Alaska Campgrounds Needed

High on your list in Seward is the city campground bordering the bay. Some sites with water and electricity and a wonderful view. One of my favorites anywhere.

Get this book:

Amazon

Last summer was our first time in Seward with an RV (after many visits using hotels). From my blog about the visit:

"Unable to find a site at the City’s waterfront parks in town, we had booked 2 nights at the Stoney Creek RV Park. Two nights there had cost a total of $78.28 with taxes ($103.26 Canadian). Their Web site says “Welcome to Seward’s only luxury RV Park!”. Even by Alaska standards, what a joke that is. There are some very nice sites along the creek, there are lots of average sites, and then there is the back corner that we got. The rigs on both sides of us were workers in Seward on jobs. The men’s bathroom is very small, with minimal privacy. We moved a couple of miles, to Bear Creek RV Park. Although old and basic, the sites were nicer than the ones we got at Stoney Creek, and we got 2 full-service sites side by side for $41.20 each ($54.35 Canadian). The Bear Creek park was in a much nicer location than Stoney Creek – a short walk up the road is a lovely little park on Bear Creek, as well as the Bear Creek weir, a great spot for watching spawning salmon."

Talkeetna Camper Park, for $35 each ($46.17 Canadian), was the best commercial campground we had during the entire trip. It’s beautiful, the sites are spacious, downtown Talkeetna is walking distance, the manager is friendly and professional, and the wifi even works!

In Denali, we had reservations for Riley Creek Campground, where there are 2 types of sites based on size. Our unserviced “A” site cost $28 per night, our friends' unserviced “B” site was $22. You just drive around until you find a site, and we found an “A” and a “B” across the road from each other at the upper end of the Wolf Loop, the middle of 3 campsite groups (there are a total of 123 sites). Our campsite (A65) was large, beautiful, and nicely equipped. Absolutely perfect for our stay!

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.

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!

agesilaus wrote:
Get this book:

Amazon

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

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.

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.

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.

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 :)