The Interior is the reason most people have Alaska on a list at all. It contains Denali, the highest mountain in North America, and Fairbanks, which sits under the auroral oval and is the most reliable place in the United States to see the northern lights. It is also the region with by far the deepest hotel demand: nine of the twelve most-searched Alaska hotels are here, from Borealis Basecamp near Fairbanks at around 5,300 searches a month to the cluster of lodges at the Denali park entrance. Continental climate rather than coastal, which means colder winters, warmer summers and, critically for aurora, far clearer skies than the coast.

The gateways, and what each one is for

Denali

Not a town but a cluster of lodges at the park entrance, plus a handful of genuinely in-park lodges 90 miles down the park road at Kantishna. The entrance cluster is where almost all the beds are and where every cruise land tour stops. Understand the distinction before booking: entrance lodges are convenient, in-park lodges are the actual wilderness experience.

Fairbanks

The Interior’s only real city and the aurora capital of the United States, at about 1,200 hotel searches a month. City-centre hotels are practical bases for day trips but too bright for aurora; the dark-sky properties sit 25 to 60 miles out.

Talkeetna

A small, deliberately eccentric town two and a half hours north of Anchorage, and the departure point for Denali flightseeing and glacier landings. The classic stop for breaking the Anchorage to Denali drive.

Hotels and lodges in this region

Reviews we have published in this region, ordered by how much they are searched for.

Borealis Basecamp, Fairbanks

Clear-roofed domes north of Fairbanks built for watching the aurora from bed. The most-searched aurora property in Alaska.

Chena Hot Springs Resort

Natural hot springs, an ice museum and dark Interior sky, 60 miles north-east of Fairbanks.

Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

The largest complex at the park entrance and the standard Princess land-tour base.

Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge

Full-service lodge on the Chena River, the Interior anchor for cruise land tours.

McKinley Chalet Resort

The Holland America property at the Denali entrance, on the Nenana beside the canyon.

Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

Hillside lodge with one of the best long-range Denali views of any hotel in the state.

Sheldon Chalet, Ruth Glacier

A five-room chalet on a rock outcrop inside the Ruth Glacier amphitheatre, helicopter access only.

Westmark Fairbanks

The downtown Fairbanks workhorse and long-standing land-tour base.

Grande Denali Lodge

The hillside option at the park entrance, higher than the rest and the one with the views.

See the full set in Alaska hotels by type.

Getting around

The George Parks Highway links Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali and Fairbanks, and is a straightforward drive: Anchorage to Denali is about five hours, Denali to Fairbanks a further two. The Alaska Railroad runs the same corridor and is the more relaxed option, particularly Talkeetna to Denali. Inside Denali National Park private vehicles are restricted beyond mile 15, so the park shuttle buses are the only way deeper in, and they book out well ahead for the summer.

When to go

The Interior has two completely separate seasons and almost no overlap. Summer, roughly mid-May to mid-September, is when the Denali park road, the entrance lodges and the land tours operate at all; most of them close entirely outside it. Aurora season runs roughly late August to mid-April, peaking September to March, and is centred on Fairbanks. Late August and early September are the narrow window where you can have both, which is why they are the hardest weeks to book.

Keep planning

• Denali lodges compared
• Fairbanks and the Interior
• Best hotels for aurora viewing
• Alaska aurora season guide
• Alaska in winter

Or step back to where to stay in Alaska for all four regions.