2 sites · Lodging3 acres · Mc Carthy, AKWe are located in a woodsy area of downtown McCarthy, centrally situated for access to the area's many adventures. The property is in town but this is a remote area and still feels quite off-the-beaten-path with the . This is our educational facility with a summer community of staff and volunteers.
NOTE: PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN BEDDING/SHEETS
Perks:
Affordably priced at $75/night. You will be centrally situated in downtown McCarthy, a central hub in the community with shuttle access to Kennicott. The WMC campus is also near to McCarthy Creek, just out of the range of most of the town commotion. But please note that on weekends there are typically bands playing in downtown, in the open air, and the music can go on into later hours. A stay at our guest housing is also a chance to get a closer, first-hand look at what we do at the WMC and to support our work and mission. Reduce your travel footprint...
Our primitive guest housing provides visitors with a low impact, affordable housing option centrally situated in the Kennicott-McCarthy valley.
Our guest housing is significantly less expensive than other local lodging, but please note that the WMC has limited resources, and we seek to run a minimalist and sustainable campus, as much as possible. The best way to reduce one’s footprint is simply to use less, so staying at our guest housing facilities is an effective exercise in sustainable travel lodging. You will get first hand experience in seeing our communal living situation where we utilize solar power, rainwater collection, and trash separation to reduce our footprint while also hosting science and art programs throughout the year and bringing community together.
Because this is a primitive lodging situation, please take note of the following:
There is no running water in the room.
There are no conventional shower/bathing facilities. We do have an outdoor shower stall where we use bucket showers (a 5 gallon bucket with a slow release valve) that you are welcome to! Shower stall faces Mccarthy creek and is built into a tree for a peaceful experience. Otherwise, we bathe in the Mccarthy swimming hole, a glacial pool a 15 minute walk from WMC with killer 360 mountain views.
We use outhouses, so there are no conventional flush toilets. We have plenty of TP stocked and an outdoor handwash sink.
You have access to kitchen areas, outside of our program hours. We have a beautiful 6 burner gas propane stove, and big kitchen loaded with spices, appliances, and lots of dishware. Guests are expected to do their own dishes please! We do have a small refrigerator and freezer and can set aside some space for personal items brought, please just let us know in advance to make shelf space!
We have a good solar system that generates plenty of solar-generated power for laptops, phones and other small personal electronics. So charging devices is no problem, but please note that you will not have an outlet in your room. We have power strips located in the classroom and library of the main building you are welcome to leave your devices to charge.
We also ask that you bring your own sheets/bedding to save on our resource use and support our efforts at a minimal footprint. We do not have the resource capacity (water and electricity) to do laundry at our facilities, so please bring a sheet and bedding/sleeping bag.
Also note that it is your responsibility to navigate to the Wrangell Mountains Center in downtown McCarthy. This can take some doing, and we are happy to provide tips and advice, but ultimately it is your responsibility to navigate to our facility and adequately prepare for the challenges of this remote area of Alaska. For example, there is no vehicle traffic in the town of McCarthy and all vehicle traffic ends at the Kennicott River, which is a 1 mile walk (or shuttle ride) from the Wrangell Mountains Center. There is a free shuttle in town that picks up from the footbridge and drops you right in front of WMC, and there is a 5 dollar shuttle that runs every hour as well. Please be prepared to leave your car parked across the river and carry your stuff in via shuttle!
In order to make the most of your time in this exceptional area, we recommend that you take a little extra time to research the area. WMC is located on the edge of town, so you will be able to walk on foot to the swimming hole or a restaurant, and we are happy to recommend hikes and walks in the area!
This is an ideal housing situation for someone who shares our commitment to sustainability and is interested in supporting our educational programs, our vision of sustainability and our mission of connecting people with wildlands.
Also visit wrangells.org/guest-housing for more info, and peruse our website for more on our mission and programs!
Potable water
Toilets
Trash
Cooking equipment
