Chitina is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Chitina is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Find the best campgrounds near Chitina, AK. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
$25 / night
$25 / night
Of the 5,000 square miles of glacial ice in Wrangell-St. Elias, the Root Glacier is the most accessible. A moderate 1 ½ mile walk from the historic mining town of Kennecott along the Root Glacier Trail leads you onto the glacier. Be aware that glaciers can be dangerous. It is recommended to wear crampons or ice spikes on your shoes and go with an experienced guide.
There are countless backpacking trips that can be done in Wrangell-St. Elias. Most of the routes listed here are generally "known" and can be found in hiking books and in magazine articles. Other routes can be found through local guide services and air taxis. There are no maintained or marked routes in the park.
Approximately 1.5 miles after leaving Kennecott, the trail reaches the Root Glacier access trail. (Primitive campsites, along with an outhouse and food lockers, are available in this area.) To access the glacier, turn left at the sign and follow the trail as it winds down the moraine to the toe of the glacier. This trail crosses Amazon Creek, which is a seasonal stream. Depending on recent rainfall or spring melt, you may need to cross this stream.
Hazards: The Root Glacier can be very slippery and dangerous. Crampons are strongly recommended. Avoid walking along the edge of Root Glacier as rotting ice and swift, cold water are potentially dangerous. Bears are present along the entire route. For maximum safety, travel in groups, be noisy when you are walking, and never give any food to a bear.
Notes: If you are camping at the Jumbo Creek Camping Area or Donaho Basin, it is required that your food is stored in the bear-resistant food boxes or your own Bear Resistant Food Container (BRFC).
Perfect place to camp
While this campsite might be basic in amenities, the views are unbeatable! This also give great access to McCarthy and Kennicott shuttles. Be very careful on the road here, we got a flat on the way out but some very kind Alaskans helped us out and got us on the way.
This place is so far out of the way and worth it. We only stayed one night but there was enough around and the site was so great, I wish we could have stayed for two. The road to get here isn't hard, just extremely long. When it's wet and the potholes are full of water, you have to treat each of them like they're a foot deep since you have no depth perception. It took us about 3 hours on Nabsena road in our rental jeep compass. We were here in shoulder season and had our pick of spots. We set up right along the water. It was extremely peaceful and relaxing. You could sit here to just enjoy the scenery. Walking into McCarthy is fun too and has a couple of dining options. The city's public outhouses are night, the home made pits on the campground are okay (the dimensions are a little off and they're awkward to sit on). I can't remember if they have wood available but don't count on any amenities. Being shoulder season, we were treated to less than 10 others in the campground (any RV's should be prepared to bondock). Plenty of bear tracks sited hiking in the area and locals said the grizzly's were coming out at night. We even got a glimpse of the Northern Lights but the stars alone are incredible here. This site was well worth travelling for.
Tiny camp site with beautiful waterfall. Really nice spot to listen to green noises.
Stopped here before our hike up to root glacier. The drive there was so beautiful but definitely challenging.
Beautiful campground! Not many sites, but a few right by the waterfall. It’s a shard turn off the road so when coming near Chitna keep your eyes peeled.
Also great for a short hike!
Pros: tent platforms to practice those LNT skills!
Great spot for families, only 1/2 from McCarthy and 5 miles from Kennicott. Over the footbridge you can take public shuttles for a fee to Kennicott.
Warning- McCarthy can attract a lot of partying, some visitor may be louder and stay up late.
Parking/campground at the end of the road. 25$ for very limited service. The view of the glacier is nice but the rest of the campground has no charm. If you have time, look for a dispersed site 10miles or so before McCarty.
This campground is only suitable for those with their own transportation as it is a considerable drive from the footbridge, but the trek is worth it. Nice level tent sites near the river with a picnic table and stone fire ring. Outhouse and showers are a short walk away. Guides for river rafting trips live in walled tents nearby if you need anything. Breeze near the river keeps insects at bay and some greenery between sites provide privacy. A nice place to camp away from the hubbub at the end of the road.
The campsites are decently sized. The people working, visiting and in the area were all great. Very respectful of each other, helping newer fishers with techniques and how to tips. we had many great encounters with people on this adventure. Caught lots of reds and exchanged some great receipts with others. We took the car and gear without any problems. The shop had firewood for sale along with basic necessities.
Well maintained campground. Kind of like a folk festival. Very friendly staff. If you are looking for a great place to camp here it is.
Call and make reservations! 907-822-3991 or kscharters@gmail.com
Prices are a little high for tent camping but pretty standard for RVs. Pets are welcome but drive slowly. Not a ton of room between spots.
Cannot reserve. Get there early in the week and stay the weekend. This campground only has 10 spots but is worth it. Spots are small but the waterfall is amazing. There is a great place to splash in the water at the base of this waterfall. This is one of those once in a life time spots so if you drive by and there is an open space take it.
