The Dyrt – find campgrounds for tents, RVs, cabins, glamping and more.
Open in App

Best Campgrounds near Tenakee Springs, AK

46 Reviews

Campgrounds near Tenakee Springs, Alaska are primarily rustic forest cabins managed by the U.S. Forest Service, scattered throughout the coastal areas of Tongass National Forest. Facilities like Kennel Creek Cabin, Moser Island Cabin, and Kook Lake Cabin provide secluded accommodations accessible mainly by boat or float plane. The region features limited tent camping options, with most designated sites concentrated near Sitka and Juneau rather than in immediate proximity to Tenakee Springs itself. Mendenhall Lake Campground in Juneau offers both tent and RV sites with views of the glacier, while Auk Village provides more basic facilities in a wooded setting.

Road access is extremely limited throughout the area, with many sites requiring water transportation to reach. "This is a very secluded cabin, accessible by boat or float plane and only a few miles from Sitka, AK," notes one visitor about Allan Point Cabin. Weather conditions can be challenging with frequent precipitation and cool temperatures even in summer months. Most Forest Service cabins require advance reservations through recreation.gov, with booking windows opening months ahead of the peak summer season. Cell service is spotty to nonexistent at most remote cabin sites, making advance trip planning essential. Winter access becomes even more challenging as daylight hours decrease dramatically and storms are more frequent.

Campers consistently highlight wildlife viewing opportunities as a primary attraction when staying near Tenakee Springs. A visitor to Auk Village Campground mentioned, "Great place to go whale watching. Seriously! I went for two hours and saw 30 ish breaches." Bear safety is a critical consideration throughout the region, with multiple reviewers noting signs of bear activity near cabins and campgrounds. Many cabins include wood stoves for heat, fire pits, and basic amenities, but visitors must bring all necessary supplies. The more accessible campgrounds near Juneau provide greater amenities including drinking water and vault toilets, while the remote cabins offer exceptional solitude and immersion in the temperate rainforest ecosystem. Water access for fishing, crabbing, and wildlife viewing represents the primary recreational draw throughout the area.

Map showing campgrounds near Tenakee Springs, AlaskaExplore the Map

Best Camping Sites Near Tenakee Springs, Alaska (52)

Show More
Showing results 1-10 of 52 campgrounds

2025 Detourist Giveaway

Presented byToyota Trucks

Review Campgrounds. Win Prizes.

Enter to Win

Tenakee Springs Contest

Enter to Win

Recent Camping Photos near Tenakee Springs, AK

6 Photos of 52 Tenakee Springs Campgrounds

Recent Reviews near Tenakee Springs, AK

46 Reviews of 52 Tenakee Springs Campgrounds

  • Vicky S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 4, 2025

    Hollywood Farms RV Park Gustavus AK

    RV park close to Glacier Bay National Park

    Many people choose to leave their RVs in Juneau and walk on the ferry to Gustavus and stay at the lodge in the National Park. The lodge has a shuttle for guests arriving by plane or ferry so this is easy to do. But if you want to bring your RV on the ferry to Gustavus when you visit Glacier Bay National Park, this is a good place to stay. It’s quiet and clean. The manager, Trish, is very nice. We had a chance to explore a bit. It’s a small town. Residents know each other. The Fireweed Gallery, Tea and Coffee House was lovely. We went there twice and met the mayor. Visiting the town added to our experience.

  • Angie G.
    May. 27, 2024

    Mendenhall Lake Campground

    Glacier View in the Tongass

    After being unable to find good reviews of campsites here, I took what I could find and gambled on a site. We were in tent site 021. It was a gorgeous site, had a large picnic table, bear box, water spigot between us and the site next to us, fire pit, clean pit toilets and a clean bath house. This campground has backpacker sites, RV sites, and car sites as well. We had a short walk through the moss on a trail that led down to Mendenhall Lake. It had a gorgeous view of the glacier. We enjoyed listening to all the birds and it was a pretty quiet campground.

    There are a few sites close to boggy areas and they can be mushy and muddy, especially after a rain. There is a map on the reservation website where you can kind of see it. Our site was fabulous.

    The trails are not far from the campground, so they are walkable.

