Alaska Campgrounds Needed

[FFWyatt]

Hey guy/gals my dad and I are making a trip this year to Alaska and I am looking for some campground ideas. We are renting a RV in Anchorage then heading to Fairbanks. We will be hitting Fairbanks, Denali, Seward, and Homer. Was there in 2014 but thinking about some new places to camp. Mostly looking for a places in Fairbanks and Seward. Hookups are nice but not necessary.

Any other places or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[joe_b_]

One thing we may all need to keep an eye this summer, regarding campgrounds in the Interior of the state, is the major military project to upgrade the radar units at Clear Air Force Station. Clear is located between Healy an Nenana, next door to Anderson on the Parks highway.

The military has allocated $1 billion ( yes that's a B) for the project, five years to completion and a work force of 2,500. If most of the workers were to bring their families, it could be a total of up to 10,000 new residents scattered between Cantwell and Fairbanks. I understand they are currently building a 500 person (how's that for being politically correct) LOL work camp at the base. Clear is considered by the military to be a remote base, so there is no family housing on base. But I would suppect that with it being such a long multi year project, that many of the civilian workers will bring their families with them.

Trackrig, who is currently back home in Anchorage, may have more and better information than I have available. His father worked at Clear AFS many years ago and Anderson was where he grew up. Bill (Trackrig) and I have several mutual friends in the area, some currently working as civilians at Clear. I know he was recently motor homing with some in Las Vagas so may have more info.

Not sure when the major labor force will show up, but it could cause crowded or full campgrounds, perhaps starting this summer or the next one.

[PA12DRVR]

I will have to weigh in here:

- Anchorage is OK but is sure as heck ain't what Alaska was or could be: Having grown up there and spent the better part of my adult life there (as well as still owning home and property and using it as my base when I'm not in Ewe-stun), I put some thought into it when I call Anchorage "Los Anchorage". It isn't an attractive part of Alaska, although it has services, shopping, conveniences, etc.
- Fairbanks isn't my cup of tea, but the area is great: it is still Alaska (at least it was in 2014, my last trip through the interior): Chena Hot Springs, UAF and its museums, etc. and Nenana are all what I consider attractions in Fairbanks.
- I didn't spend any time on the Kenai Peninsula until the early - mid '70's, so I missed the good years, but I simply don't see the attraction. If one wants to go halibut fishing or offshore salmon fishing, yes, Seward, Homer, Ninilchik are great places to go...but other than that, the quasi-rural aspect of the peninsula is long lost in, as Joe mentions, the hordes of tourists, summer visitors from in-state, and the crowds of non-residents that live on the Peninsula only during the summer to cater to the tourist industry.
- Much like the Kenai, Talkeetna and the McKinley area used to be high points of Alaska. The mountains and The Mountain are still spectacular, but I find the Glitter Gulch area, in all honesty, disgusting and heart-breaking. Talkeetna is still enjoyable in the shoulder season and the drive to/into the Park is enjoyable in September, but if I'm bound to see the mountains, I'll fly up.
- If I had 11 days, I'd probably make the loop Los Anchorage - Glennallen - Valdez with some time along the way (possibly Tolsona, possibly a night or so around Matanuska Glacier) and with time spent in/around Valdez....then take the ferry back to Los Anchorage and take any leftover days to spend in the nicer parts of the Meth-Su: Hatcher Pass, Willow, etc.....and FWIW, recently I've found it to be an enjoyable way to spend a day to go to Palmer and enjoy the "Farmers Market" or whatever they call it during the summer. If I were simply passing time and not fishing etc, I'd far rather spend a 1/2 day in Palmer than in Kenai, Slodotna, or even Homer.

All opinion.

[joe_b_]

2 gypsies, I have been driving to Alaska for the last 54 years so I do have a bit of first hand experience. First trip in 1962 when I was 20 years old. Have since made 13 round trips by RV, half dozen or more by car or truck (didn't keep track of them) and another half dozen flying small aircraft from the lower 48 to Alaska, following the Alaska Hwy or the Cassiar Hwy or flying the trench which is just east of the Caaaiar, following a series of lakes and the old railroad bed that was abandoned prior to completion.

