Best Campgrounds near Trapper Creek, AK

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

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.

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.