  • Angie G.
    May. 26, 2024

    Auk Village

    Wilderness Bliss

    This campground has 11 sites and we were lucky to get #5, right across from the pit toilets so we didn’t have to walk far. We had a great site, bear box, campfire pit, and a fabulous view when you walk to the edge right behind your site! We didn’t put any hammocks in the trees or do any cooking on site, as it is black bear country and you don’t want any uninvited guests. We went to the picnic shelter at Lena Cove for our morning breakfast and hung our hammocks in the shelter for the morning. We had great views of Auke Bay and Lena Cove.

    I could not find any reviews to pick a site but I reserved this one and it was gold! We had a water spigot close to us in the campground, but there are no electric or water supplies at the sites. You need to bring your own firewood because some sites say it was supplied, however, due to low crew numbers they can’t keep up with demand.

  • Melissa W.
    Oct. 29, 2023

    Mendenhall Lake Campground

    Great location, nice sites

    Tent camping review. This was a great camp ground. Very clean and quiet. You can't beat the proximity to the park and hiking. Some of the sites even have great views. Each site has plenty of privacy, so even with intermixed RV's it stays pretty quiet. The showers were okay, not the cleanest and not the hottest but got the job done. My only complaint was coming after dark the first night to someone clearly squatting with their RV in our site. The camp hosts do not mark each site with the booked reservations (even though the posts clearly say that the section we were in were "reservation only". So people just drop in and take sites, assuming they aren't reserved. We attempted to solicit the camphosts help but in the 4 nights we stayed there, we never saw the hosts available once. We asked the people to move the next morning in daylight- not wanting to start anything or end up shot by knocking on their door and asking them to move that first night. However, that meant that we set up in someone else's potentially reserved site and started a huge domino effect. So I recommend getting there early to make sure your reserved spot isn't taken.

  • Shari G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 6, 2022

    Mendenhall Lake Campground

    Big Surprise!

    We’ve been full-time camping in our vintage camper for over10 years, and in that time we’ve taken some “camping trips” without our rig, Hamlet. This time we hopped on the ferry from Haines down to Juneau and pulled out the tent for a few days in this amazing campground. We were just looking for the least expensive place that was close to the ferry terminal in Auke Bay, but struck gold in the hills just above. This might be one of the best traditional campgrounds we've ever stayed in with some of the most stunning views in our "backyard."

    The campground is laid out along the southern bank of Mendenhall Lake, and offers drinking water, flush, and vault toilets and hot showers -- at no extra charge. Did I mention that camping here will only set you back $10 per night? We cannot remember such an inexpensive camping experience that offered showers. These $10 sites don’t offer electrical hookups, so bring your solar panels and solar generator or power bank and you’ll be all set. 

    The western trailhead is a short walk from the campground, but the Mendenhall Visitor's Center on the east side of the lake is just a few miles away. There are many trails, photographic viewpoints and opportunities to paddle on this side of the lake, but parking is competitive because it is such a popular area- including with the busses from the cruise ships docked in town. So, get there early. We enjoyed paddling on the lake where we got great views of the glacier and Nugget Falls, but keep your distance from icebergs. We watched one crack and roll not too far from where we were paddling, had we been closer I might not be writing this review. 

    The Mendenhall Valley has all the amenities you could expect from the Juneau suburbs, grocery stores, malls and restaurants. Downtown has a few more options as well as Douglas Island, just across the bridge.

  • Bradee A.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 20, 2022

    Peterson lake campground

    Beautiful views

    4 spots with picnic tables and fire pits. Clean bathrooms and big trash cans that got emptied while we were there for 4 nights. Low GCI service. Water spout that didn’t work for us. Beautiful central location for the Kenai peninsula. Highly recommend.

  • Nikki S.
    Aug. 7, 2021

    Auk Village

    Love Alaska

    This is a favorite spot where our family has camped for years. Most recently we took 2 of the grandkids. No cabins, but beautiful beach to walk. Quiet paradise. Fire pits and we’ll maintained pit restrooms.

  • J
    Jul. 8, 2021

    Mendenhall Lake Campground

    Fantastic

    Stayed here two nights - reservations must be made in advance on recreation.gov. Hot showers available, as well as a stocked bathroom. 12/10 recommend.

