Best RV Parks & Resorts near North Pole, 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 The posted maps are a little outdated.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 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.

The BLM has some of the nicest campgrounds in Alaska, and this one is no exception. There are 12 sites with plenty of space between, although they're small for large RVs and trailers (it was perfect for my teardrop trailer). The sites are not directly on the Chatanika River, but you can hear the river running in the background and there is a trail that runs along the riverbank between the campground and the day use area. There are a few walk-in tent sites between the main campground and the river, as well.

Like other BLM facilities it's cleaned and well-maintained, and there are signs up showing local wildlife. Each camping spot has a fire pit and picnic table, and there is a pump to get untreated water near campsite 7. Because it's only about an hour from Fairbanks it doesn't get much traffic from people passing through, although it can get busy during hunting season.