Our HistoryOur longstanding family ownership is committed to preserving and refining the fundamental elements of our mission: excellence, community, and place.
Celebrating 75 Years
Camp Denali was founded in 1952 by Celia Hunter, Ginny Wood, and Morton "Woody" Wood, whose wartime experiences inspired a dream of creating a simple wilderness lodge where visitors could connect deeply with Alaska's landscapes. After discovering a spectacular ridge overlooking the Alaska Range, they built the camp by hand using locally harvested spruce logs and reclaimed materials, often with the help of friends and adventurous travelers. Guided by ingenuity, hospitality, and a profound love for the land, the founders operated Camp Denali for the next 25 years, establishing a legacy that continues today.
From East and West to Denali
In the fall of 1975, Ginny and Celia passed Camp Denali to Wally and Jerryne Cole. Wally first came to Denali in 1959 from his family's dairy farm on the coast of Maine, taking a summer job as a bellhop at the McKinley Park Hotel. He later returned as the hotel's manager, where he met Jerryne Berglund, a recent nursing graduate from the University of Washington who had been hired as a tour guide aboard the park's shuttle buses.
The two married in 1967 and made Denali their permanent home. Together, they raised their children, Land and Jenna, while stewarding Camp Denali from 1976 through 2008, continuing the lodge's tradition of hospitality, conservation, and deep connection to the landscape.
In 1987, Wally and Jerryne acquired the neighboring North Face Lodge, originally built in 1973 on the former homestead of longtime park superintendent Grant Pearson. With the support of many former Camp Denali guests, they preserved the five-acre property from future development, ensuring its remarkable setting overlooking Denali would remain protected. Operated with the same philosophy as Camp Denali, North Face Lodge welcomed guests until its final season in 2019.
The Next Generation
In 2009, Wally and Jerryne passed leadership of Camp Denali to their daughter Jenna and her husband, Simon Hamm, who now serve as the lodge's owners and stewards.
Jenna quite literally grew up at Camp Denali. She began helping in the kitchen at age three, became a naturalist guide at 19, and later completed her master's research on the ridge above camp, studying the effects of climate change on the landscape she has known her entire life.
Simon first traveled to Alaska from Rhode Island in 1997 with the goal of climbing Denali. After a successful summit, his path eventually led him back to the park, where he and Jenna met while working as field research technicians in California's Sierra Nevada. Together with their children, Danika and Silas, they are proud to carry forward Camp Denali's legacy as its third generation of owners, continuing a tradition of thoughtful stewardship, warm hospitality, and a deep commitment to protecting this remarkable corner of Denali National Park.
The People Behind It All
We are fortunate to work with a creative group of individuals with a shared interest in spending significant time in the beautiful yet remote landscape. Get acquainted with the crew!