  • Aubrey G.
    Jun. 19, 2021

    Mendenhall Lake Campground

    In the woods camping, in the "city"

    So lucky to have found this campground. The price cannot be beat starting at $10. Although you are aware of others around you, there is enough forest between most campsites so you get the real roughing it kind of feel without actually hiking out. We got a great site, walk down to the water's edge and see the glacier smack right in your face. Amazing! There is a river further in, so choose your site wisely if camping with kids, pets or partiers! We didn't see a bear, but we did see the beaver! They have a bear cache at every site, so amazing for the price. Highly recommended. It's a 1 way loop so don't make the same mistake I did and go the wrong way! The hosts are very nice and chatty. The troopers do drive through from time to time but never bothered us.

Guide to Tenakee Springs

Camping spots near Tenakee Springs, Alaska center around rustic forest service cabins in the Tongass National Forest. Most accommodations require water transportation via float plane or boat due to limited road access. Winter temperatures in the region regularly drop below freezing, with daylight limited to 6-7 hours during December and January. Precipitation occurs year-round with August typically receiving the heaviest rainfall.

What to do

Wildlife viewing from water access: The protected coves around Auk Village Campground offer excellent opportunities for spotting marine life. One visitor shared: "Great place for swimming as well because it is a protected cove. Not unusual to find deer walking through the campsite."

Kayaking the coves: Rental options exist near some campgrounds for exploring the coastal waters. A camper at Auk Village noted: "There was a guy renting kayaks out of the back of a truck which made our whole day. It's not a far walk to the water, where you could see otters, seals, whales, cool ducks, starfish, etc."

Crabbing and shrimping: Areas near Moser Island Cabin provide productive grounds for catching shellfish. According to one visitor: "Near the cabin, there is great crabbing across the bay and decent shrimping within a 10 minute boat ride."

What campers like

Private, secluded sites: Many forest service cabins offer exceptional solitude. At Auk Village, one camper observed: "The camping spots are very spread out and private. Some have views and some don't. We did see bald eagles right on site."

Historical connections: Some camping areas contain cultural significance beyond natural features. A visitor to Auk Village Campground mentioned: "Great historical site, an ancient village with historical marker as well as a beautiful totem nearby that tells an interesting story."

Glacier proximity: The Mendenhall Lake Campground provides relatively accessible camping near a major glacier. A camper shared: "This area is exceptional, everywhere you look is a postcard-worthy scene. This campground is very well designed, almost all of the sites are along the water."

What you should know

Bear safety precautions: Bears frequent many camping areas, requiring proper food storage. A visitor to Moser Island Cabin warned: "Only warning, be on the lookout for bears, there was multiple signs of them so don't leave anything outside."

Limited facilities: Most cabins lack amenities beyond basic shelter. For Mendenhall Lake Campground, a visitor advised: "you must reserve a spot online in advance & spots tend to fill up quickly in July & August."

Weather considerations: Conditions can change rapidly, with frequent precipitation. A camper noted: "We didn't put any hammocks in the trees or do any cooking on site, as it is black bear country and you don't want any uninvited guests."

Tips for camping with families

Beach activities: Shorelines provide natural play areas for children. At Auk Village, a camper shared: "This is a favorite spot where our family has camped for years. Most recently we took 2 of the grandkids. No cabins, but beautiful beach to walk."

Wildlife education opportunities: The abundant wildlife creates natural learning experiences. One parent at Mendenhall noted: "The campground is nice, with great tent sites! The car sites looked nice too, but I didn't stay there. The tent sites were nicely separated, giving you that feeling that you're further away than you really are."

Timing strategies: Planning visits during cruise ship off-hours improves experiences at popular sites. As one visitor to Mendenhall Lake advised: "Best way to avoid the cruise ship crowds is to go early or late. Photo point trail and Nugget Falls trail are a must and have the heaviest foot traffic from 10am to 2pm."

Tips from RVers

Limited RV access: Most remote cabins cannot accommodate RVs, requiring alternative transportation. A camper at Mendenhall Lake observed: "I don't think there were any RVs, not sure if it was an off week or the road here is too much."

Urban proximity options: Campgrounds closer to Juneau offer more RV-friendly facilities. One visitor noted: "If you need accessibility check with the rangers/website for the best options. There's nothing to really do in the immediate area, but so much close by: kayaking with marine mammals, hiking."

Self-sufficient preparation: Limited services require complete preparation. A visitor advised: "You need to bring your own firewood because some sites say it was supplied, however, due to low crew numbers they can't keep up with demand."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular campground near Tenakee Springs, AK?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Tenakee Springs, AK is Kennel Creek Cabin (AK) with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.

Keep Exploring