Best Campgrounds near Whittier, AK

Saw two seaplanes take off from the lake (take the Southern spot for this).

Hwy is loud but manageable, train as well.

Recommendable overnight position on the way to SEWARD.

It was 54 Degrees in July…… and Mosquitoes ate us alive Great Lake but forget to be outside your Camper. The Spots were not Level at all

Moose Pass Trailhead

As with most BLM trailheads, zut services. Big area, some shaded mostly unshaded but big enough to have your own space

Seaplanes take off from lake during the day - pretty awesome

No onsite services. Seward offers free dump and potable water - near their RV parks

Starlink, Visible/Verizon and Cricket/Att all good

We stayed here twice in our travels on Alaska. First appearance, the grasses are overgrown at the “entrance” and i was concerned. The fee both looks abandoned. But we actually saw there were some beautiful camp sites. Nice size for rvs if all lengths. Our table needed some help and it is obvious the camp is not being maintained. The bathroom was clean. Some sites you can hear the river and some road noise. The river is beautiful. There is a dumpster but it is on an upper level next to the dump station which is closed. The first time we did not realize this and took our garbage with us. All in all, it is not a bad campground. The trees are beautiful. We also had a moose and calf hanging around. We came back for a second visit. We used it as a jumping off point for Anchorage. Also the Eagle Nature Center and its trails are amazing! Saw a bull moose there. Would use again if not super picky. We are camping folks! For $20 I would not complain.

Limited water (20gal a day). No hookups, no trash service and no rv dumping, bathrooms are pit toilets and very dirty. I have been here 3 separate times across three weeks and noticed everything like that bathrooms were extremely stinky and dirty. Have to walk to the entrance of the campground to dispose of any trash.

Campground was undermanned, underfunded, dumping station, broken bathrooms, dirty the trail, though followed the Eagle River and was nice lots of mosquitoes 

Great fishing guides

There is a south campground along the river and a north loop along the creek. We stayed in the south camp at the end of September so it was “no services no fees” at that time. There’s a bbq restaurant across the street. There are food storage lockers at each site because of bears. Most other campers were there to fish.

Spencer Bench Cabin offers a stunning location at 1,900 feet elevation, providing breathtaking views of the Placer River Valley, Spencer Lake, and Spencer Glacier. The mcdvoice surrounding alpine meadows boast beautiful vegetation, including low shrubs, grasses, and summer wildflowers. This cabin is available for rent throughout the year, allowing visitors to enjoy the beauty of the area in any season.

If all you want is a place to sleep, you don't mind close together sites and no vegetation in between, then you are in luck. But we found a better place.

This place is a secret wonder, just off the Glenn highway north of Anchorage. The autumn color was spectacular here!  It was raining and cold in early September, but simply gorgeous.

The first-come, first served sites are on the smaller side and very wooded; with lots of space in between sites, but not a lot of open canopy. This was a bit of challenge for our rooftop solar, but we used portable solar suitcase on an extension cord to capture some sunlight. 

The bathrooms are simple, but clean, vault toilets.  Water is available at spigots located throughout the campground loop. The lake offers lots of stunning recreation opportunities for flat water paddling and fishing -- careful, the lake can kick up some pretty mean chop during windy afternoons. 

Hiking on the Twin Peak trailhead is just around the corner, and cycling along the main road could be a great way to get some hill climbing exercise, as it’s a steep road up to the lake from the Glenn.  If you are visiting the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, this is a great close by campground (about 30 miles away).

We loved that this campground had the feeling of a remote, wilderness campground but all within an hour’s drive of Anchorage. There is one local tourist ice cream shop just a few miles back down the road, which offers food, showers, and laundry. It is only open during the summer months. Further afield the suburban area around the interchange between the Glenn and Parks Highways has all of the services campers need about 30 minutes to the north of the campground.

This is a glorified parking lot, for sure, but it is set in the middle of an Alaskan wilderness wonderland. In every direction you look lies stunning views: mountains, glaciers, fjords, waterfalls, and rivers.  What the campground lacks in charm, the scenery simply overwhelms. The sites lie around the perimeter of the square, where there are some grass areas for tents and ample places for RVs of any length. If you can make it through the tunnel, there's room for your rig.  Pay for your site at one of the village parking machines near the marina.

The two vault toilets were clean enough to get the job done. There is water and a dumpster or two for trash– but remember, you’re not there for the campground.  The surrounding area is gorgeous, but as the locals say, "The weather is always shittier in Whittier!"  We got 1.5 nice days and it rained the rest of the time.  Regardless, we fit a lot in!

A note about generator etiquette, while there is no rule stating that you can’t run your generator all night long, that does not invite you to do so. If you must power whatever it is you have to run while you sleep there is a better way to do so without impacting your neighbors. Check us out at https://freedominacan.com/solar-powered-by-renogy for all the solar power information you could possibly want. 

If you are lucky enough to visit when the sun shines, consider yourself extra blessed and don’t waste a minute of that time inside! There’s a short biking/ walking path into the town from the campground, take a boat excursion, go for a guided sea kayaking paddle(complete with viewing 1,000 foot waterfall) or explore the area on foot. There’s a great hiking trail which starts right across the main road. It’s stunning. 

The town has a few services, including gas, bars and restaurants and a convenience store. There’s not a lot of options in town though so come prepared.

This is a great little campground between Anchorage and Girdwood, right along the Turnagain Arm inlet and Seward Hwy.  While the road noise from the nearby (and busy highway), could be loud at times, things mostly quieted down during the nighttime hours.  This first come-first served campground is popular on weekends because of the proximity to Anchorage, where folks usually rent RV’s to explore the Kenai Peninsula – so plan ahead. 

The campsites are spacious, but only about half of the sites can accommodate larger RV’s; the rest can only manage a small van or travel trailer.  There is plenty of space in each site to set up a tent, if that’s how you’re going to roll. The sites were clean, as were the vault toilets.  Water is available in a few spigots distributed throughout the park, but they recommended boiling the water to be safe.  Bring your solar panels, as these sites don't have electrical hookups!

There is a beautiful nature trail leading to the Bird to Gird (biking/walking path) for the young and old alike. Biking the path along the old railroad line is a great way to spend the afternoon.  Bike all the way to Girdwood and reward yourself with some of their famous Blueberry fritters at Alpine Cafe and Bakery, which is right off the path at the intersection of the Seward and Alyeska Hwy.  

Two other awesome natural features of the area are Byron Glacier (easy hike) and the bore tide. During certain times of the month, the incoming tide creates an incoming wave of water that is large enough to surf.  Be sure to look for the tidal information online or in park's posted materials.  Warning!  Do not wade out into the water, the tidal mud is like quicksand and many a casual visitor has become entrapped. Heed the warnings of the locals, don’t wade out into the mud flats!

Girdwood has many services, including gas, the aforementioned fritters, laundry and showers, groceries, bakeries, restaurants, golf course, and a ski mountain. Might we also recommend the Girdwood Brewery with its food trucks!