Coldfoot Alaska: Coldfoot Camp

It's hard to get a feel for Coldfoot Camp by looking at their website. And if you Google it, mostly all you see are pictures of the sign that is out front of the Inn, or maybe the Inn itself, or the cafe. But that leaves a lot to the imagination, and after having been there, I realize that's a problem. It's a problem because you (and I) imagine there is more to it than that, but there really isn't. I wondered why everyone was taking pictures of that sign, and I now realize it's because there is very little else that is photo worthy!
There are a few buildings, but as a tourist there are only three that are accessible. The Truckers Cafe, the Post Office (which I didn't even go to) and the Slate Creek Inn. That is it.
The Truckers Cafe is the main meeting area. There is regular seating six tables in all, an alcove with a giant table reserved for truckers only, a "saloon" which is basically just an extension of the dining room, and a small corner stuffed with t-shirts and sweatshirts designated as the "gift shop".

Truckers Cafe

The main dining area is decorated in what I like to call "truck stop" style. It's not fancy, or cozy, or cute, but it has it's own haphazard mismatched charm. There were murals up high on the walls documenting some of the area attractions. Those included semi-trucks, mountains, and even a dog sledding team among other things. The walls bore newspaper articles and maps of the Dalton Highway, the history of the pipeline and other various informative, but aesthetically displeasing subjects. The Packers sign by the food window was the exception. That was AWESOME:) The tables and chairs look like they were stolen from a VFW hall, and the centerpieces on the tables were empty six pack cartons filled with ketchup and A-1 sauce. Despite this seemingly unflattering description, I really liked it. It was quaint and adventurous and I looked forward to eating there each day. The saloon had a nice bar, but when I say bar I mean actual wood counter space, not selection of alcohol or quantity. In terms of alcohol there was only beer (but a nice selection) and small individual bottles of red wine and white Zinfandel. Other than that there were four additional tables, and a nice deck area with tables overlooking the parking lot that would be nice in summer assuming they weren't burried in mosquitoes.

Saloon dining room

The gift shop had mostly t-shirts, sweatshirts and ball caps. There was a serious lack of (good) postcards, key chains, magnets and other small items that I normally love to by when on vacation. Oh well, I'll just have to make my own.
The post office was next door, but like I said I didn't go there, so I can't really say much about it. The third place was the Slate Creek Inn, where I stayed. It is located across from the Cafe separated by the road/semi parking lot that runs between them.

View from saloon across to Inn

The Inn looks a little nicer on the outside than it does on the inside, but again there was a certain amount of charm about it. It was a lot like a hostel now that I think about it. And it was exemplary in the art of using what's available and not throwing anything away. Don't have enough pictures to decorate? No worries, just hang a puzzle of a geisha and tiger on the wall and the problem is solved! Don't have a table to put the TV on? Don't panic, there is a chair you can use instead! It was spotless and smelled clean and most critically it was warm (all the important stuff) but there was no stone fireplace with snow shoes mounted above the mantle is all I'm saying. It was comfortable, but not cozy.
Anyway there is a lobby, and a common sitting room with books and a TV and a couple of couches. I didn't spend a lot of time there, but I imagine if you were with a group that would be the place to hang out and talk or be all together. There were a couple of really beautiful (live) trees inside that surprised me too.
My room (or our room since I was staying with my Aunt) was small, but big enough to not feel cramped. There were two twin beds which to my relief were really comfy. And all the bedding looked and smelled clean, so I had no apprehension when crawling under the covers. There was one window, a sink, a small closet, a TV on a chair and a toilet/shower in a separate room. The toilet facilities were great. Totally normal and not a hole in the floor or anything like that. Bathrooms were super spotless, and the shower worked great. If the room had a theme I would say it was wood. Not "the woods" just wood. Fake wood paneling, mismatched wood cabinets, plywood walls. Decor wise it looked like you gave a trucker five dollars and sent him to a garage sale and told him to decorate a room, but what can you expect? The hotel is made out of the trailers used to house the workers that built the pipeline, and I am pretty sure they didn't hire an interior decorator. To be fair I think they did pretty good with what they had to work with. I of course could do better, but that's me. There isn't much insulation between rooms, and you can hear every person that walks down the hall, but it sort of added to the experience. What would be the fun of being in Coldfoot and staying in a room that looks like the Holiday Inn around the corner from your house? That would just be boring. Waking up to plywood walls, now that's exciting. Your first thought is "Did I get drunk and fall asleep at the Home Depot?" And then you remember, "I'm in Alaska, I am above the Arctic Circle! and it's way more awesome.
There are a few other buildings, but they are either maintenance related or housing for workers. There is the dog lot, where all the sled dogs are, and a runway for the plane, two gas pumps, and a visitors center (that was closed when I was there) but that's it.

My home away from home!

If you want to go shopping you are limited to the gift corner, or the glass case in the Cafe that includes (but is not limited to) motor oil, tampons and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. If you want to relax you are either at a table in the Cafe, in the lobby of the hotel or in your room.
That being said, I was there for three full days and wasn't bored in the least, or unhappy with any of my accommodations. As little as it seems there is, it is enough, for the person seeking an Alaskan adventure. I could get a hot chocolate at 11:30 at night in the Cafe while waiting for the Aurora to begin (or not). I could get a beer in the saloon after spending the better part of the afternoon hiking through the deep snow in search of wolf tracks. I could comfortably sleep in (the curtains were great at keeping the light out) after staying up half the night watching the Aurora. Coldfoot Camp may not be made of much, but at the same time it's more than I expected. Coffee, gas, and warm beds, what more could you ask for?