Best Glamping near Ester, AK

Harding Lake State Recreation Area and Salcha River State Recreation Site provide glamping accommodations near Ester, Alaska. Both locations offer yurts and cabin-style glamping options with modern amenities including electric hookups, water access, and sewer connections. The sites accommodate various glamping styles with both locations featuring reservable sites for a more planned boutique camping experience. "This was a campground with a fun water area for the children. There was a boat launch and water that we could walk very far out in with the children," noted one visitor about Harding Lake. The recreation areas maintain a balance of comfort and natural surroundings, with Harding Lake operating seasonally from June to September while Salcha River remains open year-round for all-season glamping opportunities.

Visitors to these glamping destinations enjoy numerous recreational activities centered around water features. Harding Lake provides a baseball field, group recreation areas, and a self-guided nature trail alongside its lake access. A recent visitor mentioned, "We loved camping here! The river is so pretty and the mountains are beautiful." Paddle sports are popular at both locations, with Harding Lake offering rentals for paddle boats, canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards during summer weekends. The canvas tent camping experience is enhanced by the surrounding wilderness, with opportunities for fishing, hiking, and wildlife viewing. Both locations maintain clean facilities with on-site hosts at Harding Lake ensuring pristine conditions. Winter visitors to Salcha River can experience the northern lights from the comfort of their heated accommodations, making it a year-round glamping destination.

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Best Glamping Sites Near Ester, Alaska (3)

1. River Park Campground
8 Reviews
Badger, AK
27 miles
Website
"There are a variety of campsites, some large enough to accommodate an RV, as well as well-maintained restrooms, well-water, a dumpster, and every site had a picnic table and fire pit with grate."

"I’m not sure if we planned the trip around the largest mosquito outbreak ever but this is the first time I wanted a head net! :) the bugs were terrible but the campsite wonderful."
2. Harding Lake State Recreation Area
5 Reviews
Salcha, AK
46 miles
Website
+1 (907) 451-2695
$100 / night
"Harding Lake State Recreation Area is a shady and scenic site about twenty minutes from North Pole."

"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."

3. Salcha River State Recreation Site
3 Reviews
Salcha, AK
44 miles
Website
+1 (907) 451-2695
$45 / night
"The staff was very nice as well. The lake view very nice. Friendly people."

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Recent Glamping Photos near Ester, AK

3 Photos of 3 Ester Campgrounds

Glamping Reviews near Ester, AK

16 Reviews of 3 Ester Campgrounds

Andrew V.
Traveler
May. 23, 2023
Harding Lake State Recreation Area
Fantastic and Clean Campground, Great for Kids
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.
Samantha M.
Ranger
Jun. 15, 2020
Harding Lake State Recreation Area
Mosquitoville
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.
a
anna C.
Guide
Jun. 21, 2018
River Park Campground
Beautiful, quiet campground!
We camped here just this past week and it was wonderful. There are a variety of campsites, some large enough to accommodate an RV, as well as well-maintained restrooms, well-water, a dumpster, and every site had a picnic table and fire pit with grate. Some of the campsites are on the river and some are across the street from it, but there is access to the Clearwater river from the day use area for all visitors. The campsite is still close to town if you need supplies, about a 20 minute drive. This is now one of my favorite sites in the state. A quiet, beautiful spot to camp, engage in water sports, and fish.
Kayla A.
Guide
Jul. 3, 2018
Harding Lake State Recreation Area
Quiet, clean campground in Alaska
Beautiful campground with much to do all around. The Kenai Fjords National Park is close distance.
Samantha M.
Ranger
Jul. 22, 2018
River Park Campground
Wooded area
I’m not sure if we planned the trip around the largest mosquito outbreak ever but this is the first time I wanted a head net! :) the bugs were terrible but the campsite wonderful. The campsites were private, plenty of site options, bathrooms conveniently located and water to play in near by. This campground had a roped off beach area where people played, lounges, kayak/canoe and spent all day. If we came again I would bring more beach appropriate items. The playground and bike/walking trails were great. The kids thought it was fun to watch the many tadpoles!
J
Jared T.
Scout
Jul. 9, 2019
River Park Campground
Short proximity to Fairbanks
Wonderful campground if you are looking to get away from town but still in close proximity. Well maintained camping area, with options to camp on an island in the middle of the lake.

They offer boats and paddle boards for day use at a reasonable price! Fun to take the family for a day or a weekend.
Dave G.
Guide
Jul. 7, 2018
River Park Campground
Only Issue was the mosquitoes; nothing but solace
Campground Review:

This was the first two nights of our 8 night Alaska trip. The campground is called Rosehip, but it's apart of the Chena River State Recreation Area. We arrived late (midnight) and were surprised that even a week before July 4th, that there were only 3 other campers at the campground (all RV's). The wooded areas are composed of mostly white birch which we took its bark when we saw downed trees. Birch bark is great for starting fires. The pit toilets are maintained and do not smell. For water, there are several pumps that you have operate yourself, but our only issue with it was the color of the water, which comes out a little yellow/orange. For two days, we used this site as a base camp to venture out to hiking (Angels Rock) and to Chena Hot Springs, which is about an hour away. Both are worth it. No encounters with wildlife except for the mosquitoes. This site is your typical state run facility and was clean, equipped, and cheap.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At Chena River State Recreation Area, I tested gear from Snapbuds.

The Snapbuds are magnetized clips that, when attached to your headphones, aim to make it easier to coil the headphones up and make them tangle-free. I give the Snapbuds a 2/5 for a couple of reasons:

The instructions were a little difficult to follow; it took me awhile to realize that there are two versions of the Snapbuds, but the instructions include both, and I only had the one kind.

When I attached the snapbuds to the headphones in the locations that were specified, I tried to clip the snapbuds together, but several of the clips wouldn't close; the tiny plastic wings that help close it permanently, would easily bend the other way, making it impossible to secure the clip. Out of the ten clips that come in one package, I could only attach 6. (see picture below)

After attaching as many of the clips that didn't break, I tested out the tangle-freeness of the product. I found that after attaching the buds together via their magnets, that the headphones still weren't effectively secured with the buds attached (see last picture).

I understand how this product works and in some cases, why it's needed, but the Snapbuds were shipped to me with the white Apple headphones. I've been using these headphones for several years now and really haven't had them tangle, even if I bunch them up in my hand and stuff them in my pocket. Perhaps the Snapbuds would be more effective on non-Apple headphones?
Sara S.
Legend
Jun. 30, 2016
River Park Campground
busy but good campground
We wanted to experience a couple campsites in the area near Fairbanks and this was the most 'central' that we found to all the attractions in Fairbanks. It was busier than expected and the sites/bathrooms were typical of a state park. Lots of unique things to do in the park. This is a place I would recommend if you just wanted to have a bit of nature while exploring the city and surrounding attractions, not an 'out in the wild experience.'
Ioan P.
Legend
Aug. 21, 2020
Salcha River State Recreation Site
Nice !
Very clean campground. The staff was very nice as well. The lake view very nice. Friendly people.