Girdwood Auberges de Jeunesse

"… glacier-fed river, minutes away from Alyeska Ski Resort, and the Chugach Mountains. 40 scenic miles south of Anchorage. Just behind the Tesoro station on the Seward Highway, turn right on Gold Ave. Girdwood Alaska Backpackers Inn is located at the end of the block before the river. The 45-minute drive from Anchorage to Girdwood along the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet is one of the world's great drives. The Seward Highway linking Anchorage and Seward is a National Forest Scenic Byway and one of 15 roads in the United States...  more »

"I have stayed at the Alyeska Hostel many times. It is one of my favorite locations in Girdwood. There is a four-star ski resort out the front window and a wilderness sanctuary out the back. There are often moose in the yard in the winter and in the summer I love hiking behind the hostel and exploring the moss-covered forest floor. Very few know, it seems, that Girdwood is the northernmost tip of a 2500-mile stretch of old-growth rainforest beginning in Washington State. It ends right behind the hostel! There is a beautiful, tranquil, and...  more »