Denali National Park and Preserve, AK is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Denali National Park and Preserve, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
Wonder Lake Campground is closed until further notice.
With up-close views of North America’s tallest peak, Denali National Park Wonder Lake Campground is the closest campground to the mountain, providing visitors with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is located in a remote area, surrounded by pristine wilderness and offering visitors a chance to connect with nature in a way that is becoming increasingly rare. The campground offers a range of activities nearby such as fishing and wildlife viewing. It is also the starting point for many popular hiking trails, including the 20-mile McKinley Trail. Denali National Park Wonder Lake Campground is a special destination that offers visitors an unforgettable glimpse of Alaska's natural beauty.
Visitors may not drive to this campground. It is only accessible for campers via specialized park buses. Be sure to book a camper bus ticket in addition to paying your campground fees.
$16 / night
Riley Creek Campground is a fairly wooded campground, with some screening between sites whenever possible. Most of the campground sites are open to either tent campers or vehicles / RVs. The proximity of Highway 3 means there is occasional traffic noise, but also means campers have all the conveniences and amenities of the park entrance area, and businesses outside the park, close at hand. Trails leading from the campground connect to the Denali Visitor Center, which is the central hub of trails in the entrance area.
$50 - $90 / night
Igloo Creek Campground is a seven-site backcountry campground. Sites can only be booked upon arriving in the park. This campground is surrounded by low mountains. The area is thickly forested, with the Denali Park Road about one hundred yards away from the campsites. Food lockers are available for campers to store all scented items, not just food. Campers reach the campground by bike or by using the park camper bus.
$50 - $90 / night
Riley Creek Campground is a fairly wooded campground, with some screening between sites whenever possible. Most of the campground sites are open to either tent campers or vehicles / RVs. The proximity of Highway 3 means there is occasional traffic noise, but also means campers have all the conveniences and amenities of the park entrance area, and businesses outside the park, close at hand. Trails leading from the campground connect to the Denali Visitor Center, which is the central hub of trails in the entrance area.
Denali Rainbow Village RV Park is the closest full service RV Park to Denali National Park. Just 1 mile north of the park entrance, it is surrounded by all services and activities.
$999 / night
Scout
I really love this place, its very nice and calm place. unitedmods
ScoutI ended up doing car camping here on a whim because it was super rainy and I wanted somewhere I could comfortably car camp without running into the risk of being disturbed and let me tell you this was such a beautiful and safe space to be camping. The best part of it all, if you have AT&T you get full 5g service in the mountains. It was great 10/10 will be camping when I pass through here again.
Guide
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.
ScoutGreat stay, very clean and well kept
Guide
We liked how the campground was not right next to the main highway going through Healy and Denali. It is about 3 to 4 miles off the main road. We stayed in camp spot number nine, which was a huge spot and perfect for our 32ft camper truck and three dogs. It was unfortunately $60 per night when we stayed the weekend of July 20, 2024. Most campgrounds I’ve ever been to are between five and $20 per night. The other down side is that it is right next to the GVEA power plant so you hear a bit of noise early in the morning from the loaders back up alarms and the plant just operating. The host was absolutely incredible and one of the most friendly host we’ve ever had. The campground when he first pulled into it and passed the office is a little sketchy because it looks like a somewhat rundown place but as you get farther back, the camp spots are nice and big power and water. The dump station unfortunately was on the wrong side when I left and I didn’t have a long enough hose so I had to go out circle and come back in just to dump my tank and luckily no one was in a camping spot so I was able to turn back around and leave. Spot number nine is at the very end on the right and thankfully no one was parked across the drive from us because I needed that whole spot just to back in my camper so if you don’t know how to drive your rig I recommend not going here. I don’t want to discourage anyone from going here with the large price noise from the power plant and somewhat sketchy looking buildings on the property when you first arrive because it was a great stay and mostly quiet because it was so far away from the main road, and the host also made it worthwhile.
Guide
Stayed in caribou loop for 5 days. Had a great spot (lot of them). Location was excellent for exploring the entire park. Campsite was roomy and had the illusion of seclusion based on space between sites and nature separating sites. Well within walking distance to store, visitor center. Just outside park we rented ATV and had a great time in the open lands. So much so I went back with my jeep the next day and 4-wheeled in the same area.
Traveler
We passed multiple fantastic pullouts on either side of this campground because we thought utilities would be nice for a night. Pulled in late and hooked up, only to find that the electric post didn’t work. No sewer hookups at the site, so we took our morning showers and proceeded to the dump station on our way out. The proprietor met us there and tried to hook his black hose to our gray tank. I stopped him and tried to explain why this was unsanitary. He said I was wrong. I offered to link my gray hose to his black hose. He said no, because in his 30 years of camping experience it’s other people’s equipment that fails. I pointed out that it was his electrical post that failed this time around, at which point he told us to “just go away” and refused to let us dump. So for $57.72 we got a water spigot. PS — there’s a free one at the gas station down the street!
Don’t let this know-it-all boomer ruin your holiday. Find literally any other campground or use one of the stunning nearby pullouts for free. You won’t regret it.
Traveler
Over 10 free campsites, no electric, no water. Pit toilets available. Sites have tables and fire rings. This is a gem of a find! When Denali closed due to wildfires my family and I found this spot which saved our vacation. Some sites are overgrown, mosquitoes are bad so bring spray.
Traveler
CLOSED- there is a sign as you turn in that says no camping and no rv camping. It is a great spot but not available. this was July 2, 2024. There is a nice beaver dam on the river at back of gravel area.
