Fireweed Mountain Lodge - Bonzana Cabin

Adjacent to the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve on the West side of McCarthy at Mile 59 of the McCarthy Road, our spacious cabin offers a convenient home base for your visit to the area. Out your front door, you can explore the natural wonders of the mountains and glaciers, raft the rivers that surround us, satisfy your curiosity by learning about early 1900s mining history in nearby Kennecott and engage with our vibrant summer community.

The Space:
Our cabin is a large, stout log constructed and is intentionally situated to offer you stunning mountain views through its large windows or while you enjoy sitting on the front deck. You can spread out in this private, 320-square-foot cabin! It is comfortably furnished with a futon couch (the futon opens to a queen bed; the mattress has inner springs) and dining table and chairs on the main floor, plus a queen platform bed in the cozy sleeping loft. We provide you with 900-count cotton sheets, an extra warm comforter, pillows, and plush towels for your use.

Our property has an outdoor kitchen and a large fire ring where you can enjoy the magical and changing light cast on Fireweed Mountain and the Bonanza, Erie, and Jumbo mines resting on yet another mountain ridge that once held the largest known copper deposit in the world. Bathrooms with shower facilities are located a short walk from your cabin. Please carefully read the details about this cabin and our property below.

Guest Access:
Check-in is from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. We ask that you please communicate your estimated arrival time close to the day of your arrival via text, cell, or email. We will greet you upon arrival to show you to your cabin. On the rare occasion, we are not able to meet you upon arrival, we will communicate this to you and make alternate arrangements for you to settle into your cabin.

Other Details to Note:
McCarthy is off-the-grid and unincorporated, and we want to detail what that means for your experience of our cabin and property:

Bathroom location and use: Bathrooms with shower are located a short walk from your cabin. They are located on the ground level of the two-story green house on the property. Bathrooms have private exterior access. We service bathrooms daily and generally assign them per guest party. Bathrooms are available for your use typically from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. If you need an alternative schedule, please pre-arrange times during check-in. Outhouses are available for your use during off-generator hours.

We set specific hours for bathroom use because the water system on our property is powered by a gasoline-fueled generator. This means that our water system (including showers, flush toilets, and sinks) works only when the generator is running. Please only use the bathrooms and showers during the designated hours when the generator is running.

Cooking and food storage: A guest-shared, covered outdoor cooking area is available for use. This area is equipped with a three-burner propane stove, basic cookware, dishes, enamel mugs, utensils, dish soap, and paper towels. Water from our well is provided for drinking, cooking, and washing (our well water is safe for drinking–and delicious!). We service the outdoor cooking area at least once daily. Our property is adjacent to the Wrangell St Elias National Park and Preserve, home to wild animals, including bears. We ask that you please clean up well after food preparation. We require that guests not store coolers, trash, and other scented items, such as soaps, outside the cabin or leave them unattended on the property.

Garbage: We request that you please pack out all of your trash when you check out. Trash disposal services are extremely limited in our area.

Electricity: Is not available in your cabin. This means there is no lighting in your cabin, and you will not be able to charge devices, run CPAP or BiPAP machines, or access electricity in your cabin to use or charge other items. We request that you please plan accordingly for your visit. Many of our visitors carry small charging devices and/or use their vehicles to charge their cellphones.

Parking: We have on-site parking, a short walk from your cabin.

Ask us about bicycles available for use.

Neighborhood Description:

We are located on the Westside of McCarthy at Mile 59 of the McCarthy Road. If you are driving here, you can access our property from the McCarthy Road and park your car on our property. If you are flying here, you can take a shuttle van to the footbridge and walk less than a mile to our property or we can also pick you up at the footbridge with one of our ATVs.

The McCarthy-Kennecott area boasts several highly reputed food and drink establishments, a thriving art, music, and science community, as well as a number of celebrations and happenings throughout the summer, including weekly live music, open mic, and trivia nights, art showings, yoga classes, storytelling events, and celebrations! Ask us what will be happening when you are visiting the area. We think the Lonely Planet described McCarthy well in this way, “Alaska doesn't lack isolated frontier towns that act as magnets for a colorful cast of folk who want to live away from everything, and nor does it suffer a paucity of tourist destinations. But it's a rare place that manages to bridge the gap between these two identities – a spot that is authentically on the edge of civilization yet welcomes those curious folk who want to peep in on the raw, wild pulse of the Alaskan bush. Enter McCarthy.”

Getting around
When you are ready to explore the surrounding area, you can access the West Kennecott Glacier Trailhead just steps away from our property. The footbridge, a landmark and pick-up place for shuttle vans and guided tours, is located 0.7 miles from our property. Getting into McCarthy town is an easy, picturesque 1.5-mile walk, bike, or ATV ride over the footbridge–you can also get a shuttle van from the footbridge into town. Kennecott mine town is an additional 4.5 miles beyond McCarthy. Shuttle van service to Kennecott is available from the footbridge or McCarthy town; if you prefer to walk, bike, or ride your ATV, you may choose to make your way up (or down) the old wagon road where you will pass the old Kennecott Cemetery. Try combining a hike with a shuttle ride along the old wagon road!

Additional Rules:
No smoking.
No pets; verified service animals welcome with advance arrangements
Pack out all trash upon departure.
Clean the outdoor kitchen area soon after food preparation to avoid baiting animals.
Coolers, trash, and scented items (e.g. soaps) cannot be left outside the cabin or unattended.
Candles, incense, or other open flame sources are not permitted inside cabins or on the cabin deck.
Children must be supervised at all times when the outdoor fire pit is in use.
Please remove your shoes before entering the cabins.

Mutual Understandings:

Occupancy: While our cabins are spacious, our prices and listing are for a 1-2 person cabin occupancy. If you are travelling together with more than 2 people, we ask that you please contact us to determine if we can meet your needs for additional people and if our property is a fit for you and your travelling companions/family members. If you are traveling with more than two people and would like to make a reservation, a $100 surcharge per extra person, per night payable in cash or electronic transfer upon arrival. If you arrive with more than 2 people without prior arrangements, your reservation will be cancelled with explanation for the cancellation provided as stated directly to VRBO. No exceptions will be made.

Animals: While we love animals, we do not allow pets apart from verified service animals on our property. Please contact us in advance if you are planning to bring your service animal with you. Note there is a $100 surcharge per service animal that must be paid prior to check-in in cash or via electronic transfer. If you arrive with a pet or service animal without prior notification, your reservation will be cancelled with explanation for the cancellation provided as stated directly to VRBO.

Comfort: Our cabin is a ‘summer only’ rental. The interior temperature of the cabin will vary depending on the weather and outside temperatures – early summer can be warm and later summer can be chilly. We want you to have a comfortable experience during your stay! Knowing this, if you are visiting in later summer, please do come prepared with warm gear, as we do not provide a heater for your cabin. The stove in the cabin is not for guest use.