There is great ground for tent camping as well.
10 sites and one bathroom. Three of the sites are private. At least three of them can be an RV site. Great for community camping ⛺️. Gorgeous waterfall with most camping on the creek. Can’t wait to go back to take the trail a 100 yards up the road.
This is less of a campsite and more of a just roughing-in it (boondocking) on the side of the river on some gravel. Gorgeous views in every direction so worth the gravelly spots. Perfect Campground for the jumping off into Kennicott and McCarthy. Listen to the Raging River as you fall asleep. Friendly host went out of his way to let us use his phone to check up on grown kids at home. No real fire puts to speak of, we used rocks to enclose our fire and there were plenty of those. No table either but considering the price we really didnt mind for being close to the bridge into McCarthy.
Gorgeous waterfall but very limited camping spots, about 5 in all with a couple walk in tent sites. First come first serve basis but all sites have a beautiful view of the creek and waterfall. Mostly tent sites only one or two sites big enough for an RV. The campground along is worth stopping in to see the waterfall if nothing else.
The host was really friendly and helpful, easy going guy who owns the property. It’s a flat rate and you can camp wherever you want! There is lots of space to have your own spot. There are lots of fire pits and picnic tables around, as well as outhouses. Great location right by the river and bridge and a short walk to the lake with amazing views of the glacier!
I've reviewed this campground before but found some more information about it. It costs $20 to camp here per the listing in the Milepost. I was here in May and they weren't ready for the summer camping season. No pricing was posted but the honor box is still available right when you drive in. Only one pit toilet was open in the off season and the water was locked. Bear proof trash recepticals are still available. There are 6 campsites with fire rings and picnic tables. 4 of the campsites have tent pads. There are also lots of trees where you could hang a hammock! Cell reception was spotty here.
I came to this campground in the middle of May. No one else seemed to be camping there. There were cars parked in the parking area but most of them seemed to be broke down. No one ever even acknowledged that we were there. You pay buy an honor system of filling out a white slip of paper and putting it on your dash. $20 for overnight camping and $5 for day parking. This campground is conveniently located right next to the foot bridge that goes into McCarthy. If you are tent camping you have to set up on the bare rocks. It can also get very windy. Outhouses did not seem to be set up so we drove a mile out of town to the NPS public pit toilets since they were clean and open. There are picnic tables and rock fire rings scattered around for public use. The views are stunning and I'm sure they are even better in the summer!
This is one of the most beautiful camping areas I have ever seen. We were only looking for a place to pull off and use the restroom but we were so caught up by the cleanliness and beauty of the area that we decided to eat lunch at one of the picnic tables near the falls. There are only a handful of camping sites and the bathrooms are brand new pit toilets. There is a hand pump for water across the bridge. The campground is split with a wooden bridge crossing a river flowing from the waterfall. I hope to come back here someday and actually camp here!
This camp ground really makes you appreciate the freedom to explore Alaska and see all the beauty. This is one of the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve seen in Alaska. Although this campground is just off the road system, the roads in Alaska can always use some work. Take your time and enjoy the drive but make sure you’re prepared - stores and gas are few in far between once you get back into this terrain.
Best drinking water anywhere. Has hand pump well. Clean out houses. Great camping by the creek. Thundering waterfalls.
Chugach Mountains on one side, the Root Glacier on the other, and a rushing river on the third side. The MOST gorgeous scenery at a campsite I've ever been to. There is no NP campground in this remote part of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (the largest NP in the US). You can either drive the 30-mile gravel road for 3 hours or take a 4-seater plane in. The flight was our vacation splurge and it was breathtaking. We were dropped off by a shuttle at the other side of the river and used a wheeled cart to carry out gear and cross the pedestrian bridge to the campground. No one was there but we found a picnic table with instructions to put our $20/night cash in an envelope. We found a site on the other side (the side by the picnic table had cars/RV's that had driven in, our side had 3 tents the first night, none the next 2 nights). There aren't really any designated campsites, but there were a scattering of picnic tables, fire rings and plenty of land. Despite the remoteness, we were glad to discover an outhouse and a large container of potable water on site. The town of McCarthy (15 minute walk) had 1 restaurant open that we ate dinner at each night after exploring the Root Glacier and ice climbing. We bought sack lunches from the lodge in Kennicott and only had to cook breakfast. Bear containers are required here if you don't have a vehicle, and we were able to check one out for free from the NP visitor center (not on site, but several hours earlier in the day's drive). While the campground itself is very basic, the remote location and beauty make the effort and expense to get here absolutely worth it! Highly recommended!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Chitina, AK?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Chitina, AK is Liberty Falls State Recreation Site with a 4.8-star rating from 10 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Chitina, AK?
TheDyrt.com has all 5 glamping camping locations near Chitina, AK, with real photos and reviews from campers.
