Spanning over 580,000 square miles, Alaska is larger than California, Montana and Texas combined. It holds hundreds of miles of rivers, draining dozens of mountain ranges, feeding millions of lakes, laying scattered across more than 20 million acres of public land. Crowning Denali National Park Alaska is home to North America's highest peak, Mt. McKinley, the Tongass, America's largest national forest, and the largest state park systems in the nation. Across it all "The Last Frontier" offers hundreds of roadside, backcountry and wilderness campsites, many free of charge, providing residents and visitors unparalleled opportunities to explore nature with tent or RV.
Denali National Park
Encompassing six million acres with a single 92 mile road to access it all, Denali National Park personifies Alaska's reputation as The Last Frontier. Denali has six campgrounds located adjacent to the park road, some accessible to RVs while others are limited to hikers with tents. Denali's campgrounds have a 14-day stay limit, no hookups, with the only showers, laundry facilities and dump station in the park located at Riley Creek. For backpacking, 87 backcountry units have a 30-day limit with a seven night limit per site.
Tongass National Forest
Surrounding Ketchikan, Juneau and Prince of Wales Island, and larger than many of the of the lower 48 states, the Tongass National Forest encompasses most of Southeast Alaska. Home to glacial rain forests, alpine meadows and more than 400 species of wildlife, the largest National Forest in the U.S. maintains 15 campgrounds and dozens of cabin rentals. While only six of the Tongass campgrounds allow reservations, all cabins require them. Each have 14-day stay limits and offer varying amenities with most providing picnic tables, outhouses and running water. The truly adventuresome can canoe or kayak camp along Southeast Alaska's coast while exploring endless inlets and bays and fishing for salmon, trout and halibut.
Brooks Range
North of Denali, Alaska's Brooks Range marks the beginning of the Arctic. Wild, remote and ruled by permafrost, the land has changed little since time began. Home to Dolly Varden trout and grayling, Dall sheep, bears, moose and musk oxen; in the spring The Brooks Range also becomes a calving ground for caribou. Within the Brooks Range the Bureau of Land management maintains two campgrounds along the Dalton Highway. Marion Creek campground, near the town of Coldfoot, offers 26 campsites, while farther north Galbraith Lake has 30. Although both have restrooms, only Marion Creek has drinking water. For the hardy, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, lie east and west of the Dalton. While neither have developed campgrounds, both are open for backpackers to camp and explore.
Tanana River Valley
Less than 100 miles from the Canadian border the upper portion of the Tanana River Valley sits at the foothills of the Alaska Range. Scattered around the community of Tok, in the heart of historic gold mining claims, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintain five campgrounds near the banks of the Yukon River.
Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge maintains two campgrounds, Lakeview and Deadman Lake, accessible from the Alaska Highway. Both offer picnic tables, fireplaces and restrooms. Deadman Lake has a boat ramp, but no drinking water; Lakeview is not recommend for vehicles over 30 feet in length. Backpacking and camping are permitted throughout the refuge.
The Alaska DNR operates three state recreation areas offering camping, picnic shelters, drinking water and out-houses. Eagle Trail offers 35 campsites, five able to accommodate motor homes, while Tok River has 43 campsites, with 10 suitable for motor homes. While not recommended for RVs, Moon Lake has 15 campsites with a boat ramp and a
beach for swimming.
Yukon River
From Canada, the Yukon River snakes a 1400 mile path across Alaska on its way to the Bering Sea, cutting a 128-mile path through the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. Absent of freeways and roadside campground congestion, a float trip by canoe, kayak or raft through wooded hills and soaring bluffs provides the opportunity to experience the absolute remoteness of Alaska's interior. Campgrounds along the Taylor Highway at Eagle, and Five Mile on the Dalton, just past Stevens Village, offer drinking water and rest rooms at both ends of the trip. En route downriver camping is allowed anywhere in the preserve, with gravel bars and islands being coveted spots. There are also six fee-free, public use cabins accessible from the river and available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Member Comments