Best Campgrounds near Elmendorf Air Force Base, AK

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

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.

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

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

Limited 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.

This campsite has showers and really nice, quiet spots in the woods. The only downside was the mosquitos which were terrible.

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!

Campground was undermanned, underfunded, dumping station, broken bathrooms, dirty the trail, though followed the Eagle River and was nice lots of mosquitoes 

I 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!

Spencer Bench Cabin offers a stunning location at 1,900 feet elevation, providing breathtaking views of the Placer River Valley, Spencer Lake, and Spencer Glacier. The mcdvoice surrounding alpine meadows boast beautiful vegetation, including low shrubs, grasses, and summer wildflowers. This cabin is available for rent throughout the year, allowing visitors to enjoy the beauty of the area in any season.

If all you want is a place to sleep, you don't mind close together sites and no vegetation in between, then you are in luck. But we found a better place.

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.

This 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.

This is a great little campground between Anchorage and Girdwood, right along the Turnagain Arm inlet and Seward Hwy.  While the road noise from the nearby (and busy highway), could be loud at times, things mostly quieted down during the nighttime hours.  This first come-first served campground is popular on weekends because of the proximity to Anchorage, where folks usually rent RV’s to explore the Kenai Peninsula – so plan ahead. 

The campsites are spacious, but only about half of the sites can accommodate larger RV’s; the rest can only manage a small van or travel trailer.  There is plenty of space in each site to set up a tent, if that’s how you’re going to roll. The sites were clean, as were the vault toilets.  Water is available in a few spigots distributed throughout the park, but they recommended boiling the water to be safe.  Bring your solar panels, as these sites don't have electrical hookups!

There is a beautiful nature trail leading to the Bird to Gird (biking/walking path) for the young and old alike. Biking the path along the old railroad line is a great way to spend the afternoon.  Bike all the way to Girdwood and reward yourself with some of their famous Blueberry fritters at Alpine Cafe and Bakery, which is right off the path at the intersection of the Seward and Alyeska Hwy.  

Two other awesome natural features of the area are Byron Glacier (easy hike) and the bore tide. During certain times of the month, the incoming tide creates an incoming wave of water that is large enough to surf.  Be sure to look for the tidal information online or in park's posted materials.  Warning!  Do not wade out into the water, the tidal mud is like quicksand and many a casual visitor has become entrapped. Heed the warnings of the locals, don’t wade out into the mud flats!

Girdwood has many services, including gas, the aforementioned fritters, laundry and showers, groceries, bakeries, restaurants, golf course, and a ski mountain. Might we also recommend the Girdwood Brewery with its food trucks!