Denali National Park is a lot of things. It’s huge, beautiful, natural, wild, raw, breathtaking – and very far from most anything. There are no hotel chains here, so staying at the Dome Home Bed & Breakfast didn’t earn me any stay credits with any points program – but it did earn me some American miles. How? Sites like Pointshound and Rocketmiles are GREAT for earning points in far-flung places – sign up if you haven’t already. There are some gems on there for boutique hotel and B&B bookings like this one that will still earn you miles! I always checked Rocketmiles for every booking I make, just to see what’s available. And everyone should absolutely see Alaska someday, points or no. It is gorgeous!

I settled on the Dome Home after seeing that I could still earn miles for booking at that it was located near to Denali in Healy, Alaska – only a 30-minute drive from the northern entrance to the park. They also had a brewery I wanted to visit, and it was a 15-minute drive from a tourist oasis where there were restaurants, shops, grocery stores, and gas stations in case we needed anything “for the road.”

We made the drive up from ANC, which was so beautiful. We stopped several times to snap photos off the highway and take in the nature unfolding around us. After a few hours, we arrived in Healy.

The Dome Home

This B&B is a modular home that was put together piece by piece to form a dome. It affords 360-degree long range views of the surrounding mountains and nature. It’s extremely peaceful, but doesn’t feel far from anything you’d might need. And it’s a great base for exploring Denali on day hikes.

My first impression was that it looked small from the outside. Once inside however, the enormity of the place revealed itself. This home is four floors and easily accommodates 20 or more people a night. We had the very top room with skylights.

The room

Our room was, like the entire house, very “Alaska.” Lots of little rustic touches here and there as well as some cheeky nods to the environment.

The bed was super comfortable, and, being on the top floor, was very warm. Having the skylights was a nice touch. The only strange thing was that were was a window over the bed directly into the bathroom. I was fine with it, but some people might be put off. You can see right into the bathroom from the bedroom.

Breakfast was included with the room. There were snacks and tea out all day for everyone, and each morning, the host got up and cooked hot breakfast. There were pancakes, eggs, and bacon as well as cereal, pastries, yogurts, and fresh fruits. And of course lots of coffee – everything you’d need to get your day started for Denali.

Overall

I didn’t expect to love the Dome Home  B&B as much as I did.

I would stay there again in a second. There aren’t many options on the north side of Denali if you don’t want to stay at a Princess resort, and this one seemed to be the best (and friendliest) of the bunch.

As a side note, the brewery in town has an amazing selection of food and drinks (especially beer, obvi), and we loved driving around the town before and after visiting the park. The hosts are great, and the rooms are spacious. Stay on the top floor if you can – it has the skylights, and in the winter, you can lay in bed and look up at the Northern Lights.

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