Came here on our way to Denali. Our tour bus stopped by, and we grabbed some coffee. There's a nice…read moreoverlook of the area. The staff was super friendly and the coffee was reasonably priced.

Whenever we're driving up north, (or on the return journey) we stop in at Mary's for a bite. If you…read morehit lucky, you won't coincide with a tour bus, disgorging its contents. However when that has happened, it has never affected how quickly we've been served food. And it also provides great people-watching opportunities - if you enjoy such an activity. It's a rustic interior, there is bar seating, booths, and tables. The servers are very cheery, I've always found. On a clear day, there's great views of Denali from the patio deck, just outside of the dining room. The coffee is refilled often, and the food is pretty good. It's not fine dining, it's average diner food, but it is served pretty fast, and it's freshly made. Husband had pea soup on our last visit, which I must admit, it was really good, I opted for BLT and fries, and the fries here are always above average. Hot, crispy, and freshly made. I can't stand limp, lukewarm fries, and would give a bad rating if something like a simple French fry cannot be cooked perfectly. Conversely, if the rest of the meal were not so good, should there be some form of well-cooked potato, and wonderful service, I would still give a good rating. There's a nice gift shop here too, I usually have a browse, rarely make a purchase. The bathrooms are somewhat basic, but functional considering there's not too many options on this particular road. I imagine that folk who are staying at the 2 nearest campsites, probably frequent this place quite often, and coming back from Denali Village, after camping, checkout being around 10am, we usually arrive here at approximately lunchtime. It's a welcome stop on the way back to Anchorage.

Pros: great location. Several trails at the property are nice with choice of distances. Rooms are…read moreclean. Offering texting service which allows you to text any questions and they respond quickly. CONS: The place only offers wifi in lobby only. No hair dryer and parking may require some walking to your building. Restaurants may be full when you have only this location to go without driving an hour

This is a well run machine for the most part. Watch any bookings you do. Front desk booked wrong…read moretrip!!! Food in all locations is beyond good!! Only negative is a lot of the bus drivers ask " you want me to not narrate,"after day on the go people want to just chill and soak in the beautiful bus ride. Several of the drivers just could not understand the words " no narration " I guess I just wanted some peace and quiet.

Stunning, amazing, everything about it great. Views were gorgeous, views from room gorgeous. On…read moresite food was wonderful. Fireplace cozy. They let you borrow tubes for kids and snow shoes for hiking. I have to brag on the staff: friendly from the start. The older lady at the front desk so friendly to us, we had great conversation. The lady in the gift shop, super friendly. One of the managers Amanda heard our teen didn't have snow bibs so she went to her own home and let us borrow theirs. This is over the top. I look forward to staying here again.

Place is nasty, only hotel that makes you pay $6 for a small bottle of distilled water for you CPAP…read moremachine. Employees were unhelpful and breakfast was cold The only reason this place is still in business is because of the cruise lines that book it in their iternary.... And the location

While my stay started off well, it quickly deteriorated. I was under the impression that we were…read morebooking a hotel-like room; however, the owner had the freedom to enter my room while I was in bed and spoke to me in a condescending manner. This behavior is entirely unacceptable. If there are specific rules, they should be clearly posted or communicated to guests in advance. If children are not welcome, this should be explicitly stated in the advertisement. Under no circumstances should anyone walk into a guest's room uninvited, especially while they are in their pajamas, and criticize their parenting. My son was not being loud while warming up his food, even though it was late. Considering it's summer break and the sun stays up longer, it's unreasonable to expect children to follow a strict bedtime. I wish you all the best with your business, but I cannot recommend this place to anyone, life is too short to deal with this kind of non-sense. Avoid ruining your vacation with such an experience.

Very nice and quiet with a great location not too far from town. The owners are friendly and to…read moretheir credit attend to the property personally.

Great place to stop and view Denali. The entrance is kinda difficult to see so make sure you slow…read moredown as you approach as you turn into the area off a highway. Restrooms nearby. Very walkable and short trail takes you higher and gives you a better view of it all! Loved my time here on the way to Fairbanks.

Amazingly Beautiful! One of the many stops along the way to Fairbanks from Anchorage. This has to…read morebe my fave spot so far. The gorgeous landscape goes on for miles and miles. Definitely a must see if you're in the area. This place has 2 observation areas. Theres one just near the parking lot. And then theres a second one just a lil hike up the trail. The second one is where you'll get a better view of it all. So if you're nearby you gotta see this!!!!

