Best Tent Camping near Cantwell, AK

My dad and I camped in B-20 for 2 nights. It’s was a great site, close walk to bathrooms, close to the water supply to refill water containers, the Mountain Vista Trailhead, and just perfectly placed. We camped in a tent under constant daylight and got down to 40s between 3-5am. You can pick up whatever wood you see on the ground but can’t cut fresh stuff. It was my first time staying in this campground.

Every winter we travel to unit 13 to camp, fill our caribou tag and ride our sleds. This country is so big that you can have your own private playground and campground. Winter camping is limited to the parking lot unless you have appropriate gear to winter tent camp but summer camping is endless. Like any place in Alaska, be BearAware and protect yourself but understand you are in their country out here so take all the necessary precautions.

This campsite was in the Savage River Campground in Denali National Park, just outside the bus station for the park transit and close to the bathrooms. We had a great tent site and firepit with a large picnic table. You can hear the river flowing and it can lull you to sleep despite the near constant daylight. This site was peaceful and the Mountain Vista Trail was a short walk away.

I camped here a few years ago when I was on an Alaska trip with my grandma.  We were moving around a lot and this campground was just what we needed for one night.  We took the shuttle bus in, since that's the only way to get there, stayed for a night and then moved on. There aren't many sites in this place, maybe 10 or so but they are spread out and nice. Only tent sites with no hook ups. Be prepared because there is no drinking water here so you need to bring your own or some way to purify it. You can't make reservations, its only walk ups.  

We did one little hike while we were in the area which ended up being really nice. I would definitely recommend checking out horseshoe lake trail if you need an easy hike and want some nice views. I think it was about 2 miles without much elevation gain. 

Although we didn't stay here for very long, just passing through Denali, it was a good experience and I would recommend the campground.

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.

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...

This campground is located at mile 29 of the denali park road so if you're taking the bus that's where you need to get off! Make sure you have your thermarest and sleeping mask the midnight sun is real and you'll need it to get some shut eye. Permafrost in Alaska is also real and you'll have a frozen bum if you forget your thermal rest. Also deet is essential here. This was my favorite place to camp in denali after setting up camp I scrambled up the hill on the other side of the road and watched the caribou herd for what seemed like forever. The day I left I was awakened by a moose and her calf in my camp site who were luckily non aggressive and didn't seem to care about me at all. Mean while I'm sitting in my tent having a heart attack ready to die. Anyway amazing place check it. Happy Adventuring!

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.

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.

Igloo campground is located a decent ways into the park. We were told mosquitoes were the national bird of Alaska haha. It is no joke at this campground. Be prepared for me. Only 7 campsites but pretty close together. No campfires or communal fire pit.

Savage river is a nice campsite that you can drive to in Denali National Park. It is also possible to see Denali from here. Mixture of tents and RVs

Large campground for car camping, RVs and tents. Open approximately May to September. If you're backpacking, you wouldn't really stay here. Get a permit and a bear canister and head out into the wilds away from the campground noise! Ranger programs per schedule.

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.

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 & laundry building by the office. In the office is a nice selection of gifts and some groceries & delicious coffee!!

Super clean toilets that are located close to every site. Water and sump sink located convenient to every site. You might have to look for a site that fits your tent or Rv. Reserve for 3 nights ,drive in , set up, and then let the Green Bus Drivers do the driving for 3 days. Get on and off any time. We went in August and the mosquitoes were minimal.

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.

This is one sweet campground, though we found it a little loud at times as some groups were staying there as well. Takes RVs and Tents. There's running water, flush toilets and a great evening program each night with a ranger. We stayed a few days would hop on the bus each day (there was a fee) to where we wanted to explore and then catch the bus back when were were done. Great experience.

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.

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.

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!!!

This place is incredible. Simply put. Its first come first serve. We stayed here for 1 night and camped directly on the creek. Not sure how many sites there are in total but we explored the area and found folks camped all over the place. There were people with 4 wheelers cruising around that looked like they had been there quite a long time. I would recommend this place to anyone in the area.

Its smaller compared to other camp grounds in the area with less people and less b/s. Alaska in the summer especially near the parks camps can be pretty overwhelming. We did meet an awesome family who took us for a little ride on they're 4 wheelers and showed us more of the area. Its beautiful.

Cheers!

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!

Teklanika Campground is a phenomenal location for camping in Denali. Accessible to both tent and RV campers at mile 29.1 on the Denali Park Rd this campground has vault toilets, picnic tables, and fire pits and requires a minimum 3 night stay with no access to the front of the park (without additional fees) once you arrive. Campers here purchase a Tek Pass which allows access further into the park via the bus system (the only way to get further into Denali from this campground). Our favorite feature of this campground was the Tek River which is directly next to the campground. The river bar made for excellent hiking and adventures for the whole family with plenty of animals to see. We would definitely camp here again!

We stayed at this campground for the Road Lottery in 2017 (if you don't know about the Denali Road Lottery, 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.

This was out second campsite of our 8 night Alaska trip. We were there for two nights. This campground has a family campground feel with all the RV's and family groups; not that that's a bad thing! The campground was probably 80% full, but still quiet and enough solitude. The campground is right on the Denali park road where all the shuttles and buses pass through the park. We reserved a spot to take us all the way to the Eielson Visitors Center which is a ~4 hour one-way trip from Savage River Campground. Anyone reading this and considering going to Denali - you WILL see wildlife. We saw a family of foxes, caribou, grizzly bears, a marmot, ground and red squirrels, moose, bald eagles, and a variety of other birds. There is a popular short hike from the campground down to Savage River, and the camp host told us that people see moose and bear a lot in the morning on that hike. Other things to note are: Denali Education Center (outside of the park) - we went to yoga here; Healy - check out 49th State Brewing ( they have the "Into the Wild" bus from the movie).

This was one of our all-time favorite campgrounds! The campsite was spacious and had lots of privacy, with a picnic table, fire ring and plenty of space for a large tent. Our site backed up to woods that were filled with spongy, mossy ground coverings and "evidence" of moose presence. Our family loved exploring this area! We walked to the savage river at the back of the campground and explored this area, attended a great ranger talk and had some fabulous mountain views. We also loved the location of the campground, as we could drive our car but were further away from the crowded front areas of the park. We absolutely loved our hike on the savage alpine trail, which we took the free shuttle to get to the start and ended outside of our campground. If you have kids, be sure to check out a discovery backpack filled with activities and science kits they can use. Our 9-year-old loved it so much she asked for a science kit for Christmas!