Located 6,000 feet above sea level on a nunatak just 10 miles from the summit of the tallest mountain in North America, the Sheldon Chalet is Denali National Park’s first and only luxury hotel. The chalet is located in the Don Sheldon Amphitheater, a natural valley carved by the ice of the Ruth Glacier and named after a famous Alaskan bush pilot and the man behind the Sheldon Chalet.
Sheldon received a patent to start building the Chalet back in the 1970s, but the plans were put on hold due to his sudden death. Decades later, Don’s son, Robert, has now finally completed the project.
The chalet is anchored deep into the granite, iron, and titanium of the nunatak and is equipped with a runoff-powered water supply, electricity, and a Finnish fireplace in a common room that doubles as a high-efficiency, clean-combustion heating system.
Inaccessible by car, guests must take an hour-long helicopter ride to arrive at the five-bedroom chalet. Each room can sleep two guests and is arranged around the central Commons. Amenities include a sauna, viewing station, observation deck, kitchen, and dining area. Marvin windows were installed to give guests 360-degree views of the surrounding peaks. The windows were designed to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour.
Outside of the hotel, guests can go snowshoeing and glacier trekking and visit remote hot springs and a Mastodon bone yard. Rates for the luxury experience start at $2,300 per person, per night. BEK of Alaska built the Chalet.
Related Stories
| Apr 9, 2014
Steel decks: 11 tips for their proper use | BD+C
Building Teams have been using steel decks with proven success for 75 years. Building Design+Construction consulted with technical experts from the Steel Deck Institute and the deck manufacturing industry for their advice on how best to use steel decking.
| Apr 2, 2014
8 tips for avoiding thermal bridges in window applications
Aligning thermal breaks and applying air barriers are among the top design and installation tricks recommended by building enclosure experts.
| Mar 26, 2014
Callison launches sustainable design tool with 84 proven strategies
Hybrid ventilation, nighttime cooling, and fuel cell technology are among the dozens of sustainable design techniques profiled by Callison on its new website, Matrix.Callison.com.
| Mar 24, 2014
Snøhetta unveils plans for serpentine mountain hotel
The winding hotel and apartment building will be built between the mountains and the sea in remote Glåpen, Norway.
| Mar 20, 2014
Common EIFS failures, and how to prevent them
Poor workmanship, impact damage, building movement, and incompatible or unsound substrate are among the major culprits of EIFS problems.
| Mar 20, 2014
D.C. breaks ground on $2B mega waterfront development [slideshow]
When complete, the Wharf will feature approximately 3 million sf of new residential, office, hotel, retail, cultural, and public uses, including waterfront parks, promenades, piers, and docks.
| Mar 13, 2014
Austria's tallest tower shimmers with striking 'folded façade' [slideshow]
The 58-story DC Tower 1 is the first of two high-rises designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture for Vienna's skyline.
| Mar 12, 2014
14 new ideas for doors and door hardware
From a high-tech classroom lockdown system to an impact-resistant wide-stile door line, BD+C editors present a collection of door and door hardware innovations.
| Mar 5, 2014
5 tile design trends for 2014
Beveled, geometric, and high-tech patterns are among the hot ceramic tile trends, say tile design experts.
| Feb 21, 2014
First look: Goettsch Partners reveals 'lighthouse' tower scheme for China resort
Topped with glowing beacon that will be visible for miles in any direction, the Rosewood Sanya tower is the centerpiece of a new resort and meeting complex on China’s Hainan Island.
