Best Campgrounds near Delta Junction, AK

Harding Lake State Recreation Area is a shady and scenic site about twenty minutes from North Pole. The lesser-known and elder cousin of the many water-themed state recreation areas that trace the Richardson Highway from Fairbanks to Delta Junction.

This large and accommodating campground boasts a boat launch into Harding Lake, a baseball field, a large group recreation area near the water, a self-guided nature trail, a trailer dump site, and unpotable bulk water--along with various bathrooms with trash receptacles. 

Our family of 5 tent camped in May and had a fantastic weekend. The sandlot-reminiscent baseball field was a rare and magical find that suited our family's wiffleball addiction perfectly. It's like wandering through a moss grove and emerging into a boreal. baseball field. A subarctic Field of Dreams. I also hit two first-pitch homeruns off my 9 and 5 year old--which may or not be related to the magic of this field--but I choose to believe.

The spacious and thoughtfully-designed campground certainly feels beyond its prime--old, unserviceable water pumps (perhaps not yet operable for the season); aspen saplings dotting the baseball infield; and many downed spruces over the nature trail. The posted maps are a little outdated. However, the campground boasted some of the cleanest bathrooms I've ever seen, anywhere-with a very friendly on-site host who came by to chat and kept the facilities in pristine condition.  The camping spots are well-placed along the loop to allow for varying degrees of privacy between sites.

Mosquitoes are everywhere in springtime Alaska--please let me know when you find a campground in a birch forest without them. That said, bring all the bug repellant and preventative measures you can muster. I was swarmed by a biblical cloud of man-eating Culicidae when we first pulled in--but they soon dispersed and only became annoying for intermittent periods. 

Overall this was a magnificent campground, quiet and clean, with plenty for the kids to do. Fantastic and memorable experience.

We loved camping here! The river is so pretty and the mountains are beautiful. We were sitting in our van and all of the sudden there was an earthquake! Just a small one but it was kind of exciting. The sunrise was also beautiful over the water. The have restrooms, water pump, and a boat launch as well.

12 sites, 11 miles off the main highway and next to a beautiful, crystal clear creek. Hand water pump, no hookups available. Only two other people in the campground on a Friday night. Bathrooms were not maintained well during our visit.

During the week, it is very quiet. Weekends and holidays it can be crowded. Military recreation area just down the road. Over half the lake is privately owned.

The name says it all, clearest bluest water I’ve seen in a long time.. the only thing was I missed Florida because of it

So me and the pup had to stop for a few minutes before getting on the road again, however I had a chance to read the story board about the history of the delta, well it’s some you should definitely read about .

Totally enjoyed the scenery herealso the breakfast, this place has the best huevos rancheros north of Texas,

Loved the installation of the post there so many great people in the area

One of things I loved about this place was my dog loved playing around the grassy side of the trailer

We did come here in very late August and the Lost lake campground had only one camper. If you can get spot 10 followed by spot 11 then this campground is worth it. The other spots were not as nice and done had pools of water in them.

The lake was beautiful.

Very clean campground. The staff was very nice as well. The lake view very nice. Friendly people.

I go there every year for a couple months, pretty nice

This was a nice campground with a friendly couple hosting. The spaces were spaced out with privacy trees. I think we scored one of the best spots number 11. The mosquitoes were unbearable outside and in 73 degree weather you needed to be completely covered. The water was so high that the only water play area was the boat launch area. The kids still had a great time but I would check the water level before coming back. There is a dump station, water, and plenty of bathrooms throughout the campground. It is a party campground for water activities so expect noise well after 2am. There are no electric hookups. The closest store is about 10 minutes down the road and has your basic essentials. There are other lakes to visit within an hour radius which makes this a fun location. There is a baseball/soccer field on site which was a lot of fun for the children to run off so energy and it wasn’t very buggy. The water pump was turned off due to Covid19. There’s a water toys rental by the boat launch that offers paddle boats, canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards $25/2 hours or $35 for all day. They are only open Friday-Sunday or by appointment.

Situated just down the road from quartz Lake State Recreation Campground Little Lost Lake Campground at Mile 2.1 has 12 pull in or back in campsites with picnic tables and fire pits. A large parking area, toilets, litter bins, and boat dock. The lake has Arctic char rainbow trout and some salmon stocke for fishing. A trail connects Little Lost Lake and Quarts Lake camping areas so you have access to both lakes. Not to be outdone by its bigger brother at Quartz Lake, Little Lost Lake campground is a gem of its own.