Best Tent Camping near Girdwood, AK

No amenities. What you pack in you pack out. 6 tent camping spots before the gate, back country camping after the gate. Look for the posts with yellow reflectors for camping sites past the gate. beautiful sunrise and sunsets.

Due to construction this campground is closing for the 2020 season. Reservations are required 2 weeks in advance. (907) 240-9797 or reservations@greatholidaycampgrounds.com Gates close you in from 8 am - 8 pm. Rentals for canoes and paddle boards.

With only 10 sites they fill up quickly.

RV and tent camping sites.

Well maintained trails but a walk to the cabin or yurts. Accessible by foot year around. No horses or bikes allowed on trails. Tent camping along the Crow Creek Pass Trail.

Many choices for length of hikes depending on which loop you choose. This is bear county so bring your bear bells. Loved the hikes so much we decided to rent the cabin for my birthday.

This campground has nice size sites for RV's. If you are tent camping (I am), there's one pull in to 3 sites so you are close to strangers if your friends don't come. The toilets are clean but smell awful. One can also hear quite a bit of road noise and military aircraft all day because the campground is near both. Nice quick stop. $20 a site per day.

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!

Fishing, hiking, boating galore. Paved pads with gorgeous sites some right on the water. Tent sites at $5 a night and Standard sites for camper and RV's run $10. This beautiful lake was hit by the Swan Lake fire this year and the campgound has been closed, however we drove through last weekend and the campground survived the fire! Still nicely surrounded with trees for privacy we were very happy to see it undamaged.

Small campground on the Kenai Peninsula. We've stayed here and at the nearby Granite Creek (one of my favorites) when we wanted a place to tent camp while we fished the Russian for salmon. You can fish both Bertha and Granite Creeks, but not for Salmon.

Sites are well-spaced and come with the standard Chugach National National Forest amenities: fire pit, picnic table, garbage, water pump, pit toilets. Unlike Granite Creek, you cannot reserve sites in advance, but this is a smaller and lesser known campground and often I have found a space here when others are full.

Be bear-safe and be sure to lock up all your food and toothpaste when away from your campsite.

This campsite fills up fast! We happened to get the last available tent campsite right on the water and it was GORGEOUS! This is the more peaceful campground in Hope (there's another one in town that seems more fun but more noisy too). They have large picnic tables, one spot seemed handicap accessible even. There was a nice fire pit that helped for us novice fire makers. The camp hosts were super helpful and informative. There are two great hikes nearby within driving or walking distance. A perfect weekend getaway from Anchorage! You'll adore this beautiful spot.

This campground features 50 camping sites some are along the creek side. Make sure you plan ahead since the tunnel runs one way once an hour. Check your departures times. The tunnel is always a fun trip.

The cost is good at $20 an RV and $10-$20 for a car and tent depending on the number of people in the party. With level spots and little other tent camping choices these spots can fill up. There are no reservations and sites are first come first serve. There is plenty to do in Whitter, the drive, the tunnel, and the price make this a great option to stay.

Always plan for rain.

Cell Service: yes Internet: Yes 3G 2020 Cost: $10-$20 Operates: April to October depending on snow clearance Distance from Anchorage: 58 miles Bug Factor (1 minimal to 10 too many to enjoy): 3

This is Whitter. Land of beauty, glacier, the tunnel, and wet. Maybe not always rain but definitely wet.

This is a very small town with amazing views. Campground is situated right off the water and is very, very damp. I would not suggest tent camping if you have the option. This is a great place to car camp and the cost through the tunnel is $13.00. Views of glaciers great you as soon as you exit the tunnel. The best spots are right along the waters edge, but again bring your Extratufs.

Cell Service: yes Internet: yes 3G 2020 Cost: $20 Distance from Anchorage: 58 miles Best sites: Along the waters edge Bug Factor (1 minimal to 10 too many to enjoy): 1 (but I have only been here when it is raining)

The stunning lake view and access made the campsite worth dealing with the bugs and bears.

We arrived at Upper Skilak Lake Campground on a sunny Friday afternoon and managed to get the last site available. The campground was packed, including all the RV sites. We ended up in one of the walk-in tent sites. There are a total of 10 walk-in tent sites, with six right on the lake and the rest just a short walk away.

Each campsite is equipped with bear-proof storage for food, which is essential considering the active bear presence in the area. There is enough space for two tents, and the fire pits are new with adjustable grill racks, which made cooking easy. Buckets were provided to safely extinguish fires.

The campsites are a short walk from the parking lot, involving a small hill, except for one (maybe two) handicap-accessible site that offers easier access.

During our stay, we saw black bears and grizzly bears every day. Bear scat was common on the trails and beach, adding to the sense of adventure but also requiring constant vigilance regarding food storage and safety.

The park rangers were friendly and stopped by our site each night to check in and talk about bear sightings. However, one morning, a ranger accompanied by a few volunteers walked into our site while we were eating, which felt somewhat invasive.

The main downside was the state of the bathrooms. They were extremely dirty, with one stall that didn’t lock and another that had no toilet paper. The smell was terrible, and overall, the facilities were not well-maintained.

By the time we left on Monday, we were the only campers remaining, which offered a peaceful end to our stay.

Overall, Upper Skilak Lake Campground offers a beautiful location and a genuine wilderness experience, the poor condition of the bathrooms and significant amount of bugs were the only drawback.

Be prepared for bears and lots of bugs. The lake, the trails, and experience were definitely worth the trip.