My parents, friends of the family, and my husband and I spent a night in the Birchcrest cabin in early July. Located approximately 10 minutes by car outside of Talkeetna’s “downtown,” the cabin was well-removed from the hustle and bustle. It’s an excellent place to get away from it all, as there is no television. The décor is cute and very simple. The grounds are truly lovely and while the cabin was in view of the other two cabins on the property, there seemed to be adequate space between them. The views are spectacular; the gorgeous deck off the Birchcrest overlooks the forest and mountain scenery. On clear days, it is apparently possible to see Mount McKinley from the cabin, but it was socked in for our visit.

My husband and I slept downstairs on the futon that doubles as the living room couch, and the two other couples slept upstairs. While we had a great time there, I should caution that people who stay at the cabin should know each other well and be comfortable with one another, as sound travels easily throughout the cabin and everyone shares one bathroom. This was not an issue for us, but it is worth noting.

The cabin was a superb value for 6 of us. Each couple only paid $87.50 for the night including taxes. Whitney, the owner, thought of many details to make her guests more comfortable. For example, there was a binder with local dinner menus and flashlights in wall outlets. There were very adequate breakfast fixings; we just had to pick up a few items in town so that we could make breakfast in the well-equipped kitchenette. She even left us a wonderful homemade sourdough blueberry bread in the fridge!

Our only real complaints were that there were a number of mosquitoes in the cabin when we arrived, but we took care of them fairly quickly and given that Alaska has some 50 kinds of mosquitoes, I suppose that is to be expected. Additionally, the owners should consider heavier curtains for the downstairs living/bed room, as with the long summer days, the light still came through late at night. Until then, a face mask should do any guest who is really bothered by this. I would not let these minor concerns deter anyone from staying here. Overall, the cabin certainly exceeded our expectations and is a great value.