Riley Creek Campground, near Healy, Alaska, is a fantastic base for exploring [Denali National Park](https://thedyrt.com/camping/alaska/near/denali-national-park). This campground offers a mix of seclusion and convenience, with wooded sites that provide a sense of privacy while still being close to essential amenities like a mercantile store and visitor center.

The campground features well-designed, level sites perfect for tents, RVs, or even glamping. Visitors rave about the clean facilities, including showers and laundry options, making it easy to refresh after a day of adventure. One camper noted, “The campground is quiet and the sites are all well designed and level,” which speaks to the thoughtful layout here.

For outdoor enthusiasts, the location is unbeatable. You can easily access hiking trails, take part in ranger-led programs, or even rent ATVs for a thrilling ride through the stunning Alaskan landscape. As one happy camper shared, “Had a great spot... Location was excellent for exploring the entire park.” 

Wildlife sightings are common, and the surrounding scenery is nothing short of breathtaking. Whether you're here for a night or planning a longer stay, Riley Creek Campground offers a memorable experience in the heart of nature.

Riley Creek Campground is a fairly wooded campground, with some screening between sites whenever possible. Most of the campground sites are open to either tent campers or vehicles / RVs. The proximity of Highway 3 means there is occasional traffic noise, but also means campers have all the conveniences and amenities of the park entrance area, and businesses outside the park, close at hand. Trails leading from the campground connect to the Denali Visitor Center, which is the central hub of trails in the entrance area.

Riley Creek Campground — Denali National Park

Join the fun near Healy. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Alaska camping has to offer. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Alaska camping adventure.

Healy

The Best Camping Near Healy, Alaska

The park is beautiful and I feel privileged to have stayed at a campground surrounded and close to such beauty.  The campground was pretty standard.  Sites had little privacy and the campground was pretty busy, but being close to such amazing hiking is worth the small negatives.  Facilities were clean and well maintained.  This is a place we want to return!

beautiful... what more needs to be said

My family stayed at Riley Creek in July of 2015 for 2 days and loved it so much that we decided to stay for 7 nights this summer.  There is a moderate amount of traffic with camper trailers and vehicles coming and going, but it isn't unbearable. The sites are nicely maintained with nice, edged out tent pad areas. The surrounding trees provide a nice barrier between sites so you don't feel crammed into the campground. It is a great place to be for easy driving, walking, and free shuttle access to all that the park has to offer. It is a great place to stay, just make sure you make online reservations to guarantee a spot! 

Worth the 7 day stay

love the view

This is a great campsite near the entrance of Denali Park. Stubby taiga trees and brush separate sites but it's a busy place so be prepared for noise from traffic and other campers. No hookups. Make reservations online up to 6 months in advance to secure your spot. The Denali Visitors Center is a must see, and sign up for a bus tour if you have a whole day to spare. It's a long ride but you can get off and day hike if you're so inclined. The kennels are a fun way to pass a few hours, checking out the pups that pull the dog sleds for the National Park Service in winter.

Jumping off point for Denali Park

This campground is very well kept and scenic. It has nice size gravel areas for rv’s and a raised bed area if you have a tent. The restrooms are very clean and well located. There is a free dump station and water. There is a very clean shower &amp; laundry building by the office. In the office is a nice selection of gifts and some groceries &amp; delicious coffee!!

Peaceful & scenic

This site is probably the easiest campground to get to and will have the most access to the Denali area. If you want to camp but still want to be able to go get some brews at 49th state brewing then this is the place to be. There is also showers, bathrooms, and a little store at the campground site. This is a great stopping point for before or after a backpacking trip into the backcountry in the Park. 

Easiest campground

We stayed at this campground for the Road Lottery in 2017 (if you don't know about the [Denali Road Lottery](https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/road-lottery.htm), you should check it out). This campsite is probably the easiest to get to in all of Denali (just inside the park, near to the Parks Highway), has a post office, general store, showers and bathrooms, and good cell reception. The sites are somewhat separate from each other, it really varies from site to site, but there are something like 150 sites to chose from, so you should be able to find something you like. Tent areas are raised from the rest of the site, and each site has a campfire grate and picnic bench.

Be sure to be bear-safe with your food! Even as large as this campground is, we saw a HUGE bear walking down the road one morning just a few hundred yards further into the park than the campsite.

Convenient

Riley Creek Campground is accessible to both tents and RVs. This is the largest campground in Denali that has a mercantile, laundry ($2/wash or dry), showers ($4.50 for 10 minutes), potable water, toilets, and dump station. There is also a free shuttle that has multiple stops including the visitor center, wilderness access center, and multiple trails within he first 15 miles of the park (to Savage River). Overall this is a convenient campground with many amenities great for all groups/types of campers. 

Convenient Camping

The sites are all very nice and mostly private. My dissatisfaction came from limited generator hours and shower/laundry facility hours. If you are gone all day on tours and hikes, you don't have any time at all for showering or using the generator when you return. Also, you have to pay $4.50 for 10 minutes of water in the shower. That being said, the water was hot and the facilities were clean. Shower hours are 7am - 830pm. Same for laundry. 2 hrs of generator time in the am (8-10) and 4 in the pm (4-8).

