Camping On the Alaska Hwy and in Alaska

[Mark Sedenquist]

Lots of good information herein.

Mark

[DonnaR57]

AK: Richardson Hwy, (AK-4), Valdez to Delta Junction. It does go on to Fairbanks, but that section is included as part of the Alaska Highway (see Post #1 in this thread). V- is mileage post from Valdez (start of Richardson).

Valdez Glacier Campground, V-3.4
Note: Though this site is run by the Army, Fort Greeley, they have sites that are open to the public. It is highly suggested to call ahead! At times it's so busy that even the active duty personnel can't get into it.

Blueberry Lake State Recreation Site, Thompson Pass, V-24.1
Note: This is the closest public camping to Valdez.

Squirrel Creek State Recreation Site, Copper Center/Glennallen, V-79.4

Dry Creek State Recreation Site, Glennallen, V-118

Sourdough Creek BLM Campground, V-147.5
Note: As mentioned in a previous post, one fisherman evidently had some good fishing here, enough to include it on his blog. Of course, as with any fishing, nothing is guaranteed!

Paxson Lake BLM Campground, Paxson, V-175

Tangle Lakes BLM Campground, Paxson (actually Denali Hwy)

Fielding Lake State Recreation Area, V-200.4

Donnelly Creek State Recreation Site, V-238

Clearwater State Recreation Site, Clearwater/Delta Junction, V-268.3

Delta State Recreation Site Campground, Delta Junction,V-267


Next will be the Seward Highway, from Anchorage south to Seward on the Kenai Peninsula. It is a beautiful highway!

[DonnaR57]

AK: Seward Hwy, Anchorage to Seward (AK-9)
A- is mileage from Anchorage.

Chugach State Park
Bird Creek, A-25.7

Chugach National Forest Campgrounds:

Bertha Creek NF Campground, Girdwood, A-61.6
Granite Creek NF Campground, Whittier/Girdwood, A-64.4
Tenderfoot Creek NF Campground, near Summit Lake, A-81
Trail River NF Campground, Seward Hwy, A-102.8
Ptarmigan NF Campground, A-103.7
Personal Note: Glad to see this one is still around. It was beautiful, on both occasions that we stayed there.
Primrose NF Campground, Seward Hwy, A-110.1

Kenai Fjords National Park campground:
Exit Glacier Campground, Kenai Fjords NP, Seward, 8.1 mi west of A-123.3
Note: Tents only.

City of Seward Municipal Campgrounds
Note: City of Seward runs 11 campgrounds in and around the city. One, Otter Beach, is tents only. Another, Williams Park, is for small RV's and tents only. Two have utility hookups: Resurrection and Godwin. Others are dry camping (boondock; no hookups) for RV's and tents. Warning, though: these can fill up fast, particularly the one on the beach and the ones with hookups!


Our next listing will be the South Klondike Highway, which goes from Whitehorse, YT, down to Skagway, AK.

[DonnaR57]

YT/AK: South Klondike Hwy, Whitehorse YT to Skagway AK (YT-2, BC-98, AK-2). AH- is distance from the Alaska Highway.

Robert Service Campground, Whitehorse

Tagish Campground, First Nation Campground, Carcross

Conrad Historic Site and Campground, AH-42.2

Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park Campgrounds:

Note: Most of the Klondike Gold Rush NHP campsites are hike-in, as they are located along the Chilkoot Trail. We're talking a major trail here!

Klondike Gold Rush Campground, Dyea CG

Dyea Flats Campground, Skagway/Dyea
Dyea Municipal Park Campground Rules
Note: Mentioned in The Milepost, but not recommended for RV's over 25'. This is separate from the Dyea NPS Campground; Dyea Flats is run by the Municipality of Skagway. There is no website for it, but several other websites and Milepost mention it. With several of the websites, the word FREE is bandied around. Above is a link to a document posted by the City of Skagway; you need Adobe to read it.


And the Steese Highway, from Fairbanks to Circle, will be included next...

[DonnaR57]

AK: Steese Highway, Fairbanks to Circle. This road is half-paved and half-gravel. Inquire about road condition before leaving Fairbanks. F- is mileage from Fairbanks. (AK-2, AK-6)

Upper Chatanika River State Recreation Site, F-39

Mt Prindle BLM Campground, 4 miles from F-57.4
Note: It is 11 miles from Steese Hwy to the Campground.

