Hello everyone,

We are going to Alaska at the end of June for 2 weeks... we have reservations at Riley Creek Campground in Denali but we want to "wander" the rest of the time ... this is our first RV experience and 1) do we need advance reservations for campsites or can we just wing it?
2) any other suggestions on camping that we should know?

Thanks in advance

I spent about 3 weeks wondering SC Alaska and the Yukon in an RV in the middle of August last year. I had no reservations anywhere and never had any problem finding a campsite. One caveat: Your post said 2 weeks at the end of June. If that includes the July 4th holiday, I'd definastely recommend reservations then.

RVing is very popular, and some areas short supply for sites. "Wandering" in Alaska is an option. But with so few roads you basically will go one way since you came from the "other". I would at least take a look at routing and determine what areas are the most interest.
It will make for a better plan if you decide Homer and Seward are of interest, then combine that with Anchorage, Valdez- ferry, Whittier touring, rather than think about it when you are in Fairbanks.

Be sure you pickup up "The Milepost" book before you head out also.

We did a week in August several years ago and found we were able to just stop in a campground along the way. If your Denali trip includes the busy season as mentioned above, you should make a reservation ahead of time for the tour into the park on the bus as well.

There were several posts on RVing in Alaska on Fodors. Do a search and you'll find lots of useful information.

If by first RV experience, you mean first ever, then be sure you understand how to operate with and without hookups to campsite power. And where to find dump stations. We saw a lovely campground near Kenai called Captain Cook State Park but there were no hookups. With our own camper the battery can last a 2 day weekend if power is conserved.
We did not camp while we were in AK but understand laws about where you can camp are pretty liberal. Find out for sure. 4th of July is a big holiday. You'll want to stock up on food when you are near major grocery stores. King Crab legs (frozen) were on sale for $10.99/lb when we were there late June. If you want to camp in downtown Seward, you will probably need reservations. It's the beginning of salmon season so Alaskan's are out camping, too!

Thanks for your responses... we will have a general driving plan.... but don't know exactly when we will arrive in Seward, Homer, etc.
We are renting from Great Alaskan Holidays and yes this is our very first time in an RV, so I'm hoping the orientation from them is good.

We did an RV for three weeks, for OUR first time, in Alaska in 2000. We rented a 22-foot Class C from Clipperships. We loved it.

The only reservation we had was at Denali. The RV had a tiny bathroom with tiny shower, a stove, refrigerator, microwave, space heater. We also had a generator, so that we did not need hookups all of the time.

We stayed both in state parks and in commercial RV parks.

Here are some, with comments.

If you stop at Talkeetna to take a flight over McKinley, there is a free park there, River Park Campground. No hookups.

We also stayed at the Riley Creek Campground, which is very nice, under trees. It is a mix of RV's and tents. There are flush toilet, but no hookups or showers. Free dump station. There is a shuttle stop so you can go anywhere in the park. It comes by about every half hour.

However, be forewarned. If you plan to cook, there is only a convenience store in the park and another convenience store a couple of miles north on the Parks highway. Be sure you have all the supplies you will need.

We took an 8:30 am shuttle out to Eilson (sp)? which was four hours in and four hours back, with narrative from the driver and stops to see wildlife. You can stay there and take a later bus back. There are several large parking lots at the Visitor Center, where you catch the shuttle, if you want to drive there. While you are at Denali, catch the shuttle to the "dog mushing" exhibition You will LOVE the dogs.

In Wasilla is the Best View RV Park" for a night's stop if you are in the area. You will be kind of crowded up between larger rigs, but it has a great laundromat and showers.

You may not be going to Palmer. We did because the state fair was on (late August). There is a musk ox farm here which is very worth a visit and tour. Buy a beautiful crocheted musk ox scarf from the coop the native women run. We found Matanuska River Park, a city run park, absolutely beautirul and we had it all to ourselves. (no hookups, of course)

On the Seward highway out of Anchorage is Indian Valley Meats, which sells all kinds of sausages, smoked salmon, etc.