As I remember you made your first trip of two, to Alaska at a somewhat advanced age of you and your spouse. The second trip you made was the only driving trip you have done. Two trips was all your age and health would allow, it would appear, as you gave up RVing not too long after your driving trip to Alaska. Most travelers to Alaska do it when they are much younger than you and your spouse were and many on the forum that had originally planned to make the one trip, have gone back time and time again. A few are up to 4, 5, 6 or more trips and are planning to do more.

The OP stated this is a second trip for them to Alaska
No, I don't have family in Fairbanks, but at one time did have some living in Anchorage, poor souls. They traveled so little that they really believed all of Alaska looked like the Anchorage bowl or Kenai area. But a lot of Anchorage residents don't seem to get around the state much.
Fairbanks was our "bright lights" so to speak for many years even though I never lived there. It was where we shopped, had major work done on our airplanes, my wife and I both had our own aircraft, as we are both pilots, mini vacations over a long weekend, where we stored our RVs while we were living in the bush, we lived 13 years in Nenana, SW of Fairbanks an hour and a half. And close to another 13 years in other parts of the state. So besides accumulating over 3,000 hours of bush flying experience and have personally run a river boat from Fairbanks down to the mouth of the Yukon River at the Aphoone Mouth when it enters the ocean, a trip of about 1,500 + miles.

One winter I taught a couple of graduate classes for the U of A in Fairbanks, high vocabulary/ low interest types. LOL Alaska Government economics and School Law.
I have read that if a person drives all the paved roads in Alaska they will have seen about 5 % of the state, add in all the gravel roads and the total will go up to about 10% of the state seen. To see more than that you have to use boats and air travel. If a person just goes to Anchorage and down to the Kenai they will have seen maybe 2% of the state. Alaska is so huge it can be divided into about 5 or 6 different regions but most folks only see one or two of these regions. The cruise ships, bus tour, gets their guests to at least 3 of the regions in the time frame the OP is talking about and a rental RV can do the same but not if all they see is Anchorage, a small version of Seattle, and the Kenai.

Many of the fly and rent RVs group will make the tourist circle and get a taste of what Alaska has to offer and plan to come back later to see more of the state.

The Alaska Canada section of the forum is one place when people read the opinions of others, they need to ask themselves if the responder is qualified to have that opinion.

Another thing to do in Fairbanks to to take a mail plane trip out to some of the villages. Larry's Flying service was doing this on their daily mail run from Fairbanks to Fort Yukon and some of the villages outlying from there. There was a local tour being run by Richard Carrol in Fort Yukon, that a couple of the forum members have done and really enjoyed according to them.

[2gypsies1]

joe, in all fairness how many years have you been going to Alaska? I may be mistaken but I think you have family in Fairbanks so that's an excellent reason to spend your time there.

However, most people have only one chance to make the trip and some, like this poster only has a few days. I recommended the boat cruise out of Fairbanks and yes, there's a lot more to see. However, he's on a short timeframe and seeing things in one area would make better use of his time.

I wouldn't classify one-time travelers as having Disney mentality. The reason they come is for the whole outdoor experience. They're not expecting amusement parks.

[joe_b_]

Fairbanks is not a tourist type town. I often classify most visitors to Alaska as having a Disney mentality. The old, "we are here, entertain us, here is our credit card". Fairbanks is just a town where real people live and work and go about their daily lives. It has lots to do and lots of history but you will have to search it out for yourself. The river boat ride on the Chena River is fun and well done. The family that owns and runs it is an old Alaska family and not to cheesy at all, IMHO. A drive out to Chena Hot Springs is a good use of a day, go early and there often will be lots of wildlife along the road, stop at the musk ox farm, soak in the hot springs, good food there as well.

