Deep in Denali National Park, Doyon has operated Kantishna Roadhouse, the park’s only Indigenous-owned lodge, for 30 years. Arriving via a small plane from the park entrance—road access, closed for five years due to a landslide, will return in 2027—I spent blissful days backcountry hiking free from cell service. Evenings were spent listening to presentations by staff, such as an introduction to Dene beadwork and regalia; spotting wildlife including grizzly bears, moose, and caribou, then watching the setting sun light up the slopes of mighty Denali. Since 2004, in partnership with Aramark, Doyon has also operated bus tours, transit services, and campgrounds in the park. The partnership with Huna Totem gives Doyon an opportunity to diversify and grow, while responding to a recent shift in cruise passengers’ expectations: “They’re looking for more authentic experiences,” she explains. “We see that as our advantage. We put shareholders to work, and they share their culture,” she says. “There’s a lot of businesses here that have been sharing the culture for so long, but from non-Alaska Natives,” she adds.
Next up is the restoration of the 1925 Chatanika Gold Camp near Fairbanks, which is scheduled to open in 2027 as a northern lights experience center, filling a critical infrastructure gap. Aurora viewing in Alaska today typically means pulling off the side of the road and drinking a hot chocolate, says Sanford. With Chatanika, “we’re creating a space [with] cultural programming to make it more of an experience.”
It’s another link in an emerging network of Native-owned businesses across the state. The ultimate goal is “an Alaska Native-owned corridor, where [travelers] are visiting Alaska Native-owned businesses along the way,” says Sanford. For cruise passengers, that means more opportunities to encounter Indigenous culture, while knowing that Indigenous people are benefiting from the industry. And it means that your next Alaska cruise itinerary might begin at a Native-owned port, continue aboard a Native-owned bus, lead to a Native-owned excursion, and end at a Native-owned lodge.