Riley creek is near the Denali National Park entrance. It’s also a short walk to the merchant store where you can shower or get basic essentials. Try to shower earlier in the day for cleanest showers. Showers coat $4\. You must get a token from the cashier. The campground is very nice. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table. Tons of trees for shade and hammocks.

Everything you need

we spent 2 weeks there, and woulda stayed longer if we coulda.  Great wildlife to see throughout the campground, close proximity to all visitors center, mercantile, bus depot, and much more.  Fresh water and dump available at the merc, perfect location to explore Denali.


great National Park campground

Riley Creek was a nice convenient stay just within Denali NP. The sites are a little close together, but the ability to take a shower and pick up some supplies a short trail away was nice.

Convenient Within Denali

This is the front country campground in Denali National Park. It's really big and has a few stores and most facilities. The campsites are assigned and we found them clean with a little teeny bit of foliage between some sites. Bathrooms were clean. However, there were people driving in/out setting up, cooking, talking all hours of the night. The sun doesn't really set during the summer and it throws off A LOT of people and they forget that they don't realize that it's late at night/early morning.

We were in a tent. It may be quieter in an RV.

So noisy! If you've come to get away from it all, keep going. 

This is a great campground to visit Denali. The campsites are pretty close together but with enough trees to not feel too crowded. Denali offers a bus to take you from the campground to the various sites within the park. There is also a bus that will take you farther into the park, you can get on and off the bus as you want, this allows for hiking or even backpacking into the heart of the wilderness. Wildlife has the right of way and they take every chance to keep the animals wild. I used a tent site so don't know about the RV sites but there is power at the restrooms and at the laundry/shower site and a lot of people use them to charge their devices. Wateer is available at the restrooms. They have a nice little store that offers sandwiches, drinks-including alcoholic and ice cream.

Beautiful destination

Within walking distance to "Glitter Gulch" and trails at the entrance to the park. We've camped there for many years and always had a peaceful nights rest. We've camped in the spring, summer and during the fall. Well maintained and sites are semi secluded. You can see your neighbors but there are plenty of trees and vegetation around to make you feel like you're secluded. Plenty of sites for tents, cab overs, motor homes and trailers depending on your preference. Fire pits available. Gets a bit busy during the peak of the season so reserve early if coming during those times. Great place to stay close to the park!!!

Quiet, Peaceful!

This was my first time camping in Denali and even though it’s the off season it was fantastic. The sites were super clean and even with a few other people there it was very quiet. You are really close to a bunch of hiking trails as well. 

Fantastic 

We got to Denali the day the park closed. We we're not planning on staying in the park but we enjoyed it so much that we decided to. By the time we drove out of the park, they had closed all of the campgrounds for the season except for Riley Creek Campground. When the park closes the campground served on a first come first serve basis and had no fees. We had a great spot next to the showers and bathrooms but they had been locked down for the season. There was still running water at an outdoor sink and a pit toilet. There is also a small bear proof public cabin that you can store all of your food in for safety. Campground has a lot of trees which were a welcome site compared to other campgrounds we stayed in. If you get to the park before it fully shuts down for snow, you can drive into the first 30 miles in your private vehicle. It is very worth it! Don't miss hiking the Savage Loop trail. Wonderful views and an easy hike! 

When Denali Closes

This is the second time I've stayed here. We came in mid-May and the facilities had just opened. We had running water and bathrooms. You can go to the Mercantile for showers ($4.50) and laundry ($4.00). This is such a great campground that we decided to stay an extra night. Very family friendly and conveniently located to everything yet quiet. All the campsites look really good and are kept up nicely. Cost is $24 per night or free out of season.  

Great campground

In the late Spring NPS starts trying to plow the road to Kantishna, Riley Creek is free till around the 10th of May or the season opening weekend. Minimal services are open, even outside of the Park so go prepared...

You can drive in to mi 30, Teklanika, many people take Mtn bikes and ride the road in from there.... after the Park opens you can only drive in to mi 10 and have to take a bus to go any further...

Riley has several paved loops, large parking spots at each site (easy 2x vehicles, some trailers) level tent sites and a heavy wooden table, round fire rings w/grate.

Water and bathroom facilities for each loop, trails to the nearby Visitor Center, Train Depot, etc thru the campground which is gently rolling, wooded terrain, nice amount of elbow room around each campsite...

Some May's it's 80 degrees and blistering sun, this year it was in the low 40's, mixed rain/snow....

After the Fall road lottery the road again opens to Teklanika but snow could close it at any time...

Great place to base a Denali visit from

A perfect Campground for your stay in Denali National Park. Beautifully wooded sites allow for you to hear nature and feel like part of the wilderness. Nightly Ranger talks add to your experience and education of the park. Walking trails help you explore the area and also connect you with the Mercantile, showers, and laundry. Picnic table and firepit with little leveling required in our site. Limited generator times but we didnt mind as it helped keep things quieter and let us hear the nature around us. Shuttle bus service is available to help get around the park. Treated as a first come first serve for site choice, check in then go select the site you like best. You are able to reserve online and it is highly recommended as they fill up quick during the summer months.

