Denali Outdoor Center Review

[See below for edits 9/14/17] I rented two mountain bikes here for exploring Denali. This place gets 5 stars for convenience, but 1 star each for equipment quality and customer service. Bottom line: very convenient if you don't care at all about quality or service.

1) Convenience. As far as I could tell, this was the only place to rent bikes around Denali. I considered renting in Anchorage and hauling the bikes up, but convenience won out. The shop is an easy mile from the park, so you never have to fit bikes in your car. Super convenient!

2) Equipment. The bikes were the worst I've ever ridden (and I've had many old hand-me-downs over the years). Very old, falling apart, questionable breaks and unreliable gearing. Considering that this place advertises as a mountain bike shop for Denali (gravel roads, long distances in remote country, big elevation gains and steep downhills), I was expecting better quality. On the first day, my gear shifter broke. The gears were still shifting somewhat, but I couldn't tell what gear I was in, and they kept sticking. I brought the bike into the shop, which brings us to...

3) Customer Service. When I brought the bike in for repairs, I was told there wasn't a bike technician around to help. They also apparently didn't have any other bikes I could rent. I was told that unless it was completely unridable, I would just have to deal with it. The woman "helping" me said, and I quote, "you get what you pay for." She told me that they get complaints about bike quality all the time, but that because they are the only option in town, they didn't need to improve quality or service. She then made me lock the bike outside the shop in the rain rather than inside for the night, saying that if it got stolen I'd be on the hook for $500. I wouldn't pay $50 for that bike. Also, when I asked for advice about biking Denali, no one in the shop had ever done it, and they had no advice whatsoever. One girl hadn't even been in the park. So, overall, my customer service experience ranged from laughably unhelpful to flat out rude.

If I had to do it again, I'd seriously consider renting nicer bikes in Anchorage and dealing with the logistical hassle. It would've made my days biking through Denali much more enjoyable!

EDIT 9/14/17: I am changing my review from 2 stars to 4 stars after being contacted by the owner. She was very apologetic and explained the situation the best she could. She also offered a refund, which was much appreciated. Overall very pleasant customer service experience. I can't give 5 stars due to the quality/condition of the bikes, but I greatly appreciate the prompt response by the company. Thank you!

Just got off the river. Best guide ever, Jason from Costa Rica. Thank you for an amazing adventure and lots of fun down the river. The entire staff was so amazing, considerate, and patient with all our questions. Highly recommend this group for any Alaskan adventure you want to try!

Awesome trip. Jason our guide was super helpful and friendly. The whole staff was awesome.

Great, friendly staff. Good gear to keep you dry. Our guide did a great job keeping us on the raft and navigating the river. This was my first raft experience and it was great. Would do it agin with this company!

me my husband and toddler staid 2 nights in May. Best price you will get in this area and you get a lovely cabin on the lake. very clean and nice beds... felt like we were the first ones to ever stay in the room. baseboard heat for cold nights. lots of towels. nice shower rooms. laundry room available for small price. Kitchen has everything you need. Host is very nice. only 15 min from park entrance.
You will not be disappointed if you stay here.

Went rafting here in July 2013 with a group of friends. Had a great time. Water was really cold but they provided dry suits which allowed us to wear our own warm clothing underneath, so we stayed very comfortable. Staff was very helpful. We all really enjoyed the trip.

Family of 5. We had a great time!! Our guide Bobski was entertaining. Well experienced. We were comfortable and stayed relatively dry to boot!

We were recently there at the Denali Outdoor Center for our daughters wedding on June 24, 2017. The experience couldn't have been better! We were in the back area behind the kitchen and bath facility and using the picnic benches. We brought our own tent which was a great idea considering it rained the night before the wedding. My husband, the father of the bride rowed the bride from the dock on the other side of the lake to the alter! Louise had made the most beautiful Kayak filled to the brim with amazing flowers of all colors! She had flowers all around and they were stunning! Her and her husband Bob made us feel so comfortable and welcomed. There were a lot of us and we kind of took over the place. We had campers and lots of food being fixed and served in the kitchen. Thanks to Louise and Bill for making our daughters wedding so special and amazingly beautiful!!!

Chris picked us up from our hotel and really set the tone for what we were getting into. We had Elvis as our tour guide and he was definitely awesome!! He kept us safe not to mention we also had Jason for extra measure. He glided through the river with ease while making sure we were safe. I highly recommend this trip!! The canyon run was scenic and it showed us Denali from a different perspective. Thank you guys for making my birthday awesome!!!!