Alaska Camping suggestions? (Good or BAD)
 

We're about to go to Alaska for 3 weeks of camping and hiking and have a pop-up camper. We'll be in and out of Anchorage. We have a week reserved in Denali and wonder if it's worth going up to Fairbanks, or if we should head right down to Homer and Seward? I also wonder if anyone thinks Valdez was worth the travel time or if we should stay in Homer and Seward longer? .....any good or BAD campground recommendations? It looks like the RV parks are packed in there with very small sites....we'd like a more private, but scenic, setting and are not dependant on eletricity or water......but a flush toilet and shower once in awhile are nice!

although geared to rv's, i got a lot of good information from this site for campgrounds, even though i was tenting.
http://www.rv.net/forum/

My personal preference would be to skip Fairbanks and concentrate on the Kenai. Homer, Seward, and Valdez and the entire peninsula are my favorite area of Alaska. I also think Valdez is worth the visit - the secenery along a good part of the way is spectacular and the town is in a beautiful setting on the water, surrounded by the mountains.

For campgrounds, I really enjoyed the waterside city camping in Seward. I stayed in commercial campgrounds in both Homer and Valdez. They were OK and did meet the criteria for real restrooms and showers but were not anything special. Don't forget state and national park campgrounds as alternatives. The ones I stayed in around Alaska and the Yukon were all much more scenic and private than the city-based camping areas.

Have a great trip.

I can't over-emphasize that choosing Fairbanks over the Kenai when you want what Alaska offers best, is like choosing Fairbanks over Florida when you want sandy beaches. In comparision to the Kenai, Fairbanks has very little in the way of scenery or wildlife; its main feature is that it's a great place to get supplies before you head for wilderness.

Homer, Seward, and Valdez all have their scenic appeals; I couldn't recommend one over the other. The only reason I'd recommend going to Valdez is to get the most comprehensive view of Alaska possible.

Very good advice. Skip FBX and add Valdez.

As mentioned, check out state and national parks and national forest camprounds.