Eklutna - Chugach State Park

This campground really has everything when it comes to a state campground. You want water access on a glacial lake? How about numerous hiking, biking skiing and horse trails? Are you looking for updated amenities including a table and fire pit, onsite bathrooms, bear proof dumpster, bear proof food storage, and a well for fresh water (no showers though) and even kayak rentals on site? Do you need large campsites with a reasonable amount of privacy instead of setting up your tent on top of someone else's? Eklutna is the spot. It is technically located within the Municipality of Anchorage about 30 minutes from down town. There is no cell service out there, so you can say goodbye to the rest of the world on your way up the mountain road. In addition, there are forest service cabins for rent that are located down one of the major trails, for even more privacy, and a different kind of adventure. Just a mile from the campground is a cute little ice cream shop for a sweet treat on hot summer days.

Epic Campground

About 45 minutes from Anchorage and no cell phone service. Sites are surrounded by trees and not too close together. RVs with generators make it loud at times, but there are a few walk in sites available.  Lake and trails are nice, very pretty location. 

Great weekend getaway

My favorite place near Anchorage. Perfect for biking, hiking, kayaking, or camping. Amazing views everywhere. 

Eklunta Lake

Eklutna is a true gem that I cannot believe more people from Anchorage have even been to before.   My wife, a couple friends and I spent the day kayaking and hiking off the lake on an amazing day a couple weeks ago.  Camping was easy and very available as well.  The wildlife was very scarce this day but was probably due to high amount of visitors.

Amazing Water and hikes

Amazing campground.  Close to town but seems so far away.  Great hiking cycling and 4 wheeling.  Beautiful views of the lake.

Eklutna lake

Great campground that conveniently located from Anchorage, tho the road up to the campground takes a while.  Usually very crowded on the weekend with biking, hiking camping.  Kayaks available for rent, but careful the water is dangerously cold.  Ice cream stand nearby in the summer.  Awesome scenery and great trails.  Careful-potential for lots of bears.

Great views, crowded camping

great view

This is a great place to see bears! Moose.... Foxes. The waters are clear and the landscape is so lush. There are a ton of flies though in the summer. Especially next to all this water. Mosquitos are aggressive at night. 

Wildlife spotting

Camping at Eklutna Lake is convenient for people wanting to get away but don't want to deal with hours of driving. This campground is a short jaunt from Anchorage and features nice paved pads for parking, fire pits, picnic tables, etc. No reservations required but that also means spots fill up as the weekend approaches. The campground road is paved and it's nice for walking/biking. Bears have been known to wander through this area. One summer a bear clawed its way into a tent trying to get at toothpaste in a backpack!

The lake is the source of Anchorage's drinking water so it's a cool visual representation of the importance of keeping our waterways clean. Makes sense that no motorized crafts are allowed here. We've kayaked on the lake and the vistas are amazing. Always wear a life jacket! Watch out for the wind - it can whip up the surface of the water and make for a treacherous and difficult paddle.

Great for families

Great campground!

This place is a straight 10!

Roomy camp sites, fire pits and clean. Bears do roam from time to time so food storage away from your sleeping area is a must! Rangers here will ticket if you leave food out around your site.

Quiet wooded area surrounded by wonderful hiking trails- try twin peaks for a lung and leg stretching adventure with a view as your reward! A 12 mile ( one way) dirt road for biking walking or Sunday- Wednesday atv'n the lake. Blue clear glacier water is beyond beautiful! Remember your life jackets as this water is literally freezing!

You can rent kayaks and bikes here-- if you don't have room to bring your own.

atvs can run the trail Sunday- wednesday only April- November but the noise does not interrupt your quiet campsites.

This is a family favorite!!

bathrooms and fresh water pumps :)

Eklutna Lake 

Our long bike ride took several hours to reach to the Serenity Falls. We started in Anchorage, AK and rested a day at Beach Lake campground in Chugiak. The following day biked up 1800’ ascent to Eklutna towards Serenity Falls.

please note: bicycles and cars share the road to the Eklutna Trailhead parking lot. Narrow shoulder all the way, please be mindful of riders and wildlife. We saw a moose in the ditch eating.

From the Eklutna parking lot to Serenity Falls it is 12 miles. Shared trail with pedestrians, dog mushers/bikers, and on various days 4-wheelers.

on the way the sights are so beautiful. The glacier fed lake gives a blueish green appearance, beautiful mountains, wildlife (moose and Mountain goats), and the spooky looking trees that look like sticks out of the ground. There were several waterfalls along the way.

I have not yet mastered the dry brushing teeth, but there are little creeks and small rivers one can brush their teeth. Bring bug dope, and bear spray or gun in case of bears—I forgot my bug dope and was karate chopping mosquitoes in my sleeping bag (no tent) throughout the night. It Was a beautiful campsite.

Biked to Serenity Falls

Camp ground was spacious and very quite. It was a rainy and windy weekend and we still had fun. Rode our bikes down the lake side trial, people were nice and respectful. Also the dogs and kids love playing on the beach.

Weekend camping 

A short drive from Anchorage, Eagle River and even Wasilla brings you to a pristine piece of nature. The campground right on the water is easily accessible for all ages and the beach allows for all sorts of activities. Feel like getting further away from people? Hike or bike or kayak the shoreline trail to the end of the lake or anywhere along the way. We love camping here and go at least once a year! 

