Best Tent Camping near Talkeetna, AK
Looking for tent camping near Talkeetna? The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near Talkeetna. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Talkeetna's most popular destinations.
Looking for tent camping near Talkeetna? The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near Talkeetna. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Talkeetna's most popular destinations.
$20 / night
$15 - $20 / night
After breaking camp in Denali this was a great spot just far enough down the road to take a shower and do laundry. After 3 days of camp food the Thai restaurant right up the road was a dream come true. The showers and laundry worked flawlessly!,!,
We stayed here in a 40' 5th wheel. The RV area is mostly in the trees and a few places are defined, but a lot is just pick your spot and park where you can fit. The places along the water will need to be shorter rigs or you would need to park parallel. Close to town about 3/4 mile. Solar charging is a challenge due to trees and Starling also. You can run generators. No water or dump station, but there is a dumpster near the office.
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
I called DAVE at the listed number on June 14, 2024. he said he sold the property and it is closed.
We stayed here one night. Lots of mozzies. There are pit toilets and lots of sites to choose from. The campground is great if you like fishing or canoeing.
Nice and convenient spot to check out the town of Talkeetna and take a driving break before getting to Denali. This campground is less than a 1/2 mile walk to the small downtown with cute gift shops, a couple places to eat, grocery and a stop along a river.
Campgrounds was small and tight, but it was quiet and well maintained. Up to date bathhouse with laundry and showers. You do have to pay to use the showers, so bring quarters! My husband took a shower and said it was fine. I opted to shower in our camper!
Also, has the train station behind us which some may use for convenience. We only heard the train once so it really didn't affect sleep etc.
If you turn left immediately after coming off the bridge you’ll find the turn in for this campsite. It’s great and free! You’ll see many people camping here. Unfortunately four wheelers, dirt bikes and fireworks are going to be buzzing and booming all night.
I have been camping at this campground for many years and is one of my favorite places to camp!
Some of the best views of the tallest mountain in North America can be seen from hiking within Denali State Park, rather than the National Park itself. We are so glad that we got this advice from our cousins before heading to Alaska!
The Byers Lake campground has nearly 100 campsites, offering the usual tent pad, picnic table and fire ring in a lovely setting. Vault toilets are close at hand in each loop, but the only well pump is located at the front of the campground, near the automatic pay station (credit card). None of the campsites offered electrical hook ups, so bring your solar panels. The park has recently thinned the trees within the camping area, and we were able to charge our system by simply putting our portable solar panel out into the open.
Another thing about Alaskan State Parks is that they all recommend that you boil, treat or filter the well water. This probably means that they haven’t had the water tested so user beware. We were here during the last week of July and though we did run into mosquito areas along our hikes, they weren’t a bother in the campground though –- not sure if they spray.
Hiking, paddling and fishing on Byers Lake are easy to access. A seasonal adventure operator rents kayaks and canoes and offers rafting experiences on the nearby rivers. We saw our best views of the tall peaks about halfway up the Cascade trail, which was moderately difficult but easy to follow. This would also make a great start or end to an overnight backpacking experience along the Cascade trail.
One of the best things about this campground is that it rarely, if ever, fills to capacity. While you can make a reservation, there is no need to– it even says this on their website, they have overflow spaces and can almost always accommodate everyone. So, if you have the time and you don’t get the weather window to join the 30% of visitors who get a view of the mountain, stick around for a few days to increase your chances.
Nearby services are in the town of Cantwell to the north or Talkeetna to the south.
We live in the Fairbanks area and stayed here 2 nights. We used this park as sort of our anchor point as we spent time in Anchorage for a birthday trip and shopping. We arrived late and called ahead to let them know. We were told a map with our name on it would be taped to the door with bathroom codes but they must have forgotten because it wasn't there when we arrived. Not a huge deal but a little disappointing. We found this park to be quite charming with the beautiful office area and tree covered path to the door and all of the adorable bunnies hopping around. Wish we could have spent more time at the actual park but we had other plans. The park was for the most part pretty empty but we had neighbors directly next to us and diagonally to us. Unfortunately, both sets of neighbors were up late into the night (1 a.m.) being loud and had loud barking dogs. It was unfortunate for quiet hours not to he observed especially because the sites are pretty close to each other but we weren't going to poopoo on anyone's party. The creek was nice and relaxing. We had full hookups and stayed in a pull thru spot. We would attempt to stay here again.
