Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Anchorage? The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near Anchorage. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Anchorage's most popular destinations.
Coeur D'Alene Campground is open. A small campground with six walk-in tent sites. This site is not recommended for large RV's or trailers. Water is not available at this campground. There are toilets, fire pits, and tables at the site.
$85 / night
Camp on the deck of a ferry. Covered solariums located on the upper decks of each vessel are popular sleeping areas and for those traveling with small tents, they are allowed on the upper decks.
Hop off the Train at the Spencer Whistle Stop! Take a tour with a Forest Service interpreter around the foot of Spencer Lake and then float among the icebergs that have calved off of the great glacier while the guide steers an Alaskan Native canoe. Or take a leisurely journey by raft down the Placer River toward Turnagain Arm.
Crescent Creek Campground is open. As of May 17, 2019, fees are being charged and services are available. Reservations are made though Recreation.gov (1-877-444-6777) and recommended for summer camping. Fees are charged during the summer season. Reservations may be made up to180 days prior to your desired arrival date in the summer season (Memorial Day through Labor Day in September). A small campground with 9 sites. $14 (single)/$28 (double)
Guide
After breaking camp in Denali this was a great spot just far enough down the road to take a shower and do laundry. After 3 days of camp food the Thai restaurant right up the road was a dream come true. The showers and laundry worked flawlessly!,!,
Guide
In mid August we had very few mosquitoes. We also had our pick of some of the best camping spots I’ve ever seen. We became spoiled boomers and kept passing up sites until we got a close walk to the lake, a close walk to the well pump, and a close walk to the pit toilet(very clean). Also a short drive to Seward for all the tourist amenities.
Scout
The roads were paved okay, the sites are more gravel. It was a (narrow) but 30 second walk to the private lake access we had. The campsite overall was the biggest one we’ve been in. The flys were so awful, the mosquitos seemed invisible. The lake is clean and amazing, there was road noise but didn’t bother us, we’re loud anyway. It was so beautiful. But the bathrooms were useable. If you try to get food at summit lake lodge, don’t, they suck and are overpriced. Maybe French fries and onion rings but nothing else.
Guide
It was 54 Degrees in July…… and Mosquitoes ate us alive Great Lake but forget to be outside your Camper. The Spots were not Level at all
Traveler
This is a lovely campground. They have great amenities. The only 2 reasons I gave jt 4 ⭐️ is because half the washers are out of order leaving only 3 working and the sites are close together.
GuideBeautiful lakeside setting, inexpensive well maintained facilities. Lots of camp sites, both rv and tent. Sites are fairly private. Quiet. Lots of families. Good camp host.
Traveler
We stayed here twice in our travels on Alaska. First appearance, the grasses are overgrown at the “entrance” and i was concerned. The fee both looks abandoned. But we actually saw there were some beautiful camp sites. Nice size for rvs if all lengths. Our table needed some help and it is obvious the camp is not being maintained. The bathroom was clean. Some sites you can hear the river and some road noise. The river is beautiful. There is a dumpster but it is on an upper level next to the dump station which is closed. The first time we did not realize this and took our garbage with us. All in all, it is not a bad campground. The trees are beautiful. We also had a moose and calf hanging around. We came back for a second visit. We used it as a jumping off point for Anchorage. Also the Eagle Nature Center and its trails are amazing! Saw a bull moose there. Would use again if not super picky. We are camping folks! For $20 I would not complain.
Legend
Matanuska River Park campground
$20 to dry-camp. Water station and sani-dump usage included. There are also some sites with electricity - a few more dollars but extremely close together. Saw a few with overlapping awnings
72 is a great site, our 30 ft 5er and f250 fitted in fine, but some caution needs to be exercised when driving. Trees made Starlink coverage a bit spotty. Short walk to River
Small planes continually passing overhead during the day, but not too noisy ( apparently glide path is over us to land, and engines are apparently idling at this time )
Great friendly host
Guide
Weather Highs in upper 70s Lows in the lower 50s Loop 1 site 1 Bathrooms were clean Dumpster for trash “No host or firewood”
This is a great spot to take your younger kids to teach them the basics. Were new to the area so really just learning AK. But this was a great spot for a 5&4 YO. Not to much in and out traffic and plenty for them to just explore and learn close to camp. You can walk around the other parts of campground as a hike and lead down to the water that has a really small area to play
Skeeters weren’t terrible between the fire, bug spray and bug room we were just fine and came out with minimal bites
You can procure firewood from woods
Ranger
We stayed here one night. Lots of mozzies. There are pit toilets and lots of sites to choose from. The campground is great if you like fishing or canoeing.
TravelerLimited water (20gal a day). No hookups, no trash service and no rv dumping, bathrooms are pit toilets and very dirty. I have been here 3 separate times across three weeks and noticed everything like that bathrooms were extremely stinky and dirty. Have to walk to the entrance of the campground to dispose of any trash.
GuideThis campsite has showers and really nice, quiet spots in the woods. The only downside was the mosquitos which were terrible.
Scout
This place is very cold we climb and have some while watching movies
Traveler
We visited here for two nights with our children in our tow-behind trailer. There wasn't a lot to do for the kids, but we were able to enjoy the grassy area, make s'mores in the community fire pit, take a nice walk next to the golf course nearby, and make laps around the campsite's driveway. They otherwise played card games, read books, and made "nature recipes". It was quiet except for birds rising with the sun and airplanes landing at the nearby airport. The kids loved watching the planes land. It was nice having access to the toilets for when we had more than one person needing it at the same time. Another great part was the very good quality water, electric, and sewer hookups! The entire grounds was very well maintained, impeccably clean, and provided a very nice place to enjoy the breathtaking mountain views that rural Palmer, Alaska has to offer! Unfortunately I did not get enough photos!
