Kantishna Roadhouse

When the Pretty Rocks Landslide—a climate change-induced menace that’s been active since the 1960s in Denali National Park & Reserve—cut off half of the main park road in August 2021, hard times befell some of Alaska’s most beloved backcountry lodges. Jordan Sanford, the Upper Tanana Athabascan general manager of the stunning Kantishna Roadhouse, the only Indigenous owned and operated lodge in the park, says the property’s business operations were still in recovery from the pandemic when the road closure devastated them. With everything along the 92-mile Denali Park Road suddenly isolated after mile 43, the 32-cabin roadhouse pivoted to a fly-in-only model. (The road is expected to remain closed through at least 2026.) “The stay is [now] more expensive and logistically challenging,” says Sanford. “It’s very costly to operate in remote Alaska with no road access.” But the trip is well worth it for an astounding experience in the Alaskan wilderness. Kantishna recently even introduced a fly-in day trip option that includes panning for gold in Moose Creek and lunch at the lodge. The road closure, which also impacted Camp Denali and Denali Backcountry Lodge, is expected to remain in place through summer 2026, according to the NPS website, though some locals suspect it may last longer.

The silver lining: the shutdown has made the experience of being in Denali even more special thanks to drastically reduced visitor numbers in remote reaches of the park. Guests who make the trek have an entire place more or less to themselves, Sanford says. “You may not see any other people in the backcountry, on the trails, or at the iconic Wonder Lake,” she adds. “There’s usually multiple tour buses with hundreds of people in the backcountry. Now with only three lodges in operation and each with limited occupancy, it truly is an exclusive experience.”

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