Minutes to Magic

Large campground north of Anchorage, Lake Eklutna is the Anchorage water supply. Glacier-fed, the water is COLD, but my dogs jumped right in anyway (it was the first weekend of the season and the ice had only broken up completely that morning!)

The sites are large and well-spaced, but not all quite as secluded as I'd like (we had little kids running through our campsite late one night, the dogs were not amused). Unlike some other campgrounds in the area, you are able to gather/chop dead fall wood for your campfire.

The hiking around the Lake is great. There are several trails of varying lengths depending on your preference. Kayaking on the Lake is great fun to

Great with the dogs!

I’ve camped at Eklutna many times before this was the first time we’ve actually biked. It was a busy trail but between the biking hiking trail and the four wheeler trial there is more than enough space to enjoy the beautiful trails! 

The camp sites only allow two vehicles per site but you can pay the parking fee for the extra vehicles and park them at the main lot. 



Biking Away from Civilization 

Pristine campground. There are lovely wooded campsites nestled between several beautiful mountains. Bathrooms close, with showers, laundry, and ice cream down the road a little ways. There’s bike and kayak rentals. There is also 4 different public use cabins along the hiking trail you can reserve, and one with wheelchair access (I’ve heard.) there are opportunities for several different hikes along the main trail.

Pristine

While there are pit toilets, bear lockers and water spigots, there's not much else besides a plot of land to put your tent, a fire ring and a picnic table. Which for me is plenty! If you get there at the right time, there are a few sites with a view of the lake thru the trees. Requires a very short hike to get lakeside but the view is worth it. With access to several hiking trails, including the beautiful Eklutna Lakeside trail, bike and kayak rentals across the parking lot, and multiple geocaches, you just can't go wrong.

No nonsense campground next to a beautiful lake and hiking trail.

Great place for family to come and bring the kids. Very clean camp site defiantly a place we will be visiting with our kids this summer. 

First trip of the summer 

Eklutna is just a wonderful fun place for the family. Not only can you do swim 🏊‍♀️, fish 🎣, and kayak 🚣🏻‍♀️, bike 🚲, and ride atv’s . The hiking 🥾 is just so good and omg 😮 the camping ⛺️ has some amazing place’s for you tent’s 🏕. Oh and if your in to looking for Bigfoot well we tried doing some calling for them but because it was day time and just maybe not the right call we did not find them. But there is always next time 😉. 

Just wonderful fun for the family !

Camping here is wonderful. Far enough from Anchorage to feel as if you're in the bush but close enough to run home if needed. Beautiful views of the mountains and lake. Black bears roam the woods and show themselves in early spring and early fall. Sheep walk the cliffs just north of the campground. Wonderful location to bring a canoe or kayak. 

Disconnected 

Trails to hike or play on the lake! This campground is situated with access to Eklunta Lake and boy is that perfect. Tons of campsites to choose from both double, single and handicapped. First come, first served. Fire rings, tables, restrooms, firewood for purchase ($15) and camp host. Two sets of walk in tent sites with food lockers also available. Well water available too. Come spend a weekend exploring Eklunta Lake!

Gorgeous any time of year

Pretty private and a great location. Tons of opportunities for outdoor activities from hiking, biking, paddling, and ATV on specific days. Lots to love. Prepare for chilly weather any time of year because of the elevation  

Beautiful backdrop 

The campsite was very private and 2min walking from the lake

Gorgeous location

Foresty alaska

Trails were beautiful, lake view beautiful, lots of animals to see. The bugs weren’t to bad. Nice little place before the campground if you would like to get cleaned up, wash clothes or just to sit and have a scoop of ice cream on a hot day.
Cell service: no
Campsites: 50 large enough for bigger campers or RVs
Water : yes
Bathrooms: yes
Trails: yes 
Atv and horse trails all with beautiful views.

Not far from civilization 

Plenty of camp sites available and a short walk to the lake. Water and trash service available but no dump station. Grab your overnight ticket using your license plate number (not space number) and pick out your favorite spot from 50 different sites. Lake allows electric motors only and it's pretty shallow from shore, so I think the best fishing will be by kayak or dinghy. 

Gorgeous lake and fully disconnected

This place is a secret wonder, just off the Glenn highway north of Anchorage. The autumn color was spectacular here!  It was raining and cold in early September, but simply gorgeous.

  

The first-come, first served sites are on the smaller side and very wooded; with lots of space in between sites, but not a lot of open canopy. This was a bit of challenge for our rooftop solar, but we used portable solar suitcase on an extension cord to capture some sunlight. 

  

The bathrooms are simple, but clean, vault toilets.  Water is available at spigots located throughout the campground loop. The lake offers lots of stunning recreation opportunities for flat water paddling and fishing -- careful, the lake can kick up some pretty mean chop during windy afternoons. 

  

Hiking on the Twin Peak trailhead is just around the corner, and cycling along the main road could be a great way to get some hill climbing exercise, as it’s a steep road up to the lake from the Glenn.  If you are visiting the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, this is a great close by campground (about 30 miles away).

  

We loved that this campground had the feeling of a remote, wilderness campground but all within an hour’s drive of Anchorage. There is one local tourist ice cream shop just a few miles back down the road, which offers food, showers, and laundry. It is only open during the summer months. Further afield the suburban area around the interchange between the Glenn and Parks Highways has all of the services campers need about 30 minutes to the north of the campground.