![Untamed. Raw. “The Last Frontier.” Alaska is synonymous with wild beauty and its landscapes demand respect. Here, simple comforts feel like luxuries. The Sheldon Chalet sits on a lonely outcropping, a 5-acre [20,000-square-meter] nunatak in the Don Sheldon Amphitheater of Denali’s Ruth Glacier. As one of the most remote guest-houses in the world—accessible only by bush plane, or on foot by the very bravest of mountaineers willing to risk their lives—the chalet offers views and an experience like no other. Just south of the chalet, on the same outcropping, is the Historic Mountain House, a small hut built in 1966. It’s perched at an elevation of 6,000 feet [1,830 meters], a short distance from the summit of Denali, in the middle of the 6-million-acre [24,280-square-kilometer] park. Because of this extreme setting, the original owner, Roberta Sheldon, used to ask guests if they were “physically fit and mentally flexible” before they made the journey to the hut. Roberta and her husband, Don Sheldon, a pioneering bush pilot, originally acquired the land in the 1950s as part of the Homestead Act. The couple built the Historic Mountain House and also planned to build a vacation destination on the property, but were unable to realize the dream before Don passed away in 1975. When the couple’s children acquired the hut in 2014, they discovered the original 1968 plans for the chalet and, using those plans as a guide, they were able to realize their parents’ dream. With remoteness and accessibility a consideration, all the materials for the chalet and sauna had to be flown in by plane or hung by a sling and helicoptered in. A stunning accomplishment, the five-bedroom chalet and cedar-lined sauna are a well-earned place to watch a solar storm, witnessing the purples, blues, and greens of the aurora with the naked eye. Located 63º north of the equator, the chalet is designed to endure 100ºF [56ºC] temperature swings, hurricane-force winds, and the incredibly brutal Alaskan climate. Photo 5 of 11 in 10 Bucket-List Saunas, Hot Springs, and Thermal Baths From Around the World](https://images2.dwell.com/photos/6711721526265430016/6955167609769136128/original.jpg?auto=format&q=35&w=160)
10 Bucket-List Saunas, Hot Springs, and Thermal Baths From Around the World
Alaska is synonymous with wild beauty and its landscapes demand respect. Here, simple comforts feel like luxuries. The Sheldon Chalet sits on a lonely outcropping, a five-acre nunatak in the Don Sheldon Amphitheater of Denali’s Ruth Glacier. As one of the most remote guest-houses in the world—accessible only by bush plane, or on foot by the very bravest of mountaineers willing to risk their lives—the chalet offers views and an experience like no other. Just south of the chalet on the same outcropping is the Historic Mountain House, a small hut built in 1966. It’s perched at an elevation of 6,000 feet, a short distance from the summit of Denali, in the middle of the six-million-acre park. Because of this extreme setting, the original owner, Roberta Sheldon, used to ask guests if they were "physically fit and mentally flexible" before they made the journey to the hut. With remoteness and accessibility a consideration, all the materials for the chalet and sauna had to be flown in by plane or hung by a sling and helicoptered in. A stunning accomplishment, the five-bedroom chalet and cedar-lined sauna are a well-earned place to watch a solar storm, witnessing the purples, blues, and greens of the aurora with the naked eye. Located 63º north of the equator, the chalet is designed to endure 100ºF [56ºC] temperature swings, hurricane-force winds, and the incredibly brutal Alaskan climate.