McCarthy Lodge Resort — Attraction in Alaska

I won the Travel Guide Book prize for a stay at McCarthy, Alaska - three nights at the Kate Kennedy House, a round of drinks at the Golden Saloon, dinners each night at the Golden Saloon/Salmon & Bear, a ride in a vintage automobile, plus a welcome to McCarthy bottle of wine. My husband & I planned an Alaskan vacation around this prize (we also did the Alaskan Railroad excursion to Denali) and were at McCarthy from June 23rd to June 26th. McCarthy, Alaska is probably a place we would not have thought to go to except for having won this prize, but we had a wonderful time there! ||The Kate Kennedy house was comfortable and a fun place to stay, with a lovely large sunroom and backyard area, a comfortable living room area with vintage furnishings, and the most comfortable bed we slept in during our Alaska stay! There was also a small upstairs bedroom that we did not use. Having the Victrola and the various 78 records and the stereoscope viewer was very entertaining. Our bottle of wine was accompanied by a picnic basket with delicious cookies! We had questions about how to use the wood burning stove and got immediate assistance by using the hotel front desk phone - the person who responded came over immediately to show us what to do. The nights were a bit chilly but the stove worked great - we were very comfortable. The Golden Saloon was fun, it was very busy our first night there. We ate at the Salmon and Bear the next two nights and the food there was amazing! Breakfast was included as well, and it was very good, not at all like your usual hotel breakfast. We had lunch at The Potato one afternoon and the food there was nice too. We liked the mercantile shop and picked up some souvenirs to bring back home. Our prize also included a flightseeing trip with Wrangell Mountain Air and it worked out so well - we got to see the glaciers and mountain ranges in a way you would never otherwise be able and the ride was so smooth it felt like we were floating! ||Everyone we dealt with was friendly and took time to answer any questions we had. The history museum was very interesting and the museum staff were informative and happy to talk about the history of the town. We got to meet Neil Darish at the Salmon & Bear as he helped out staff and circulated with all the guests. It was obvious that he and everyone there cared a lot about the town and making visitors feel welcome. We were not there for the Thursday music night but we could tell that was a weekly highlight. On our last morning there we got a ride to the footbridge via an antique Cadillac LaSalle, so we left town in style!||I would recommend staying at the Kate Kennedy House - it is a...

We stayed in room 1. Don’t. I wouldn’t even stay upstairs if you could . I don’t know where the rooms are that are shown on the web site but they sure weren’t like our room. The room has a full size bed and was so small that 2 people couldn’t even pass each other. No room for luggage except in the walk way to get into the bed. One of the upstairs bathrooms was behind the head of the bed. Could hear people peeing all night. The window faced the street. Heard people all night, leaving the bar, sitting on the porch whispering at 3 am. Bathrooms down the halls 3-4 of them. Downstairs bedrooms had sinks in room with showers/toilets down the halls I would stay in a room with the twin beds. More room, not cramped No electricity in any of the bedrooms. They have some charging ports in the lobby. Bring a portable battery. Staff is outstanding, food across the street is great. Location is outstanding. There is a walk from the parking lot to town as you can’t drive there. We were Lucky that the shuttle bus was there when we walked our luggage across. The people that came in the next day had no idea what to do (they were told nothing ) no shuttle bus waiting so they hauled their bags...

Ma Johnson’s in McCarthy in many ways is the quintessential Alaskan experience. You’re isolated in a beautiful, very remote backcountry wilderness with a bunch of adventurers and loners. The nearest proper town is well over 100 miles (Including over 60 miles of very sketchy road) away, so you’re left with the bare bones basics - a couple of places to eat, a couple of places to sleep, and a vast landscape to explore. The employees of Ma Johnson’s - from seasonal to local - were all friendly, helpful, and inviting. They gave us a good amount of information about the area and were accommodating with our changing itinerary. It’s amazing how much they offered with apparently so few resources. They served us a great complimentary breakfast every morning; they had a bunch of happy house dogs to greet us; they offered a fun night life with a talented live band. When you break the world down into its most basic elements, you have McCarthy, and Ma Johnson’s embodies the soul...