Where to Stay in McCarthy, Alaska (+ a Guide to Visiting this Quirky, Remote Town)
September 22, 2026
If you’re wondering about where to stay when you visit Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, look no further! McCarthy Lodge is an incredible base for exploring America’s largest national park. They have a mix of lodging options, restaurants on site, and provide a unique and homey experience.
The town of McCarthy is easily one of my favorite towns that I’ve visited near the US national parks. The town has around 100 residents, with only about a quarter of them living in McCarthy year round. It’s a quirky town with a storied past. It was even featured in a reality show, Edge of Alaska.
The feeling of McCarthy is hard to describe. You’ll find friendly dogs roaming the streets, a quirky play in the local pub about the town’s founding, the option for fine dining without any pressure to dress up, and an overall energy of independence.
McCarthy feels like a tight knit community, and you’ll meet guides and seasonal workers from all over the US. They’ve all chosen to make the journey out to a remote part of Alaska to spend their summers enjoying nature. As someone who has really fallen in love with Alaska, it was really special to feel a part of this world for a few days.
This guide is based on my experience visiting Wrangell-St. Elias and staying at McCarthy Lodge in August 2025.
I was hosted by the McCarthy Lodge during this trip. As always, all opinions are still my own. Thank you to McCarthy Lodge for their generosity!
All About the McCarthy Lodge
As it is today, the McCarthy Lodge began operating in 2001. But their historic hotel, Ma Johnson’s, first opened in 1920. Five different buildings currently make up the lodge - two hotel buildings, and three houses that each offer something unique.
Ma Johnson’s Hotel is a living museum. It’s been restored to include period antiques from when the hotel was originally in operation. The rooms in Ma Johnson’s are cozy, and have shared bathrooms. However, most rooms include your own sink inside the room. The rooms also do not have outlets, but you can charge your devices in the lobby.
Each room at Ma Johnson’s is equipped with luxury mattresses, cozy bedding, fluffy towels, and thick robes. While the rooms and beds are small, it’s a cozy and comfortable space.
Be sure to spend some time admiring all of the antiques in the lobby of Ma Johnson’s. There’s a bookcase, vintage clocks, and more interesting items to discover.
Just down the road, you can also choose to stay at Lancaster’s Backpacker Hotel. This is a lower budget option, and provides a more basic and affordable option when compared to Ma Johnson’s. Lancaster’s has shared bathrooms, basic amenities, and a more social atmosphere.
For a more luxurious experience, check out their Ensuite Collection. There are three options of homes where you’ll have your own bathroom, luxury amenities, and a unique experience. They are the Rose House, the Bluebell and the Kate Kennedy House.
I stayed at the Kate Kennedy House (along with Ma Johnson’s Hotel) and had an amazing experience. The Kate Kennedy House is actually a 1920s Sears Catalogue home. The home was restored in 2022, and features several original period details, such as a working rotary phone, a Victrola record machine, and turn buckle that was used to adjust the house, and more. You could spend hours admiring all of the details in this home.
Another amazing touch to the Kate Kennedy House was the fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, which were sitting on the added patio when we arrived. I can’t say enough good things about the thoughtful details and historic touches in this home.
A stay at the McCarthy Lodge isn’t cheap, but that’s Alaska. If you’re able to splurge, I think that the Kate Kennedy House offers an incredible experience. It’s a peaceful stay that you’ll be sure to remember.
Overall, I had an amazing stay at both the Kate Kennedy House and Ma Johnson’s Hotel, and would recommend them to anyone visiting Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. While the park is incredible on its own, spending time in McCarthy makes it even more memorable.
Where to Eat in McCarthy
All of the room types at the McCarthy Lodge include a complementary breakfast. Breakfast is served buffet style and has a variety of hot items each morning, including french toast, hashbrowns, fresh fruit, orange juice, and more. It was delicious.
The McCarthy Lodge operates two restaurants, plus a general store that serves food too. First, you have their fine dining restaurant: Salmon & Bear.
Salmon & Bear
Salmon & Bear is an upscale restaurant that offers an award winning wine selection. In fact, they’ve received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence every year since 2020. They offer a rotating menu that focuses on local ingredients, and they excel in wine pairings.
I was lucky enough to visit while the restaurant was doing a collaboration with Port Chilkoot Distillery, whose team drove all the way from Haines. They created special cocktail pairings to go with each dish - an appetizer, salad, protein and dessert.
Check out my guide to Haines, Alaska. It’s my other favorite quirky small town in Alaska!
Highlights from the special dinner included a French 75 with elderflower liquor that balanced out the saltiness of the crostini with brie, a cocktail with fireweed collected locally, and an espresso martini made with rum paired with pistachio ice cream. It was a great night that really highlighted the feeling of community, collaboration and passion that makes McCarthy so special.
