Rose’s Cafe is very much a local’s spot — largely because out-of-towners don’t venture this far from the park (it’s about 11 miles from the entrance to Denali). This no-frills space in Healy delivers supersized portions of whatever egg, breakfast meat, and carb comfort food combination your heart desires. Rose’s also serves a variety of burgers and sandwiches (they close at 2 p.m.). It’s fast, it’s easy. Come and get it.

Anywhere else in America, Totem would be just another diner. But in Denali, it’s a community gathering place. The food isn’t fancy (the three menu columns are just burgers, pasta, and pizza), but after a long day working as a wilderness guide in the country’s third-largest national park, it hits the Goldilocks zone of a high number of calories per dollar spent. And next door in the pub, the drinks are cheap, and there are oodles of games —  from darts to Wii — to while the night away. At the very least, it’s great people-watching and an opportunity to chat with locals about what it’s like living around Denali National Park.

One of the main reasons people come to 49th State Brewing Company is to take a picture with the infamous “Into the Wild” bus. It’s not the real bus used by doomed adventurer Christopher McCandless but rather the prop used in the movie. It’s also not the only reason to come here. 49th has a ridiculously extensive menu, without a dud to be found. Do yourself a favor and get the King Crabby Grilled Cheese. It comes with chowder for dipping and pub fries and is outrageously decadent. It pairs well with the Solstice IPA.

Though its name might suggest otherwise, you won’t find classic Alaska-fied dishes here. You will, however, find the homestyle cooking of one of Alaska’s largest immigrant populations.

When Moose-AKa’s owners came to Alaska from Serbia as seasonal workers over a decade ago, they fell in love, both with the state and each other. They decided to stay and open an Eastern European spot that serves meze platters, moussaka, schnitzel, and sarma, as well as an extensive imported beer selection. To an area better known for pizzas, seafood, and burgers, it’s a welcome addition. 

It’s easy to stay up too late when exploring the Land of the Midnight Sun. For the mornings after, head to the Black Bear for a cup of rocket-fuel coffee. They use Steam Dot beans — which, for those uninitiated, if a cult favorite Alaska-based roastery. The cozy log cabin shop also has a full brunch menu — the biscuits and gravy and breakfast bearito (see what they did there?) will set you right.

The name may be an homage to Fannie Quigley, a famous prospector and trapper who came to Alaska during the gold-rush era, but the dishes you’ll find at this restaurant within the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge are far from camp food. Expect entrees like lime chipotle-crusted Alaska rockfish served with a crispy corn cake and Salisbury steak made with bison and beef. 

If you hang out here long enough, you’ll see why this restaurant got its moniker. Named for the rose-gold light the setting sun paints upon the nearby mountains, this mountaintop establishment, housed within the Grande Denali Lodge, has views that are nothing short of spectacular. They also run one of the more innovative cocktail programs in the area and boast the most upscale menu options, so it’s a lovely place for a special occasion. Start with the grilled corn salsa-topped salmon cakes, followed by the sweet potato gnocchi served with root vegetables and a birch syrup cream sauce.

Laura Cole, the two-time James Beard-nominated chef who helms this log cabin eatery, does something most other restaurants in Alaska can’t. She prepares a nightly menu that consists of nearly all locally grown, harvested, or foraged ingredients. The menu constantly changes, depending on what is available, and might include dishes like reindeer liver pate with lingonberry shrub or Alaskan octopus with squid ink noodles, tomatoes, flat-leaf parsley, smoked ham broth, fresh watercress, and jalapenos. It’s a popular spot, so book in advance (though, if you forget, the bar seats are first-come, first-served).