Abandoned Igloo in Igloo City – Cantwell, Alaska
I’m such a sucker for abandoned things – so much so that seeing this abandoned and truly bizarre abandoned igloo in Alaska was one of the top priorities of things I had to see during my Alaska road trip. I had the GPS coordinates, the mile marker location – I even had my visit down to the approximate date and time I’d be able to see the abandoned igloo. I know what you’re thinking – “There’s so many other cool things to do in Alaska – fishing, bear viewing, glaciers – and you’re worried about a goddamn abandoned igloo? “
Yes. Why yes I was.
So let’s get to it then – here’s how to visit the abandoned “Igloo City” near Cantwell, Alaska along the George Parks Highway.
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Igloo City – Location and Details
Location:
The abandoned Igloo City sits at Mile Marker 188.7 (directions in Alaska are commonly given in mile markers) along the George Parks Highway. It’s located between Denali State Park and the small town of Cantwell. If you’re driving to Denali National Park from Anchorage, you’ll drive right by it.
Igloo City – History and Background
Igloo City was a dream project for designer Leon Smith. He wanted to create this unique Alaskan lodging experience for tourists. He figured since many people thought that Alaskans lived in Igloos, why not create an igloo hotel?
Construction began on Igloo City in the late 1970s but unfortunately, his dream came crashing down in form of building code violations. The igloo structure that was built was considered not ‘structurally sound’, with windows being its biggest violation (they were too small). It simply cost too much money to get the igloo up to code, so the project was scrapped and to this day, the igloo remains. Being that it was the 1970s, those building codes were loosey-goosey compared to those of today, so the construction on this igloo must’ve been really bad.
The igloo property has changed ownership several times thorough the decades, with various owners trying to make it work, but no one has been able to get the project off the ground; it just costs too much money. So here it sits, wasting away at the hands of the Alaskan elements.
Today, the abandoned igloo still stands, though it’s covered with graffiti and the windows are boarded up. You cannot go inside the igloo. At one point, there was a gas station here, but it, too, has been long abandoned.
Visiting the abandoned igloo
The igloo building is huge – it’s four stories high. The windows and doors are boarded up, and you’re not supposed to go inside (but people do). We didn’t get close to the igloo – we just photographed it from the large parking lot, as there was lots of thick mud surrounding the igloo. Not to mention that this is grizzly bear country, and there have been reports of grizzlies hanging out around the brush near the igloo. Yikes.
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Other than photograph this bizarre and eerie building, there’s not much else to do. Luckily, it’s in a convenient, albeit remote, location, between Anchorage and Denali National Park, so if you’re road tripping Alaska, this is an easy, quick stop along the way.
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