By the Best Mountain Hotels editorial team ·
Alyeska Resort is Alaska's great mountain resort, a grand, château-style hotel at the foot of Mount Alyeska in the Chugach Mountains, about 40 miles from Anchorage. It is the state's largest ski area, famous for its deep snow and views over Turnagain Arm, and it is open all year: in winter for skiing and northern lights, in summer for hiking, glaciers and the aerial tram to a mountain-top restaurant. It is the easiest way to experience the Alaskan mountains in comfort.
Alyeska Resort is Alaska's great mountain resort, a grand, château-style hotel at the foot of Mount Alyeska in the Chugach Mountains, about 40 miles from Anchorage. It is the state's largest ski area, famous for its deep snow and views over Turnagain Arm, and it is open all year: in winter for skiing and northern lights, in summer for hiking, glaciers and the aerial tram to a mountain-top restaurant. It is the easiest way to experience the Alaskan mountains in comfort.
Location: Girdwood, Alaska
Girdwood is a small, laid-back mountain town in a valley ringed by glaciers, a scenic drive south of Anchorage along Turnagain Arm, one of the most beautiful coastal roads in America, where beluga whales and Dall sheep are often spotted. The hotel sits at the base of Mount Alyeska, beside the lifts.
The drive from Anchorage airport takes around 45 minutes to an hour, and the town makes a good base for day trips: Portage Glacier, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and the scenic railway towards Whittier and Seward are all within easy reach.
Rooms at Alyeska Resort
The hotel has around 300 rooms and suites in a striking, steep-roofed building at the foot of the slopes, many with views of the mountain or the valley. Signature rooms have been renovated with a warm, contemporary mountain style, and the top-floor Black Diamond Club offers upgraded rooms and a private lounge.
Families are well served, with a range of room sizes, and because the hotel sits right beside the lifts and the tram, it is easy to pop back between ski runs or hikes.
Facilities at Alyeska Resort
The hotel has a saltwater lap pool and a large hot tub, and next door, the Alyeska Nordic Spa is one of the highlights of a stay: a 50,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor spa with hot and cold pools, saunas and steam rooms, surrounded by forest and particularly magical when snow is falling.
A 40-passenger aerial tram climbs to 2,300 feet, where Seven Glaciers, a AAA Four Diamond restaurant, looks out over seven hanging glaciers and Turnagain Arm. The ski area covers around 1,600 acres, with 76 named runs, more than 2,500 feet of lift-served vertical and an average of over 600 inches of snow a year at the summit, much of it steep and challenging. In summer, there are hiking and biking trails, including the popular Winner Creek Trail.
The mountain moment
The defining moment is riding the tram up on a clear winter evening, watching the lights of Girdwood fall away below, then sitting down to dinner at Seven Glaciers as the last light fades over the glaciers and Turnagain Arm. On the right night, the northern lights may even appear over the peaks.
The next morning, after a powder day on the mountain, sink into the outdoor pools of the Nordic Spa as the snow falls through the spruce trees.
Why Alyeska Resort is one of the best mountain hotels
Alyeska earns its place because it makes the Alaskan mountains accessible. Most of the state's great lodges are fly-in and cost thousands of dollars a day, but Alyeska is an hour's drive from Anchorage, open all year and affordable by comparison, with rates often from around $200 a night outside peak times. It combines genuinely big-mountain skiing with a superb spa and one of the best restaurant settings in America.
It makes a perfect start or finish to a trip that includes a fly-in lodge such as Ultima Thule Lodge or Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, or a northern lights stay at Borealis Basecamp.
When to go to Alyeska Resort
The ski season usually runs from about December to mid-April, with spring skiing in March and April, when days are long and the snow is still deep. The aerial tram also runs in summer, from about late May to September, when the trails are open and days stretch to 20 hours of light. Winter, from December to March, brings the best chance of northern lights, while late summer offers berries, wildflowers and the salmon runs.
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Questions, answered
- How far is Alyeska Resort from Anchorage?
- Alyeska Resort is about 40 miles south of Anchorage, roughly 45 minutes to an hour by car along the scenic Seward Highway beside Turnagain Arm.
- Is Alyeska ski-in ski-out?
- Yes. The hotel sits at the base of Mount Alyeska beside the lifts and the aerial tram, so you can ski to and from the door.
- When is ski season at Alyeska?
- Skiing usually runs from about December to mid-April, with long, bright spring days in March and April.
- Can you see the northern lights at Alyeska?
- Sometimes. Girdwood is further south than Fairbanks, so displays are less frequent, but clear winter nights can bring the aurora over the mountains.