In Seward you can stay at the municipally run Waterfront Park", which is just a large strong of parking areas for RV's on the sand facing the water, $10/night. Fire rings on the shore, great view. Showers. (made reservations here for the Kenai Fords tour and the Sealife Center is very interesting). If you are tired of cooking, eat at Ray's Waterfront. Very good seafood.

In Homer, you can park free on the "spit" and also at a city park. It was muddy at the city park so we went to the "spit". You can park for free unless you want to use a shower. Then they rent you a "private" site and you can shower 8:00-12:00 am or 6:00-9:00 pm. It was ticky-tacky and can be rowdy. Bad vibes.

We moved the next day to Oceanview RV Park just on the outskirts, and it was lovely. Large sloping lawn down to the bay, great view, laundry, pay telephone, gift shop, showers, etc. We used hookups here. After last night it was welcome, and very quiet. There is an outstanding small museeum here.

If you need a park near Anchorage, the Anchorage RV Parkis on the outskirts, in a wooded area and you very well may see moose. There is a nice "lodge" area here, with a TV, and showers. It is within walking distance of the Alaskan Heritage Center, which should not be missed.

Aside...the Anchorage Museum of History and Art is outstanding. We needed more than one day.

You can see we are loving nature, but after awhile a nice shower is a good thing to have <grin>.

I think you will enjoy it. If you like to wander, be sure to keep the gas tank fairly full and have food on hand. There are long stretches of road without good facilities. We have done a lot of tent camping, but this was our first time in an RV, as I believe I mentioned.

I am sure the RV rental company will fill you in on little details, like about how to watch to see when you need to find a dump staion, and what the situation on your generator is....

Have fun.

jtrandolph... Thank you so much for all of the advice. Yes showers are nice and I hope to have as many as possible Hopefully the mosquitoes won't be too much of a problem either!
Sounds like you had a great time... we can't wait to go!

For clairfication, Eielson is not open, the new shuttle location is 3 miles less at Fish Creek. Last full service grocery is Wasilla, going north, and Fairbanks going south, nothing in between except very limited selections. The new Visitor Center at Denali Park is now open, by the train depot. The "Transportation Center is the old visitor center.

My min. recommendation for a RV is 24 foot or larger, so to have a permanent lower bed. Unless you are ok with the overhead, the convertable beds aren't all that comfortable and have to be set up and taken down daily. Also, strongly consider purchasing the insurance waivers since the deductable was $1000 with Great Alaskan Holiday, they do go over everything with a fine tooth comb. Be sure to go over everything yourself before you leave the lot. Take photos and ask to see the "damage" sheet, so you know what is already noted.

check out this site http://www.rv.net/forum/
they have a forum on rving in alaska

Thank you so much for the wonderful info..... you guys are great!

What is the range of fees for rv overnight camping in state parks and other? Is gas milage in the 6-10mph range?

$10-15/night for State park camping fees, plus $5 dump fee if used. I had a 22 foot and averaged 10/mpg. Larger will be less.

We loved RVing in Alaska, just concentrated on the Kenai Peninsula for 10 days and there was plenty to keep us busy.We were not there in the busy months of June and July, but rather at the end of August, so we did not have reservations, and had no problem finding a campsite.However we usually checked in somewhere early afternoon. If you click on my screen name I think you can find my trip report. This board helped me plan the whole trip. Get a Milepost for sure, and listen to Budget Queen!

we rented from Great Alaskan and were pleased with the experience. They do give a good orientation, altho it is heavy on what not to do. We were wondering if we really wanted to go ahead with RVing. we decided we did and enjoyed it immensely.

We can recommend the Eagle River state park campground just outside Anchorage. If conditions are like they were in 2002, there will be lots of mosquitos at the first of the trip and not many at the end (after the dragon/damsel flys start eating them)

We also enjoyed Denali State Park campground. In Fairbanks, we stayed in a commercial campground on july 3-5 and we were lucky to get a space as it filled up just after we arrived about 10 AM.