Any vantage point to see Denali is always a special one. The second vantage point marked by the…read moreAlaska State Parks was here at the Denali Viewpoint North site. Any views prior to entering the National Park is always an exciting time, regardless of direction you're going. Majority of y'all will most likely be driving through here northbound on Alaska Highway 3 from Wasila / Anchorage. A handful would be driving south from Fairbanks while others will be coming from other remote parts of the state. Regardless of how you get here, do get here before venturing into the Denali National Park itself. Also check out the Denali Viewpoint South as well. The Denali North View point is basically a stretch of Real estate that is off the main highway, which is best to look at the mountain from a far. It's always nice to have this kind of look out space along the road because tourists like me like to look at that kind of stuff. I'm sure locals also like to pull off to the side of the road here and look at it while driving to and from Anchorage or Fairbanks from here. Luckily for me and everyone else who visits here, there is restroom facilities near the parking lot, so you can make a pitstop call sightseeing here at the Denali North viewpoint location while enjoying the scenery. For the most part though, I would probably commit no more than 2 hours here just staring and admiring the Alaskan range and Denali herself. I probably spent about an hour looking through those large, bulky binoculars and walked on that small little trail to see where the path lead to. The lookout point was nice, but nowhere near the spectacular views once you are inside the National park. Just saying. The overall experience here at the Denali North Viewpoint was as breathtaking as you can get, while not getting too worked up on viewing the Alaskan mountain range and Denali herself. You will see Denali in the distance, since she is usually covered in snow year round and the rest of the mountain range isn't. You can tell when you are in the area in the spring and summer months. With that said, it was a very nice rest spot for anyone and everyone who comes through the area on their way to Denali National Park. If you come this far, you might as well go and see Denali National park anyway. It's in your destiny to do so for sure! The Denali North Viewpoint is located at 29161 N Parks Highway in the rural areas outside borders of Denali National Park., but you're still in Talkeetna, Alaska. This little Inlet doesn't not charge admission fee at all, although Alaska State Parks owns the surrounding area around the Denali National park and is probably subjected to user fees. However, I did not see anyone collecting fees upon entering or exiting the Viewpoint. So, technically my visit here is free. Yay! The parking here is pretty good, having spaces for maybe 15-20 cars at a time. Come any time, I'm sure there's more than enough parking at any given time. For the most part though, having this view point to see Denali in all her majesty was very cool. It was nice to learn about the other mountains in the Alaskan range via informational signage that was distributed throughout the area. It was interesting to identify which peaks are part of the Alaska range and which one is Denali, although i didn't get it right till some random somebody told me where she is. It was definitely a place to stop by in and a place where the sign had piqued my curiosity while driving up Alaska Highway 3. While it may not seem like much as just a scenic point along a highway, it's always a good place just to stop and admire nature. It's a great thing to be able to get out of the urban jungle and see Denali from afar here. Bathe in nature's grandeur and you will be blessed immensely. I would like to think that I was blessed that day too. I would like to recommend making the time to come here while making the trek to the Denali National Park. It's all part of the experience that you may find exhilarating and very much spiritual in nature. I would definitely recommend coming here and I hope you will have a fun time here exploring / discovering what Denali can offer you. Check it out! It's free to the public! 5.0 stars for the overall experience. While it's just a scenic lookout, it's always a mirror into mother nature's soul. Support local! A

I loved the view I definitely would come back! I'm from Phoenix Arizona where it's always 100…read moredegrees + so getting a little break helps a lot! Staying out social until I'm ready again I have so much going on. Good bless!

This is a clean and well-run campground with some excellent hiking and walking directly adjacent to…read morethe facilities. The tent sites are well laid out and nicely appointed with grass-covered tent sites, bear-proof food lockers, and a picnic table. The pit toilets were the cleanest I've ever seen.

Spot #20 great for RV, any length and there's a pad for up ti two tents, PLENTY of room. 50 amp,…read morefirewood at entrance, if they had sewer and water it'd be 5 star! spots are super private and very well spaced. for some reason, the self serve/self pump eater spigots were closed and covered. Talkeetna was a great day trip in the toad!

5 star for a primitive camping site. They do offer bathrooms, picnic area. They have a fire ring at…read moreeach site and a table. There is a hand pimp where you may get your own freshwater. The park is based on honesty system. There's a small drop box to ask you to please deposit the correct amount of money. The sites also very short walk from a nice River. I didn't see any animals there but I saw a big pile of moose poop and moose tracks.

This is an access point for Kesugi Ridge. It's a trail with views of Denali and the Alaska Range…read more Here are some key stats: - - - There is no pay station at this site (as of June 2021). Something to consider when planning an out and back backpacking trip or a loop. - - - The trail is 3.7 miles. - - - There is a group camping spot on a lake at the end of the 3.7 miles. - - - The group camp is at the intersection of the Kesugi Trail that heads South to Byers Lake or North to Little Coal Creek. The parking lot at this trailhead doesn't appear to have anything except a sign. If you walk about 25 yards you'll come to a notice board. Another 10-15 yards last that and there is an outhouse. Beyond that, just trees, plants, streams, and the trail. Overall, I would estimate there to be about 1500-2000 feet of elevation between the beginning and the end. The trail does go down a little ways before heading back up.

This is how you access one of the most famous backpacking trips in Alaska: Kesugi Ridge…read more There are numerous trailheads that access the route, this the first. Calling it a "ridge" is a bit extremely, it's more like a long, flatish hill. Its claims to fame is the jaw-dropping views of Denali, Moose's Tooth, and Broken Tooth. Other things you can do here: Car camp, right next to your car. Backcountry camp ~1 mile from your car. Rent cabins. (even in winter) Canoe in the lake. This is a great place to get out of your car and get some fresh air. It is WAY less crowded than Denali National Park and the views are nearly just as good.

Great campgrounds, great history, fun hiking trails, you can eat almost everything! Take a guided…read moretour, its very much worth it!