Cripple Creek BLM Campground, F-60

Note: Circle Hot Springs Lodge and Resort closed about 10 years ago.


The Sterling Hwy, which leaves from the Seward Highway to head for Homer, will be listed in the next post in this thread....

[DonnaR57]

AK: Sterling Hwy – Seward Hwy to Homer. (AK-1)
S- is mileage from the junction of the Seward Hwy with the Sterling Hwy.

Cooper Creek NF Campground, Chugach NF, S-50.5
Note: Two Campgrounds: south (S-50.5) and north (S-50.6). Also note the problems between humans and bears, and take heed.

Russian River NF Campground, Chugach NF, S-52.6

Jean Lake Campground, S-60
Note: Suitable only for tents.

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Campgrounds, S-68.8, S-71.3

Izaak Walton State Recreation Site Campground, S-81.7

Morgan's Landing State Recreation Area, S-84.9

Swiftwater Park Municipal Campground, Soldotna

Johnson Lake State Recreation Area, Kasilof, S-110

Clam Gulch State Recreation Area, S-117.4

Ninilchik River Campground, S-134.5

Ninilchik View Campground, S-135.5

Deep Creek State Recreation Area, S-136.7

Anchor River State Recreation Area, Anchor Pt, 0.6 mi from S-157.1 (Anchor River Rd)

City of Homer Campgrounds
Mariner Park, S-175.3
Homer Spit, S-178.8
Hornaday Hillside Park
Fishing Hole
Note: Hornaday will not open in 2023.


We will continue this thread by wrapping up a few of the smaller highways in Canada and Alaska. Travelers along the Alaska Highway often use these smaller highways to find camping spots that are just a little off the beaten track.

[DonnaR57]

For camping on the Yellowknife Highway, from Prince Rupert BC east, please https://www.roadtripamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?47184-Camping-Along-the-Trans-Canadian-Highway&p=193193#post193193] click here. That thread is about camping along the Trans-Canadian Highways.




Donna

[DonnaR57]

Canada: Atlin Road, from Jake's Corner, YT

Snafu Lake Yukon Government Campground, J-20.1

Note: This is a short highway that loops around from the Alaska Highway at Jake's Corner.

[DonnaR57]

AK: Denali Highway, Paxson to Cantwell, AK. This is a mostly-unpaved road that goes between the Richardson Hwy and the George Parks Highway. It is very popular for primitive camping and in many areas, fishing. This listing will contain the unusual: mentions of some informal campsites that have nothing but space, and all are “BYO Everything”. P- is mileage from Paxson on the Richardson Hwy.

Tangle Lakes BLM Campground, P-21.3

Clearwater Creek BLM Wayside, P-55.7
Note: Very informal campsite near the wayside.

Note: The Milepost notes that there are many small primitive campsites along the Denali Hwy the following mileposts:
P-60
P-62.5 (listed as “rough”)
P-63.7
P-73.6
P-74.9
P-80.3
P-85.2
P-88.2
P-91.7
P-92.7
P-93.4
P-94.5
P-98

Those with RV's should walk in first to see if the site is available and check on ability to get in/out easily.


Brushkana Creek BLM Campground, P-104.6



For the adventurous, the upcoming highway is the Edgarton Hwy/McCarthy Road combination, in Alaska.

[DonnaR57]

AK: Edgerton Hwy/McCarthy Road, AK-10. This is a road combination that is 33.6 mi paved and 58.8 mostly gravel, ending at the Copper River. From there, you must park and either walk over the pedestrian bridge and shuttle in to McCarthy (0.6 mi) or Kennicott (5 miles), or just walk the whole way. Large RV's and trailers are not recommended on McCarthy Road. J- is junction at Richardson Hwy., C- is from Chitina.

Liberty Falls State Recreation Site, J-23.6

Copper River Campground, McCarthy Road, C-1.5
Note: No formal website. This is an Alaska DOT campground. Many people choose to leave their large rigs in this campground and do the rest of the traveling out to Kennicott in their small vehicle or tow vehicle. This campground is mentioned in The Milepost and some websites as well.

Ahtna Hilltop Campground, C-2.9
Note: No formal website. This is an Ahtna Native Corporation campground. As with the Copper River Campground, many folks leave their larger rigs here to travel to McCarthy and Kennicott without them.