ScoutCampground was undermanned, underfunded, dumping station, broken bathrooms, dirty the trail, though followed the Eagle River and was nice lots of mosquitoes 
LegendI needed a place to stay between Anchorage and Glen Allen. I was shocked this campground wasn't in Dyrt (found it on google). We actually ended up staying here two separate times- on our way North east and coming back South West. This State Rec Area is extremely clean. It's nice that there are tent sites separated from their RV sites (nothing worse than being in a tent and stuck hearing an RV's generator or TV all night). The RV lot is basically a parking lot but without many other options it would probably do the trick for an RV. The tent sites in the back are great. They are huge and have privacy between them. There's a vault toilet which is kept clean. No services or amenities but it's not far to the town of palmer. Despite being right off the state route, it stays pretty quiet from the road traffic because of all the trees. There's a pay station to pay when you arrive and pick your site. This was perfect in the shoulder season and in-between cities. I apologize I didn't get any campground pictures to post!
Guide
There is a south campground along the river and a north loop along the creek. We stayed in the south camp at the end of September so it was “no services no fees” at that time. There’s a bbq restaurant across the street. There are food storage lockers at each site because of bears. Most other campers were there to fish.
Guide
Basically one big parking lot, but it has nice views of the surrounding mountains and harbor. They provide toilets and dumpster which is nice, also the spots have fire pits.
Scout
The only bad we could think of was sports are close together. The hookups are on the opposite side if you back in. It is not an issue if you bring an extra extension cord.
LegendIt's salmon fishing season and you can tell people are staying here to fish the Kenai River, which is great. It was a very convenient campsite off the highway on the way to Homer, in the national forest. only $23 a night to camp or $11.50 if your a senior or have an access pass. Great prize for Alaska, but of course no amenities at site such as water, electric etc. It's a dry spot.
Good size sites and level spots with picnic table and fire pit. Enjoyed our night here ...
Legend
Small but lovely campground on a one way road right on the Kenai river. Sites are spread out, a couple tent spots and a couple of camper spots. There appears to be seven spots and if this is full, you can go just up the road to the next campground.
No electric, water etc but there is a dumpster, picnic tables and fire pits. Across the road is a BBQ spot and a store. You can easily walk to it, just be careful going across road as hwy. Is pretty busy!
Legend
Location and price is right and that is what you pay for. $35 for hookups for the night whereas the other campground in town was $80. Huge difference. We just needed a quick stop near Anchorage on our way to Seward.
We got a level spot with electric, a dump and water station. One picnic table near us in good condition the other in poor. Grass is not mowed well. Bathrooms live up to the reputation, absolutely terrible. You can only stay here 14 days a year which is just fine. Lots of reviews about the homeless which left me concerned but I didn't see that has a huge issue. Maybe they cleaned it up? Not sure. I didn't not feel totally safe walking trails just because the place was a little sketch but it was fine for a nice. Right near highway for convenience but also a lot of highway noise but with windows closed it wasn't bad. Slept just fine!
ScoutWide gravel and grass site with wooden picnic table, no firepit. Several RV tour companies use this park. There are more than 200 sites in this park. Showers were clean and free. Nice laundry room. About 1/4 of park is occupied by long-term residents - clean and well maintained. Park is located within a couple miles of downtown, across street from Costco, and adjacent to a large run down mobile home neighborhood. Wi-fi is offered, but we were too far away from the office so couldn't connect.
Scout
It was quiet and from all aspects was exactly what we were looking for. As locals we just needed a quick and easy getaway for the weekend. Couldn't have picked a better place!
GuideVery basic campground with no amenities. Lots of space between sites with fast moving water on the north side.
Legend
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.
LegendThis is a glorified parking lot, for sure, but it is set in the middle of an Alaskan wilderness wonderland. In every direction you look lies stunning views: mountains, glaciers, fjords, waterfalls, and rivers. What the campground lacks in charm, the scenery simply overwhelms. The sites lie around the perimeter of the square, where there are some grass areas for tents and ample places for RVs of any length. If you can make it through the tunnel, there's room for your rig. Pay for your site at one of the village parking machines near the marina.
The two vault toilets were clean enough to get the job done. There is water and a dumpster or two for trash– but remember, you’re not there for the campground. The surrounding area is gorgeous, but as the locals say, "The weather is always shittier in Whittier!" We got 1.5 nice days and it rained the rest of the time. Regardless, we fit a lot in!
A note about generator etiquette, while there is no rule stating that you can’t run your generator all night long, that does not invite you to do so. If you must power whatever it is you have to run while you sleep there is a better way to do so without impacting your neighbors. Check us out at https://freedominacan.com/solar-powered-by-renogy for all the solar power information you could possibly want.
If you are lucky enough to visit when the sun shines, consider yourself extra blessed and don’t waste a minute of that time inside! There’s a short biking/ walking path into the town from the campground, take a boat excursion, go for a guided sea kayaking paddle(complete with viewing 1,000 foot waterfall) or explore the area on foot. There’s a great hiking trail which starts right across the main road. It’s stunning.
The town has a few services, including gas, bars and restaurants and a convenience store. There’s not a lot of options in town though so come prepared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Anchorage, AK?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Anchorage, AK is Coeur D'Alene Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 3 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Anchorage, AK?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 tent camping locations near Anchorage, AK, with real photos and reviews from campers.
