Abby M.

Decatur , GA

Joined September 2016

Beautiful views by the river

The 2.5 mile hike down Waimea Canyon to arrive at this site is worth it for the views alone. The campground is rustic. There is one outhouse and a covered picnic area. Our site was directly on the river. We stayed in the river or on the rocks in the river to swim, cook and hang out as it was the only spot free from mosquitoes. The views from the bottom of the canyon were breathtaking. We were the only campers when we went to bed but woke up to 2 men with horses and hunting dogs staying there.

Walk-in sites

Love the tent-only serenity of the walk-in sites. There is a separate parking lot at the back of the park for the walk-in sites, which are a short distance away (easy to haul your gear). The sites have a tent pad, picnic table and fire ring, and lots of privacy as the sites are very far from each other. The bath house has showers and running hot water. the long hike around the canyon and down into it provided amazing views! I'm always thrilled to find camping areas where I can have the convenience of my car-but can avoid the noise of RVs - and you definitely get that here!

Winter camping

Our daughter wanted to go camping for her birthday so we took her and a friend in February. We were the only ones in the standard campground (fire pit, picnic table, tent pad). Because it was so cold, we used the huge lodge lobby/lounge to warm up in the evenings. The kids played with the board games you can check out, there were roaring fires in the stone fire places and a bar if you wanted a drink as you say by the fire. The campground is close to Anna Ruby Falls and Helen, Ga so this is a great place to stay and be within a short drive to many of the beautiful activities in North Georgia. Anna Ruby falls were frozen, which made this one of the most memorable waterfall viewings!

Remote, difficult to get to, and totally worth it!

Chugach Mountains on one side, the Root Glacier on the other, and a rushing river on the third side. The MOST gorgeous scenery at a campsite I've ever been to. There is no NP campground in this remote part of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (the largest NP in the US). You can either drive the 30-mile gravel road for 3 hours or take a 4-seater plane in. The flight was our vacation splurge and it was breathtaking. We were dropped off by a shuttle at the other side of the river and used a wheeled cart to carry out gear and cross the pedestrian bridge to the campground. No one was there but we found a picnic table with instructions to put our $20/night cash in an envelope. We found a site on the other side (the side by the picnic table had cars/RV's that had driven in, our side had 3 tents the first night, none the next 2 nights). There aren't really any designated campsites, but there were a scattering of picnic tables, fire rings and plenty of land. Despite the remoteness, we were glad to discover an outhouse and a large container of potable water on site. The town of McCarthy (15 minute walk) had 1 restaurant open that we ate dinner at each night after exploring the Root Glacier and ice climbing. We bought sack lunches from the lodge in Kennicott and only had to cook breakfast. Bear containers are required here if you don't have a vehicle, and we were able to check one out for free from the NP visitor center (not on site, but several hours earlier in the day's drive). While the campground itself is very basic, the remote location and beauty make the effort and expense to get here absolutely worth it! Highly recommended!

Gorgeous scenery and great park access

This was one of our all-time favorite campgrounds! The campsite was spacious and had lots of privacy, with a picnic table, fire ring and plenty of space for a large tent. Our site backed up to woods that were filled with spongy, mossy ground coverings and "evidence" of moose presence. Our family loved exploring this area! We walked to the savage river at the back of the campground and explored this area, attended a great ranger talk and had some fabulous mountain views. We also loved the location of the campground, as we could drive our car but were further away from the crowded front areas of the park. We absolutely loved our hike on the savage alpine trail, which we took the free shuttle to get to the start and ended outside of our campground. If you have kids, be sure to check out a discovery backpack filled with activities and science kits they can use. Our 9-year-old loved it so much she asked for a science kit for Christmas!

Beautiful hiking, large campsites

We enjoyed a challenging 11-mile hike up and over 3 mountains from trail heads inside the park. There are shorter hikes that start here as well. My 9-year old loved exploring the mushrooms and nature growing in the very wooded campsites. The campsites are large with driveways, 1-2 tent pads, picnic table, fire ring and lantern poles at each site. The campground was very busy and you could see your neighbors around you. But this also means there are more conveniences like running water and hot showers. The campground also has a mini-gold course, lake and gift shop. There were lots of kids riding bikes and dogs are allowed, so while this so not a serene site, it's definitely great for families and groups that want to hang out!