Camping On the Alaska Hwy and in Alaska

[DonnaR57]

BC/AK: Stewart-Hyder Access Road (BC-37A). M- is from the Meziadin Junction on the Cassiar Highway (see previous listing). It's not a long highway, but it can take you to Hyder, AK, from the Cassiar.

Clements Lake Recreation Site, M-29.7
Note: Website says “Free”.

[DonnaR57]

CANADA: Campbell Hwy, Watson Lake YT to Carmacks on the (North) Klondike Hwy. This road is 40% paved, 60% gravel, so inquire locally regarding road conditions prior to departing Watson Lake or Carmacks. WL- is distance from Watson Lake.

For Watson Lake, please see the Alaska Highway listing, #1 in this thread.

Simpson Lake Yukon Government Campground, WL-50.5

Frances Lake Yukon Government Campground, WL-106.5

Lapie Canyon Yukon Government Campground, WL-226.5

Johnson Lake Yukon Government Campground, WL-257.5

Drury Creek Yukon Government Campground, WL-290.9

Little Salmon Lake Yukon Government Campground, WL-311.8
Note: The Milepost notes this as a steep, winding, narrow access road. This website indicates that it is a very popular campground.

Frenchman Lake Yukon Government Campground, WL-337.5
Note: This is 2.8 miles on Frenchman Lake Road. It is a gravel road.


Nunatuk Campground, WL-337.5
Note: About 8 miles from the junction of Campbell Hwy and Frenchman Lake Road (gravel) at WL-337.5.

Tatchun Lake Yukon Government Campground, WL-337.5
Note: This is about 20 miles from Campbell Hwy on Frenchman Lake Road (gravel).


To be continued....with the Canol Rd in Canada's Yukon Territory....

[DonnaR57]

Canada: Canol Road, from the Campbell Hwy to Ross River (South Canol) to the NWT border (North Canol). This is an all gravel road. The Yukon Dept of Tourism does not recommend the use of campers, RV's or trailers on this road. An experienced Milepost field editor incurred about $450 worth of damage to his vehicle on this road in 2017, according to the 2018 Milepost. Traveler, beware! J- is mileage from Johnson's Crossing on the Campbell, and R- is from Ross River.

Quiet Lake South, Yukon Government Campground, J-47.8

Quiet Lake North, Yukon Government Campground, J-61.2

Dragon Lake Informal camping, R-65.1
Note: This is just a place for boondocking. There's nothing there but the lake and some open spots.

Note: At R-144.2, you come to the YT-NWT border. There is a place to turn around, and it is recommended that you do so. The road into NWT is BRUTAL and is NOT recommended for recreational travel.

For a good hike, check this website about the Canol Heritage Trail. It's about the only way to get into NWT from R-144.2.

[DonnaR57]

AK: Elliott Hwy., Fox to Manley Hot Springs, AK. This road is 50% paved and 50% gravel. It is recommended that you have enough fuel to do the round trip (300 miles) because there's no fuel station in Manley Hot Springs! FX- is mileage from Fox.

Lower Chatanaika River State Recreation Site, FX-10.6

Whitefish State Park Campground, FX-11.1

White Mountains National Recreation Area (BLM), FX-27.6
Note: There are two campgrounds off Nome Creek Road.

Manley Roadhouse, FX-150
Note: Call first regarding RV's and tents. One listing says you can camp nearby, but the lodge website no longer mentions it. The Lodge has a small store but no fuel!


And we continue on....

[DonnaR57]

AK: Copper River Highway, a Scenic ByWay, from Cordova to just short of Childs Glacier. (It no longer goes past that point due to washed out road and bridges. You can catch a tour from The Riverside Inn at C-6.8.) C- is mileage from Cordova.

Saddlebag Glacier Trailhead, C-24.8
Note: There are two dispersed camping sites near the Trailhead turnout. Before bringing a vehicle into one, park along the side of the road and send someone in to check to see if the spot's open and that there's room for your vehicle!


One more listing to go....the Inside Passage, for those of you who want to explore the areas that the Alaska Marine Highway System will take you.

[DonnaR57]

AK: The Inside Passage. You can take yourself and your vehicle off the Ferry System at any of these ports to see what's there, and then (hopefully) catch another ferry going the same way you are. There are public campgrounds at these towns. Whatever you do, don't park an RV on a city street or in a parking lot to stay overnight unless you've cleared it with the city or the store management. Juneau, in particular, is picky about this.

Ketchikan:

Signal Creek Tongass NF Campground, Ward Lake Recreation Area, 10 mi north
Note: BYO Water.

Last Chance, Tongass NF, Campground, Ward Lake Recreation Area, 10 mi north
Note: BYO Water.

Settlers Cove State Recreation Site, 18 mi north


Prince of Wales Island:

Eagles Nest, Tongass NF, Campground, Thorne Bay Road

Harris River, Tongass NF, Campground, Craig-Klawock-Hollis Hwy.


Wrangell:

Wrangell City Park, Zimovia Hwy. W-1.7
Note: Tents only. RV's need to use a commercial RV park.


Petersburg:

Ohmer Creek, Tongass NF, Campground, Mitkov Hwy, P-21.7
Note: BYO Everything. No water, no toilets. Not a maintained USFS campground.


Sitka:

Starrigavan Recreation Area, Halibut Point Rd., S-7.1


Juneau:

Mendenhall Lake, Tongass NF, Campground, Glacier Hwy., J-12.1
Note: Gets very heavy usage, probably due to its proximity to everything. Make reservations!

Auke Village, Tongass NF, Campground, Glacier Hwy., J-14.7
Note: Gets very heavy usage, due to its proximity to everything. Make reservations!


Haines: See Canada/Alaska: Haines Hwy.

Skagway: See Canada/Alaska: South Klondike Hwy.

Cordova: See Copper River Hwy.

Valdez: See Richardson Hwy.

Whittier/Seward: See Seward Hwy.

[DonnaR57]

With many thanks to the following publication:

The MILEPOST, 2023, a publication of MCC Magazines, and its website, www.themilepost.com.

This publication is highly recommended for any traveler in northern Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory, and the US state of Alaska. Don't leave home without it! The first link will take you to Amazon where you can purchase a copy of the latest version. The second link has lots of information, but from experience, the paperback book is the thing to have with you in your vehicle since cell service is not always available.

Also, many thanks to an incredible set of public library systems in my area -- the San Diego County Library and the San Diego Public Library (city system).


Donna

[Mark Sedenquist]

And thanks to Donna for spending all of this time creating the resource!

Mark

[Rick Quinn]

Donna:

That's what I was going to say, but Mark beat me to it! Aside from The Milepost, there isn't a lot of good information about those lonely roads in Alaska. It was really good of you to consolidate all those references in such a logical format. Kudos for a job well done!

Rick

Rick