Despite it being fine dining, there is no expectation to dress up. You can come as you are after a day of adventure, which I loved!
New Golden Saloon
If you’re not up for fine dining, make sure to stop by The New Golden Saloon. It’s the spot where you’ll find many people hanging out in the evenings. They have live music, cold drinks, and even special performances, like the McCarthy Rose play.
I appreciated that they have multiple vegetarian entrees, and enjoyed the Mexicali Blues Bowl with corn fritters, black beans and more. This is a great casual spot to relax and enjoy a hearty meal.
The Potato
This restaurant is not owned by the McCarthy Lodge, but it’s another amazing spot in town. They serve all kinds of hearty and delicious dishes, including many that feature the potato. After two visits, my favorite menu item was easily the burrito (with fries in it). It was giant and delicious, making it perfect to share or to savor after a day of hiking!
McCarthy Center Store
The McCarthy Center Store is a convenient spot to buy a quick sandwich on the go. They have paninis that can be heated up, a small selection of grocery items, coffee and ice cream. Plus, they sell merchandise, including artwork, sweatshirts and more. This is also where you can buy Copper Town Shuttle tickets to get between McCarthy and Kennecott.
How to Get to McCarthy, Alaska
If you’re driving to McCarthy, you’ll need to drive on the infamous McCarthy Road. This is a 60-mile stretch of unpaved road with no services along the way. This road used to be known for countless popped tires, but it’s improved a lot in recent years. However, you’ll still want to come prepared.
Not all rental car companies allow you to drive on the McCarthy Road, so be sure to check ahead of time. I rented my car in Anchorage with Rent-a-Subaru, and they were great.
It’s suggested to come prepared for the drive with a full-size spare tire, the knowledge of how to change a tire, extra food and water and a full tank of gas. The area is remote and you need to be ready in case you get stuck. However, I did have service on Verizon for most of the drive.
The drive itself is beautiful and takes about 2 to 2.5 hours. I spent a day driving from Anchorage, which took about 7 hours total.
Pro Tip: Stop at the Wrangell-St. Elias Visitor Center in Copper Center along the way.
It’s important to know that when you arrive in the area, you can’t actually drive all of the way to McCarthy. You’ll need to park at one of the private lots, and cross the footbridge with your things. You’ll pay a small fee to park your car.
After that, you can take a shuttle to get to McCarthy. The Copper Town Shuttle is included with your stay at the McCarthy Lodge. It’s less than a mile to get between the footbridge and the town of McCarthy, so you can also walk if you’d like.
During your trip, you’ll also want to utilize the shuttle bus to get between McCarthy and Kennecott. Kennecott is your base for the Root Glacier, touring the historic Kennecott Mill, and more activities. There are also restaurants and a hotel available in Kennecott. Kennecott and McCarthy are located about 15-20 minutes apart.
You also have the option to skip the McCarthy Road and fly into McCarthy. If you’d like to fly, you’ll want to book a flight with Wrangell Mountain Air leaving from Chitina. To reach Chitina, it’s a 6 hour drive from Anchorage. These flights typically occur 3 times and a day between May and September. Wrangell Mountain Air also offers chartered flights from Anchorage and other cities around Alaska.
The Best Things To Do in McCarthy, Alaska
Here is a quick list of the best things to do in McCarthy and the surrounding national park! For more details, read my guide of the best things to do in Wrangell - St. Elias National Park.
- Watch the McCarthy Rose, a play that tells the story of the town’s history.
- Go on a flightseeing trip with Wrangell Mountain Air.
- Hike out to Root Glacier. If you’d like to walk onto the glacier, I recommend going on a guided adventure with St. Elias Alpine Guides. You can choose between multiple tours to explore the glacier, and can even try out ice climbing.
- Take an adventurous rafting trip to go deeper into the park.
- Take a tour of the Kennecott Mill.
Pro Tip: Bundle multiple tours with St. Elias Alpine Guides to save money!
Final Thoughts
I hope this guide helps you out if you’re considering a stay at the McCarthy Lodge, or if you have a stay booked and you’re wondering what to expect. Overall, I think that a trip to McCarthy and Wrangell-St. Elias is an adventure you’ll never forget. Whether you’re interested in spending time in a unique and remote area, or an outdoor enthusiast who wants to visit all of the national parks, you’ll have a great time here.
For more Alaska travel guides, check out my other blog posts:
- The Best Things To Do in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
- How to Take a Day Trip to Katmai National Park
- An Epic 7 Day Alaska Road Trip
- The Best Things To Do in Seward, Alaska
- A Guide to Visiting Matanuska Glacier
- A Guide to Visiting Denali National Park
- A Guide to the Denali Transit Bus
- The Best Things To Do in Haines
- How to Visit Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley
- How to Visit Glacier Bay National Park
- The Best Things To Do in Juneau
Thanks for Reading!
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