Family friendly place, staff is super friendly and helpful. I did not expect the place to be that good! Bathrooms and showers are clean and there’s always toilet paper👌🏻👌🏻 we went with some friends and our kiddos loved the playground and playing in the sand. The facilities have washers and dryers. Since it’s next to the river expect mosquitos so take something to kill them and repellent. Loved it👌🏻👌🏻♥️♥️ 10/10
Growing up in the Midwest and camping at state parks I’m use to a lot of interpretive signage explaining the history and landscape. Out of all the AK state parks I’ve visited this is by far the best. I also prefer this over Denali NPS, I find I have better luck seeing Denali from this side but also tons less people.
I like the state park more than the national park. I always have a better view of the mountain and there’s so much to do!
Lack of privacy in the first subdivision of sites. Beautiful trail down to the lake though. Would be interested in renting a public cabin and hiking to the remote sites. Appreciate the pet designated trail :)
This campground has a main parking lot and walk in sites. During the busy months there could be a lot of road noise, fall is the perfect time because there aren’t as many folks on the road.
Found this campground to be very tightly packed sites. It’s right on Montana Creek so great for fly fishing. Across the highway is a private campground with hook ups and a market
Overall We loved this site. Family plus dogs had a great time here. Got to see Denali on a super clear day so that's even better
Pros -spacious sites -trails with amazing views of Denali -plenty of maneuvering space for travel trailers
Cons -no water hookups at site. Currently as of AUG21 only one functioning water spigot at the pay station -missed the entrance but definitely user error there.
These are dry camp spots, but they are a very short walk to town. Each space was private and quiet.
One of our favorite places to stay on our way to anchorage!
Campground was empty, check in was nice and staff was great. They have free wifi, showers, bathrooms and full hookup. Downsides is there’s no grass it’s just gravel. And the mosquitos were the worst we witnessed in all of Alaska. We couldn’t sit outside and there were 100s in our camper by the time we left. Just a negative of being on the river.
Really enjoyed our stay here. Lots of options for lake front, pull through, and back in. I recommend making a loop around before choosing a spot. Camp host was very nice. If you have kids bring their bikes!
Basically a parking next to a river. Toilets available. Payment cash.
great place to bring family and friends for a day/night out in the outdoors. close the lake and trails. spaces are a bit close but some people prefer that!
i highly recommend this campground for tents and rv’s. this place was so clean and well taken care of. beautiful view of denali and hiking trails throughout the campground. bathrooms placed strategically throughout. and again CLEAN!
They are closed for the 2021 season.
We stayed here twice in 2020. In August we parked in space 22 with our rented pickup camper, and in October we rented one of the cabins for a short "get out of town" break (we live in Anchorage). The weather was in our favor in August and we had an awesome view of Denali right from our campsite. While the RV campsites were closed in October, the cabins and, I believe, the tent sites were available.
I'd love to give this campground 5 stars, but when we were there in summer there was no water available. There is power to all the RV campsites but only a couple of water stands. The water supply stands were covered in plastic with no explanation. I don't know if this is a permanent situation so if you plan on staying here make sure to call ahead if you need a water source.
The cabin we stayed in in October was the one closest to the Ranger Sation. It was wonderfully quiet and we had hoped to do some star gazing but they keep the exterior lights on all night at the station. Not sure about you, but I'm wanting to get away from city lights and this was just plain annoying. The cabin is huge with two tables in the main room, a separate bedroom and a large loft up a circular metal staircase. I thought the loft would be nice to stay in but it was way too hot and the windows don't open. We brought our own wood for the stove and were comfortable all night. These cabins are a notch above the standard Alaska Forest Service cabins, but still pretty rustic. I think each has an outdoor space with table and fire ring.
My complaints are specific to me and I would still highly recommend this campground
With so few camping choices in the area sometime this is where you have to camp. It is a very noisy campground and not what I prefer with such a massive state to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Talkeetna, AK?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Talkeetna, AK is River Park Campground - May-Su Borough with a 3-star rating from 1 review.
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TheDyrt.com has all 3 tent camping locations near Talkeetna, AK, with real photos and reviews from campers.