tour crowd who are herded in from Anchorage or Fairbanks on either end of their Alaskan cruise vacation. Most of the large lodges in the area are also owned by the cruise lines (Princess or Holland America).

For me, all of these touristy aspects of glitter gulch is reason enough to avoid the area at all costs. That said, I fought my instincts to skip it, opting instead to head on up the road to Healey where I knew I'd get a great meal at Rose's Cafe. I stayed in glitter gulch and gave Prospector's Pizzeria & Alehouse a shot. Truth is, I was really pretty tired and didn't want to add the extra time to head further up the Parks Hwy to Rose's. I'm glad I chose Prospector's.

They are located in what was the Old Northern Lights Theatre building. The walls are covered with old photographs of an era long passed, providing guests with a peek into what Alaska was like back in the times of the gold rush and prospectors . . . hence the name I suppose.

It was a Sunday evening, shortly before 7:00pm when I arrived. There were large groups of people hanging around outside at the entrance. Not a good sign if you're hungry and want to get in and out quickly. At the hostess stand inside, I was told it would be at least an hour and probably closer to an hour and a half before they would have a table for one. She suggested I consider sitting at the bar.

Even the bar was packed, but I did find one lone chair at the near end, by the servers' area for orders and dirty glasses. I took the seat and looked for a menu on the bar. A few minutes later a young fella by the name of Luke stopped by to offer me a drink. I asked for a menu and a diet coke.

With my order placed, I got involved in the large overhead television screen that had the Sunday night football game on. It was near the end of the game so they were not showing game scores from earlier in the day, but Luke was able to confirm that the Green Bay Packers had won . . . all was good in NFL land!

I struck up a conversation with the lady next to me, part of a couple in Alaska from San Jose for the road lottery. They had won a road pass for the next day and were looking forward to their first "drive" of the park. I shared my experiences from my two days in the park. She was excited at the opportunity to see so much and thanked me for the tips on where I had seen the momma bear + 2 cubs.

Their food arrived before mine, and I have to admit, I was almost sorry I hadn't ordered a pizza. Theirs looked so very good, with the bubbly crust the way I like it. While I had already eaten my bowl of minestrone soup, I had no regrets however. The soup was outstanding, very hearty and flavorful. When my steak and cheese sandwich arrived, it was equally good and very filling . . . too much to eat in fact. Perhaps it was the large steak fries that put the meal over the top for me? Not sure but everything was very good, just too much to finish.

My meal came to $23 including tip to Luke. I would not hesitate to stop in here again if I'm in the area "in season". If you are planning to visit, be sure you know what their hours are. Given this is in a tourist area tied to the Denali National Park season, they open in early May and close mid to late September. For 2011, their season ran from May 7th through September 22nd.

A word about their "alehouse" side of the business . . . they feature some 49 beers from all across the USA and even some foreign imports. I chuckled however at two items on their beer selection list: (1) Pabst Blue Ribbon being credited as from Illinois and (2) no Budweiser offered. If you want to sample some of Alaska's most well known brews, this may be the place to do it. They have Sleeping Lady (Anchorage), Denali Brewhouse (Talkeetna), Kenai River Brewing (Soldotna) and Glacier Alehouse (Anchorage) to name just a few. I seriously considered the root beer from Sleeping Lady having had it before there earlier this year, but figured without vanilla ice cream, I'd take a pass.

Being a responsible alehouse, they promote "do not drink and drive" and offer a free shuttle service. I doubt they would do pick-up and drop-off inside Denali National Park, but for those staying in the Healey/Glitter Gulch area, it is worth considering.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on September 27, 2025

Prospectors Historic Pizzeria & Alehouse
Milepost 238.9 Parks Highway
Denali 99755
907-683-7437

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Rose's Cafe

Restaurant | "Return Visit - Wonderful Again!"

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Having dined here back in 2006, I knew that if I had the opportunity to get "out of the park" during my road lottery weekend, I would make my way back to Rose's Cafe. The opportunity presented itself on Friday morning, so I took it for a wonderful breakfast.Not only does Rose's Cafe have location going for it . . . the owners who are active in the operation of this restaurant are very friendly and service oriented. Whoever you are, you are greeted as though you were a long-time family friend. Even if they don't know your first name, they treat you like a local stopping in their home for coffee over the kitchen table. This visit was no different.As I entered the relatively s...Read More

Having dined here back in 2006, I knew that if I had the opportunity to get "out of the park" during my road lottery weekend, I would make my way back to Rose's Cafe. The opportunity presented itself on Friday morning, so I took it for a wonderful breakfast.