Commune with nature.

Please note that Riley Creek is under construction in 2020. Only a portion of the CG will be accessible and open for use and the sites open may be noisy due to construction. 

  

Great CG. Walking distance to some easy hikes. Access to the Visitor Center, Store and Bus Depot is within walking distance.

Great CG for Denali NP Access

Definitely was not the Riley I had in mind when I pulled outta here, but it definitely was the one I needed at the time.. 

Riley creek 

This campground has a great drive that goes along with it no matter where you are coming from. Some of my favorite scenery. This is a traditional State park and is well maintained and has pit toilets.

The beauty of Denali

Right at the beginning of the park. Nice if you’re taking the buses in because it’s right there. Very shaded and spots are secluded which is nice for privacy. No water hook or electric and they are very strict on the times you can turn generators on (they walk around). One plus is the wildlife is good, near the creek there was a mom moose and people saw it also walking through the sites. Didn’t really care for the staff in the leasing office. Very very strict on masks and won’t allow you to enter without one. 

Okay

Great national park campground. Nice private sites in the wood. 

National park campground in the woods

I wouldn’t recommend coming here if you have pets, as they’re not allowed on most of the trails.

Super wooded area &amp; not the best if you’re looking for amazing views.

We came in June, the first week they were officially opened &amp; we paid $30 and none of the bathrooms were open yet. Definitely wait until later in June if you plan to go!

Okay camping

We were lucky enough to get a day of reservation for a night in the park. The campsite we got was perfect. Had a spot for our tent a nice campfire area, and a picnic table. The bathrooms were clean and well maintained. And the camp host was super friendly and nice. 

Lucky Timing

We were visiting Denali from California and was our first time in Alaska. We were not only blown away by the beauty of Denali, but the campground was stunning as well. Most campers had RVs which made for a very quiet campground during days and nights. That's not something we are used to in California. It was so relaxing. The only downside was that thr bathroom near our site was basically an outhouse and there was no running water anywhere. Made it difficult to do dishes, wash hands, etc. I would rent an RV next time.

Loved this place!!

I've only ever stayed the night during the shoulder seasons, and not during the prime tourist rush. The spots are decently sized and the tent spots have a tent pad that is level and root free! In the height of the tourist season it will fill up completely and feel kind of closterphobic with how tightly packed the spots are. 

Great spot during the shoulder season

We stayed here twice (each time for 1 night) on our way to and from Fairbanks. We visited in March 2022 so since it was winter camping season, it was first come, first serve and camping is free. There’s no water or electricity but the bathrooms were open at the campsite across from us. 

You can fill up water bottles at the winter information center a little bit up the road if needed. 

They only plow certain campsites so you have to drive all around the loop to find a spot. It’s so quiet and peaceful at night, I could’ve stayed there forever! 

During our first visit, some kind campers flying back home gave us some of their leftover fresh caught salmon so we cooked it over our fire pit that a previous camper was so nice to dig out for us! Not all the campsites had the fire pits dug out but the one we were in was. 

The sky is beautiful and lights up with stars when the sky is clear. I’m sure it’s just as beautiful in the summertime but it was definitely magical in the winter. 

In love with this place! 

This camp ground has the best of both worlds- secluded, wooded campsites while being close to a mercantile store and the visitor center. We stayed 2 nights and then came back for a third. Both times, we were able to get a site on the Caribou loop with the creek running behind the site. The sites in this part of the campground are more private and there is a trail that connects it to the visitor center. The bathroom was clean.

Secluded and Convenient 

Loved this NP campground. Quiet and convenient spot to park a tent/camper. Easy walk/drive to bus depot/visitors center/town. They have a mercantile store open to book buses, pay for camping, get beer, ice cream, some goodies. They have laundry and showers (need quarters). Level spots! They do not have electric etc but have a dump station and water.

Denali is awesome. Beautiful hikes, go see the sled dog demo, took a bus tour into the park past the point where no personal vehicles are allowed. 30% chance of seeing Denali. Rainy and foggy when we were there so we saw a small glimpse behind the clouds but you would never know it's this huge mountain. Also beautiful fall colors at this time. Weather changing quickly!!

There was a bear that has destroyed a tent so they had part of campground blocked off. They have three loops: bear, wolf or caribou and no soft sided tents were allowed at this time.

 

Awesome place to stay

In the wilderness but still close enough to civilization to buy things if needed or have cell service 

Great stay

Showers are at the mercantile, $5 for 5 min. They have washers and dryers too. $2 wash/$2 dry. The campground is quiet and the sites are all well designed and level. 

Excellent spot for a night or two 

Stayed in caribou loop for 5 days. Had a great spot (lot of them). Location was excellent for exploring the entire park. Campsite was roomy and had the illusion of seclusion based on space between sites and nature separating sites. Well within walking distance to store, visitor center. Just outside park we rented ATV and had a great time in the open lands. So much so I went back with my jeep the next day and 4-wheeled in the same area.

Photos of Riley Creek Campground — Denali National Park

Real photos from real campers