You Can Stay for Free in an Adorable Cabin in the Alaska Mountains
Usually when someone offers something up for free, there's a catch. Like you can visit New Zealand, but you have to interview for a job. Or you can skip the entry fee for the United States National Parks, but you have to go during a specific time period. But that's not the case for members of the Mountaineering Club of Alaska, who can stay in seven remote huts without paying a cent.
They're located throughout the Chugach and Talkeetna mountain ranges at different altitudes, meaning you don't have to be an expert hiker to get to all of them, and are reserved on a first-come-first-serve basis. If it's uninhibited when you find it, you can use the hut as a rest stop or as a place to camp overnight. Since they're double-walled, insulated and have a metal roof, you don't have to worry about any approaching snow storms, either.
Heads up: The most popular ones is the adorable red Mint Hut, which is at the base of the Talkeetna Mountains and the headwaters of the Little Susitna Rivers, about half of a mile from Mint Glacier. Even better? It can hold up to eight (!) people at a time. That's basically a free vacation rental right there. Except consider yourself warned: There's no bathroom and the outhouse sounds scary, as it goes by the nickname "Darth Vader."
But, hey, that's the price you pay for, well, not paying anything. Take a closer look at the huts.
Did we mention you can't beat the views? It's true.
For more information, visit the Mountaineering Club of Alaska, where you can apply for a membership, which costs $20 for an individual or $25 for a family - but that's all.
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