Yukon Campgrounds and boondocking sites

[explorenorth]

I've about finished my series of Web pages detailing campgrounds, rest areas, viewpoints, etc., that are useful to the RVing crowd. While it will get expanded a lot during this coming season (now that I have a plan for the pages), there are over 400 photos so far, on 76 pages. I know of no other resource for easily finding all these places. A few of them have Google Earth images linked to Google Maps of the areas around that site, and they will be added to all sites that have hi-res Google Earth images available. Any suggestions for making it even more useful are welcomed. It starts at Campgrounds & Rest Areas in the Yukon Territory.

[fanrgs]

explorenorth wrote:
Kluane Lake is down 11-12 feet, but Congdon Creek still has great waterfront sites (the beach is just bigger).

Sure glad there is no such thing as "global warming." Would hate to think what might happen in the Arctic if we did! :W

[explorenorth]

fanrgs wrote:
Great job! Kind of wonder about any water-front campground along Kluane Lake, like Congdon Creek, now that most of the inflow to the lake from the Slims River has been captured by the Alsek River system. Good for the Alsek and the Gulf of Alaska, bad for Kluane Lake. I read that the lake's water level has dropped three feet just since last spring.

Kluane Lake is down 11-12 feet, but Congdon Creek still has great waterfront sites (the beach is just bigger).

[explorenorth]

cpurves wrote:
Perfect timing Murray. We are going back to the Yukon this summer for the first time since 1980. We are really looking forward to seeing the changes and how some stuff hasn't changed. Hopefully the Airport Chalet still has polar burgers.

The Polar burgers at the Chalet are still amazing! 🙂

Murray

[fanrgs]

Great job! Kind of wonder about any water-front campground along Kluane Lake, like Congdon Creek, now that most of the inflow to the lake from the Slims River has been captured by the Alsek River system. Good for the Alsek and the Gulf of Alaska, bad for Kluane Lake. I read that the lake's water level has dropped three feet just since last spring.

[cpurves]

Perfect timing Murray. We are going back to the Yukon this summer for the first time since 1980. We are really looking forward to seeing the changes and how some stuff hasn't changed. Hopefully the Airport Chalet still has polar burgers.

[explorenorth]

Luke Porter wrote:
Murray, I think I saw your house once. Probably 11-12 years ago. I think I remember standing on a bridge looking southwest.

Anyway, I didn't see Dawson Peaks on your campground list. On RVparkreviews someone in 2012 thought the "owners were tired". Looks like in 2015 someone said there was just a pay box and the "resort" was closed.

Know anything about the park or owners?

I left Carcross in 2007 and sold the place 3 years ago - the new owners bulldozed the cabin.

Dawson Peaks was closed for 3 years, but I believe re-opened on a smaller scale last year. Their Web site (dawsonpeaks.ca) is gone, though. I'll try to verify their status tomorrow but it may be too early.

[explorenorth]

PA12DRVR wrote:
Just one small point-out...hopefully not taken as a bash and hopefully I don't get bashed for posting: On the Glenn Highway page, reference is made to:

....."the "ghost forests" around the mouth of the Knik River are the result of the ground dropping up to 30 feet during the huge 1964 earthquake and saltwater drowning the trees."......

While the area around Portage is more well known as being a result of the '64 earthquake, that is what happened at the Knik River as well. I expect that "Roadside Geology of Alaska" will verify that, but I'm packing and haven't got time to check 🙂

Murray

[PA12DRVR]

The Web Pages look like an incredible source of info and guidance....with a clear separation between information and the links to infomercials.

Just one small point-out...hopefully not taken as a bash and hopefully I don't get bashed for posting: On the Glenn Highway page, reference is made to:

....."the "ghost forests" around the mouth of the Knik River are the result of the ground dropping up to 30 feet during the huge 1964 earthquake and saltwater drowning the trees."......

While terrain subsidence probably happened in many places throughout the Pacific Rim in Alaska after the '64 quake, the primary (and most well known roadside area) that this happened is around the old town of Portage on the Seward Highway south of Girdwood that encompasses the mouth of Portage Creek, 20-Mile river, and a couple of others. This is the place that is most often (in my experience) referred to as the "ghost forest"....and while the flora is changing, one can still see quite a few "ghost trees" as well as vintage early 1900's ruined buildings....seen from the roadside as it's not entirely practical or safe to approach any closer.

The mouth of the Knik is in an intertidal zone (a good part of the Knik river is influenced by tides) and, although it has it's fair share of standing dead spruce (as does much of Alaska), the ghost forest is much more pronounced at Portage. The Knik crosses the Glenn Highway between Eklutna and the Palmer-Wasilla "Y"....and the actual mouth of the Knik (where it meets Cook Inlet) is not terribly visible directly from the road.

[Luke_Porter]

Murray, I think I saw your house once. Probably 11-12 years ago. I think I remember standing on a bridge looking southwest.

Anyway, I didn't see Dawson Peaks on your campground list. On RVparkreviews someone in 2012 thought the "owners were tired". Looks like in 2015 someone said there was just a pay box and the "resort" was closed.

Know anything about the park or owners?

[EK_Roamer]

Thank you Murray. An excellent source of information.

[Lwiddis]

Thank you for sharing.

[GaryKH]

I appreciate all the time and effort that you've put in to this! Well done!

[Irdew]

Excellent resource! Folks like you make the Internet an great.

[hone_eagle]

saved
nice work