ScoutAs a rider (player) or person you have to prepare for such camps
RangerShowers are at the mercantile, $5 for 5 min. They have washers and dryers too. $2 wash/$2 dry. The campground is quiet and the sites are all well designed and level.
TravelerGreat place to camp. Sites are big. Has water and electric hook ups. A dump station. Has washer and dryer. Has showers for a price. Would easily come back.
GuideThis campsite is right off the highway and has bathrooms, fire rings, and picnic tables. There was still a lot of snow in late May so not all of the sites were accessible. Not many people there but a fine site if you want a free campground in the Denali area.
GuideIn the wilderness but still close enough to civilization to buy things if needed or have cell service
LegendLoved 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.
TravelerNice place in between Denali state park and Denali national park. There are toilets and trash cans only. Although, it is infested by mosquitoes and not very well maintained but clean. There are about 10 RV sites, and a few tent sites. You'll have to make your own path to the river, grass is high. Watch out for bears.
Legend
Jake from the Dyrt here! This unique stay in Alaska trains dogs for sledding. Check them out and make sure to leave a review on the Dyrt!
Legend“Did you get your Denali reservations, yet?” For months we heard this common refrain from my mother each time we called. We were planning a visit to the park during the first week of August, and here it was April and there was still plenty of availability for the furthest campground into the park that you can take a trailer, camper, RV or motorhome. Still, there’s a reason why it’s so in demand. Not only is the campground beautiful, nestled in between the foothills and the banks of the braided Teklanika river, but it greatly reduces your travel time into the rest of the park by bus.
The campground offers medium-sized sites, some back-in, some pull-through, picnic tables, fire rings, fresh potable water and vault-style toilets like many other national park campgrounds. None of the campsites offered electrical hook ups, so bring your solar panels. We were able to charge our system by simply putting our portable solar panel out into the open.
If you’re driving your personal vehicle, you can make your reservation between 3 minimum required nights or 14 maximum nights. (If you take the bus, you only need to make a reservation for 1 night – but why would you only stay 1 night?– this is Denali, people!) The purpose for the stay requirement of drivers is to minimize vehicle traffic on the gravel park road. You get to drive in once on the first day of your reservation, and out once on the last day– any other day in-between you’re taking the bus.
Once you get to the campground, the sites are first-come, first-served. There will be enough sites for everyone with a reservation, but your choices might be limited if you arrive later in the day.
To ride the bus, you must purchase a separate “Tek” bus pass which is a one-time fee and good for the entire length of your stay. You can go in either direction on the bus, hop-on/ hop-off any place you want between the end of the road and Park Headquarters. The buses can accommodate 3 bikes, so if you want to ride one way and take the bus back like we did, that's a great option! One note on the Tek Pass, if you go all the way back to the Visitor’s Center you will need to purchase an additional bus pass to get back to camp. So, do your VC stuff before and after you camp within the park.
Groceries are best purchased at the Three Bears in nearby Healy, around 15 miles from the park entrance, they have better prices and a wider selection than in Denali town, including a full liquor store. There are bars, restaurants, hotels and t-shirt shops aplenty there too.
Scout
I was staying there with some friends for 2 nights, the RV Park was full, everything was beautiful, you have an amazing view to appreciate, you can go with your family also because it is a quiet place.
ScoutThe spaces are very small. I have a 24’ trailer and there were not many spots I would fit. The spots were narrow, and most were perpendicular to the road, making it difficult to back it.
On the up side, the spaces weee very secluded, and the campground was very quiet.
It was nice being so far into the park, but with the road closed at around mile 41, there weren’t many hikes.
Legend
Drive through the site going into denali. As soon as we get there we spot caribou right at the river. It was very Smokey due to wildfires so we couldn’t really see much
GuideWe spent 2 nights and used the Savage River Campground as a jumping off point to travel further into the park. We had a our best hikes from the campground. We enjoyed hiking along the river. We were lucky to have a grouse pair come into our campsite. We also took advantage of the ranger talk that was given in the evening. The bathrooms were clean.
GuideThis camp ground has the best of both worlds- secluded, wooded campsites while being close to a mercantile store and the visitor center. We stayed 2 nights and then came back for a third. Both times, we were able to get a site on the Caribou loop with the creek running behind the site. The sites in this part of the campground are more private and there is a trail that connects it to the visitor center. The bathroom was clean.
RangerThis 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.
RangerMy 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.
Scout
Nice bathrooms, you need special tokens from the office for showers. Not crowded in early June.
RangerWe got there first day of the season and there was a ton more snow than normal. Made the sites a little trickier to get into. There are 2 pull through site options at the end of each of the loops. I think one is site #14. Site #13 has the best view but it’s all first come first serve. Clean bathrooms
Camping near Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, offers stunning views and a chance to connect with nature. Whether you're pitching a tent or parking an RV, there are plenty of campgrounds to choose from, each with its own unique charm.
Camping near Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, is an adventure filled with natural beauty and unique experiences. Whether you're hiking, fishing, or just soaking in the views, there's something for everyone in this stunning part of the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Denali National Park and Preserve?
According to TheDyrt.com, Denali National Park and Preserve offers a wide range of camping options, with 30 campgrounds and RV parks near Denali National Park and Preserve and 6 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Denali National Park and Preserve?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Denali National Park and Preserve is Wonder Lake Campground — Denali National Park with a 4.8-star rating from 16 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Denali National Park and Preserve?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 6 free dispersed camping spots near Denali National Park and Preserve.
What parks are near Denali National Park and Preserve?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 3 parks near Denali National Park and Preserve that allow camping, notably Denali National Park & Preserve and Denali National Park.