The oil pipeline has been of great importance to the state since the mid 70 and lots of good photo opps out around Fox, north side of Fairbanks. I enjoy prowling around the permafrost ice tunnel out by the university, built by the US Army and operated by the U of A. Don't know if you can get a key to the front door if you don't have connections through one of those organizations. I don't believe I will ever get the stink of that tunnel, out of my memory banks. LOL

Fairbanks is the land of the gold rush, the land that Jack London wrote about, land like that which the great Canadian poet, Robert Service wrote about in the Dawson City area of the Yukon. We only go to the Kenai to visit friends and to catch a few fish most trips as my wife nor I care for crowds of people, such as flood the Kenai much of the summer. Sometimes I think Anchorage must be empty of people for all of them being on the Kenai trying to fill their freezers for the winter.

Of all my favorite places in Alaska, Anchorage and the Kenai are just not part of that anymore. At one time prior to the oil pipeline days, we found both very enjoyable. At one point we owned a Kenai River property that had 150 foot of river frontage about 1 1/4 miles up stream from Soldotna. We bought it, with the idea of building a retirement home on it. But the big influx of people in the 70s and 80s changed our plans. LOL

But to each their own, I do believe. If the reasons a person is going to Alaska, is found on the Kenai or around Anchorage, then by all means go there.

[FFWyatt]

After going over the schedule and seeing what there is to do in Fairbanks we are not going to make the drive up north. Pretty much staying in Denali and Kenai Peninsula.

[dahkota]

For only 11 days I would completely miss Fairbanks and concentrate on the Kenai Peninsula and Denali.

[GordonThree]

My 5 cents:

In 11 days ... Fly in to Anchorage, drive to Valdez (beautiful drive), gorge on fresh caught halibut, take the ferry back to Whittier (beautiful sail), its a short drive south to Seward, camp on the beach, hike up to the face of Exit glacier, back to Anchorage, home sweet home 🙂

[SBradley]

FFWyatt wrote:
Thanks for the replies. I will look into all the places listed. We are going for 11 nights and trying to pack in as much as we can.

It would better to choose some special things to do with only 11 days. Remember everything is a long distance apart if you are trying to do Sewad to Fairbanks you are going to be traveling rather than enjoying Alaska.

Seeing Alaska is about the wilderness try a few hikes:
Seward - Lost lake trail, if you're up to it you can do the entire trail 16 mile end to end about 7 hours or just hike in and out at the Fire Station end, fantastic scenery gentle hike up a canyon.

Near Palmer - Hatcher Pass, drive over to Willow easily done in a CLass C RV stop multiple pull outs to hike or boondock on the Willow side. Visit Independance Mine, watch the Paragliders.

Many hikes in Denali as suggested try to stay in the park.

[FFWyatt]

Thanks for the replies. I will look into all the places listed. We are going for 11 nights and trying to pack in as much as we can.

[2gypsies1]

I'd also recommend the city park in Seward and the above link to the book "Alaskan Camping".

For Denali definitely stay in the park for the best experience and plan for an all-day bus tour. Do the school bus tour not the 'fancy' bus tour. The school bus is very low-key, the drivers are excellent at spotting the animals (even while driving), and they'll stop for photos. I think the 'fancy' bus tour gives you lunch though. 🙂 Otherwise, pack your own.

For Fairbanks we stayed at Chena River Wayside State Rec Area right in town. Plan on doing the sternwheeler cruise.

For Homer we stayed at the city park on the Spit. It's basic but has the same awesome views that the more expensive parks have.

You didn't say how much time you have for the trip but plan for less days in Fairbanks than the other spots you've planned. Compared to the others, Fairbanks isn't that great but the sternwheeler cruise is very nice.

The Milepost is good for history and maps but not for campgrounds.

Purchase online the TourSaver 2/1 coupon book. One glacier cruise will pay for the book and there's one out of Seward. The sternwheeler cruise is also in the book.

[GordonThree]

agesilaus wrote:
Get this book:

Amazon

x2 ... very good reference without a lot of the "filler" other Alaska camping guides have.

[rag-ftw]

Try the fairgrounds in Fairbanks.
We stay in Teklanica at Denai. Make these reservations as soon as possible as it fills up quickly.
Enjoy your trip!

[Two_Hands]

We really liked the Milepost. Plenty of information about camping, roads, pullouts, eating places, sightseeing, and a whole bunch of other stuff. The Amazon web site listed the 2016 version as coming out in March.