The McCarthy Lodge Resort: Vintage, Historic Stays in Wrangell-St Elias NP

Getting to visit McCarthy, Alaska is pretty special, and even a lot of Alaskans have never made the trek. When you get there, the McCarthy Lodge Resort is the primary place to stay in town, and it’s a really fun place with old-Alaska vibes and lots of history. Staying at the Ma Johnson Hotel feels like a step back in time, while the Rose House Hotel next door is great for families, as any converted bordello should be. The McCarthy Lodge Resort is a really fun sort of Alaska stay that’s both unique and gives you a story to tell when you’re done.

We’ve got the full scoop on staying at both Ma Johnson’s Hotel and the Rose House Hotel, including tips to make your visit to McCarthy a fun one. If you have any questions about visiting McCarthy and Wrangell-St Elias National Park, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great Alaska trip!

What Make the McCarthy Lodge Resort so Cool

There aren’t a lot of options for where to stay in McCarthy or Kennicott, but even if there were I think getting to stay at one of the properties that are a part of the McCarthy Lodge Resort is pretty great. Alaska doesn’t have a ton of historic properties, so it’s a treat when your accommodations are full of stories and character. And yes, before you ask, while I don’t believe in ghosts, I do think there’s something up with Ma Johnson’s Hotel. I’ll tell you a little more about it below, but it felt a little haunted in the same way that the Historic Anchorage Hotel felt haunted. It felt historic, but also a little vibey.

Besides that though, the Ma Johnson Hotel really is a fun place to stay. The rooms are not big; they’re vintage in a way that adds to visiting McCarthy. The hotel building creaks just right, in a way that you hope for when you walk through the halls. The quiet of the lobby makes for a nice place to relax and play cards, but also feels like you might be waiting for an old-timey miner fight over a claim to break out in the street. Basically, getting to stay at Ma Johnson’s Hotel really does feel like you’re in another time. The same goes for the small, less assuming Rose House Hotel next door.

From the outside it just seems like an old house and its colors match the larger hotel, but then when you enter it’s clear that there’s something different about this building. You come into a hallway with doors on both sides, and each door leads to a room with just a bed. You know, like you see in old west or historic movies about the Alaska gold rush where there is a scene in a bordello (cat house / whore house / call it what you want). Given its history, the Rose House is actually a really great place to stay for a family. Behind each red door (very on-theme) is a vintage room with mining photos and pictures of the historic figures of McCarthy. It’s a fun place to stay with great character.

Book the Ma Johnson or Rose House Hotel here!

Vintage Charm in McCarthy’s Old Mining Hotels

For most people coming to McCarthy, Alaska, they’re ready for something a bit more rough than you’ll get in Anchorage or at Denali National Park. To get here, you have to drive 60 miles on a gravel highway for two hours and then you have to cross a river on foot, and then it’s a shuttle on a dusty gravel road. To get here, you’re already roughing it a bit. Framing you stay at the McCarthy Lodge Resort with a journey just to get here, once you arrive at the Ma Johnson Hotel or the Rose House, you’ll be glad to be in classy, vintage accommodations and you’ll just accept that it’s not modern, because it’s warm and quirky with an historic feel.

At the Ma Johnson Hotel, there are not plugs in the rooms, and the rooms do not have their own bathrooms. Remember, this is an historic mining era hotel that accommodated copper miners visiting from nearby Kennicott in the early 1900s. They didn’t have a bunch of devices to plug in and they were content with there being some plumbing onsite. At the Ma Johnson, there are some plugs available for guests to charge devices in the lobby, but not in the guest rooms. And while the rooms have sinks in them, they do not have full bathrooms, so throughout the hotel there are several water closets and full bathrooms.

At the Rose House Hotel, it’s a much smaller building and is set up more for a group or a family visiting McCarthy. There are four bedrooms and a full bathroom with both a back and front porch. There are more outlets in the Rose House, but it’s still not modernized like many people might expect. The rustic, vintage charm of both properties is what makes staying at the McCarthy Lodge Resort so special.

Is the Ma Johnson Hotel Haunted?

So, if you’re into ghosts and haunting, you can let yourself be taken away with the stories of the Ma Johnson Hotel, but I’m not into it. In talking with a few people around town they shared their thoughts and experiences, and let’s just say that there are some strong feelings. We did have a weird moment though where at 12:30 am our hotel door opened quickly and there was nobody there and no one in the hall, no footsteps or any people around. Bizarre and it took us a while to get back to sleep. When I told the staff about it the next morning, their faces said “Yep, sounds right. Right time of night, right room for that to happen…” Creeped me out, but some people LOVE that.

McCarthy Lodge Resort Amenities

Part of staying at the McCarthy Lodge Resort is that you have some wonderful inclusions while you’re here. Because you cannot drive yourself into town (more on that below) use of the Copper Town Shuttle is included with your stay. This is the shuttle that will pick you up at the Kennicott River footbridge, that will bring you to the hotel, and that takes guests up into the town of Kennicott (where the mill and glacier trail are) and the main access point to Wrangell-St Elias National Park sites. This is usually a fee per day for visitors not staying at the McCarthy Lodge Resort, so that’s a nice added-value.

Also, breakfast is included daily in the Salmon & Bear dining room at the lodge. It’s a nice breakfast spread with fresh baked pastries, eggs, meats, juice and everything else you’d expect. There are some other options in town too (see below), but the provided daily breakfast is nice.

Dining Options in McCarthy and Kennicott

Visiting McCarthy and Kennicott really is stepping away from it all. There are just a few dining options in either town, so you’re not going to be torn nightly by the decision about where to eat. When you’re staying at the McCarthy Lodge Resort your breakfast is included, but you can also walk down the street to the Potato, which is delicious. For lunch, you have a few more options including the Golden Saloon, the McCarthy Mercantile Cafe, the Kennicott Glacier Lodge dining room and Meatza (both in Kennicott) and then again, the Potato back in McCarthy. Dinner is available at the Golden Saloon, the Salmon & Bear, the Potato, and the Kennicott Glacier Lodge dining room.

Is there WiFi or Cell Service in McCarthy?

Ooh, that’s a good question. There is no cell service in McCarthy from the time you get through Chitina on the Edgerton Highway and all along the McCarthy Road. There IS wifi at the hotel and in the Golden Saloon, and then also at the McCarthy Mercantile & Cafe. Some people love how disconnected it is when you get here, and others feel too remote. I didn’t mind not having a cell signal and only checking my phone every now and then. I LOVED not having any television anywhere. That was a nice, refreshing break.

Getting to the McCarthy Lodge Resort

As you know now, the town of McCarthy sits beyond the end of a 60 mile gravel road. You need a rental car that’s approved for the gravel roads of Alaska (we use GoNorth Alaska Rentals) and you need to be sure that the tank is full before you leave the town of Chitina at the west end of the McCarthy Road. When you get to the end (do not follow Google Maps) you’ll park your car, get out your luggage and load it onto a wagon, then walk across the Kennicott River footbridge where the Copper Town Shuttle will pick you up. They’ll drive you the rest of the way into town and drop you off at the McCarthy Lodge Resort. You can check in at the front desk in the Ma Johnson Hotel and then you’re set!

Book the Ma Johnson or Rose House Hotel here!