Not only does Rose's Cafe have location going for it . . . the owners who are active in the operation of this restaurant are very friendly and service oriented. Whoever you are, you are greeted as though you were a long-time family friend. Even if they don't know your first name, they treat you like a local stopping in their home for coffee over the kitchen table. This visit was no different.

As I entered the relatively small dining area I was immediately welcomed and offered coffee by Rose. Not a coffee drinker, I passed and asked for a diet coke. With menus on the table I was able to quickly decide on my breakfast choices, which were taken when the soft drink was brought over.

Within ten minutes my meal was brought to me, still steaming having just come off the grill. My eggs were prepared perfectly; the breakfast potatoes delicious. Having seen the "plate sized pancakes" I had given them brief consideration, but chose not to be weighed down with such a heavy breakfast. I was happy with my meal selection, knowing this would probably be my only cooked breakfast for the rest of my time in Alaska.

Rose's Cafe is a full service restaurant offering lunch and dinner. They also have the one pound "Grizzly Burger" for those with an Alaskan sized appetite. Eat the whole thing and get your photo up on their wall of fame. Currently they have record holders posted on their website: King Grizzly having eaten a five pounder and the Queen Grizzly a two pounder. They invite challengers who think they can bypass these record holders . . . so be sure to stop in if you happen to be traveling between Fairbanks and Anchorage on the Parks Hwy (Hwy 3).

For more information, including their hours of operation and the current menu, check them out at http://rosescafealaska.com/ . Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on September 27, 2025

Rose's Cafe
Milepost 249.5 Parks Highway
Healy, Alaska 99743

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Comfort Inn Fairbanks

Hotel | "Dependable Lodging"

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This was not my first time staying at the Comfort Inn in Fairbanks. I have often been able to book here at close to half-price using AARP Travel and they did not disappoint for this trip.The Comfort Inn provides free shuttle service to and from the Fairbanks Airport as well as the train station. This convenience alone makes a stay here worthwhile, especially if you are not planning to stay in town long. They are a bit out of the way, about 10 minutes from the downtown area and with no services (restaurants, etc) within walking distance. That said, to come to town, pick up a rental car and head out the next day . . . they are perfect.The rooms are comfortable with small dorm...Read More

This was not my first time staying at the Comfort Inn in Fairbanks. I have often been able to book here at close to half-price using AARP Travel and they did not disappoint for this trip.

The Comfort Inn provides free shuttle service to and from the Fairbanks Airport as well as the train station. This convenience alone makes a stay here worthwhile, especially if you are not planning to stay in town long. They are a bit out of the way, about 10 minutes from the downtown area and with no services (restaurants, etc) within walking distance. That said, to come to town, pick up a rental car and head out the next day . . . they are perfect.

The rooms are comfortable with small dorm sized refrigerators and mini-microwaves. Bathrooms are adequate with the appropriate toiletries to make your stay easy. They do allow pets in the rooms, something I've learned is pretty important to Alaskan travelers who seem to take their dogs everywhere with them.

There is also an indoor swimming pool and they provide complimentary breakfast that includes fresh waffles, fruit, hot biscuits w/ gravy and an assortment of breads and pastries. I also enjoy the fact that they provide hard boiled eggs and plenty of hot drink choices (coffee, tea and hot chocolate).

Since my last stay here in August/September 2010, they have had an ownership change. I was a bit concerned given that my reservations were made and my transportation needs confirmed under the former owner/manager. And while I had also confirmed my ride on my check-out morning to my rental car company downtown, there was some issue at check-out.

Seems the current owner/manager did not know about nor approve the arrangement for them to drive me out to pick up my rental car. Given that this was an important aspect of my stay with them, I voiced my concern. The front desk girl spoke with the on-duty manager who said he would give me a ride to the car rental office in town. I was very happy that in spite of the change in ownership, the current staff did what they needed to in order to assure a happy customer.

All in all, a very good night's stay. Prompt pick-up at the Fairbanks Airport and a ride in the morning to my rental car. I would stay here again in a heartbeat! Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on September 27, 2025

Comfort Inn Fairbanks
1908 Chena Landings Loop
Fairbanks 99701
(907) 479-8080

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Denali National Park - The Road Lottery Weekend