Considering the area, I'd give this park a very good rating. The sites were nicely spaced out and clean, the staff was engaged and friendly, and the park was only 6 miles south of the Denali main entrance. There are two closer RV parks to the entrance, but I'd consider them way too tight and over crowded. If you're doing a drive through (one or two days), this is the place you want to be. If you're going to stay longer, take a closer look at the state-ran camp grounds inside the park. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 9 / 10 ]
July 2006
$27
We enjoyed our stay, the back-in sites were a little small and we were not in a big rig, but they were nicely separated from their neighbors by trees. There was a bit of highway noise, but not bothersome to us. I think the previous reviewer made a typo when giving the distance from Denali National Park entrance. It is 6 miles rather than 26. The office includes a small gift shop area, limited grocery items and liquor. The laundry was clean, but only available in afternoon and evening to guests. At the other times it is used by staff. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We had to stay here a couple of days until we could get into the National Park campground. This park is about 26 miles down the road from the National Park. Its nothing special, very busy, sites are close together and its very dusty and close to the main road though it sits down in a valley. The employees are very nice and helpful and will do just about anything to help. We camped here in a Motorhome.
A conveniently located park, but the setting is unimpressive; it is located on an open patch of dirt directly behind shops and restaurants. After paying more than $40 per night, we were quite surprised to find out that we had to pay extra for showers ($2 for one 7-minute token). The potable water was very, very hard and was periodically very tinted with iron (rust), so we didn't drink it. There are other parks in the area that may not be as close to "downtown" Denali, but are much better rated. We would not plan to stay at this park again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We stayed at this park for two weeks. We chose this park as it was the closest to Denali National Park. We where given a back in site which was large enough for our large 5er and MDT (water & Electric) . The problem is the Denali Raft Adventures is located to the north end of the RV park. This company tends to use the RV sites for their customer parking, and their large buses with raft trailers block in the RV sites. We asked the personnel working in the RV park office for help and they did nothing about it. If you stay at this RV park don't let them put anywhere near the Denali Raft Adventure company. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Had to use our water pump as the water pressure was so very low. Sites are not big enough for a big rig and they are so close together you can just about touch the rig next to you, and your tow vehicle sits out so far we were afraid of being hit. I would not recommend this to anyone. The Denali National Park has very nice sites but no hook ups but we wished we had dry camped rather than staying here and paying the outrageous price. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Take note of previous reviews. If you usually go for full hook-ups at this park it is advisable to forsake that option and go for water and electricity only. The "deluxe" sites offered are at the back of the shops. Sites too small for a 34ft motorhome and impossible for big-rigs. Also employees from the shops use this area at night to congregate after work to chat. I had to go out at midnight and ask them to be quiet as I couldn't sleep. Were booked in for 4 nights but left after two and wouldn't go back. Office staff unhelpful, had no information on area and when I asked if Fairbanks was a nice town was told "well, they've got a Wal-Mart"!!! There are no stores to speak of between Anchorage and Fairbanks so stock up. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Best feature is closest to Denali Park. Right in the middle of the Denali Commercial District. One mile from Park entrance. Walkable in good weather or via free shuttle from hotel across highway. Park is all gravel. Showers are pay type with tokens. Hard to operate and each token was of short duration. Average shower probable would cost $3. I would think twice before returning. We camped here in a Motorhome.
If you don't mind parking really close to another rv, then this is the park for you. The only thing this park has going for it is location and cable. Walk out your door and into the back door of the gift shops. The employees could be more customer friendly. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This was a very crowded campground, they managed to squeeze us in but we felt like sardines. Overall the location of the park was good, the showers however were not. At $3 for a 6 minute cold shower, the value was not apparent. The lack of abundant bathroom facilities and the overflowing dumpsters are the main reasons I would not return to this park. We camped here in a Tent.
We were here with a big-rig rally - 27 of us. We all fit in, barely, around the huge boulders protecting the utility posts. All pull-thrus in our area, but we had to unhook first. Glad we had a parking committee! All side-by-side hookups, no 50 amp, nor water, nor sewer in our area. Close to walk to shops & tours. Our internet satellite worked, but the park has wireless. Showers cost $2; there were water hookups near the coaches, but one guy said there was no water. We like this type of open, graveled camp better than one tucked under the trees, but it wasn't great. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Very poorly maintained. Our slide almost touched the slide of the motorhome beside us. Signs were misleading and most big rigs had to back up after going into the office to check in. Generally, it looked liked management just did't care. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This park is nothing but a construction site behind a mini mall! It was very noisy and we did not feel safe. People(construction workers, mall customers, etc)walked agmonst the RVs at all hours. There was hardly room to extend a slide out and no room for awnings, steps, etc. You shared a table and fire ring (tire rim) if there happen to be one at the your site. No place to walk your pet. Hose, wiring were on top of the ground, and trash put with construction debris. We reserved 2 nights, but left early after only 1 night. This park was the most expensive of 2 months trip! Don't waste your time or money! We camped here in a Motorhome.
Gravel sites with some grass. Very friendly and helpful staff. Dog walking service for fee, if you go on long tours of Denali. We got satellite reception. We would return We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Attractive location a few miles outside the park; reasonably level sites, although the pull-throughs are a bit narrow. We had no room for chairs or grill outside because of the bushes used to separate the sites. The pull-throughs are electric and water only, and the water pressure was low enough that we had to use our water pump to be able to take a shower. Campground showers are $3 for 5 minutes -- very expensive. Dump station is awkwardly located and can block some sites if there is a line. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
It rained while we were here, and the site had deep puddles all over. A couple of loads of gravel would have made the park much nicer to stay at. The buildings were run down and poorly maintained. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Gravel sites and area. But very quiet and wifi worked in coach. Pay extra for showers. Easy to get around in campground. Looked like best in area for big rigs. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Great campground, close to Denali and still remote and quiet. Dog watcher available onsite. Nice touch. Can leave dog alone all day while you visit park. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Great park for where you are. 7 miles north of the park entrance. A wonderful little restaurant about 2 miles north of the rv park-great bumbleberry pie. Everybody was very friendly and went out of their way to help us. Would stay there again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We stayed 3 nights and were pleased with the staff, clean restrooms and showers. There was satellite TV at our site (limited channels) and WiFi was free and worked well. We would stay again and recommend to anyone. They offered a pet walk service while we toured the park ($10.00). We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 6 / 10 ]
2000
$20
Clean restrooms & showers(metered). Gift shop. Would use again. We camped here in a camper.
The price reflects the Golden Pass Discount. We reserved a site for our 35' motorhome however when we arrived mid afternoon we found most of the longer sites were once again occupied by smaller rigs that could easily have fit in sites not as long. On the plus side the campground was very clean and quiet and the Wi-Fi reception at the office worked well. The Riley Creek mercantile is very expensive. It seemed everything was twice the normal price so bring what you feel you will need for food. We are self contained but I did look at the shower prices and felt they were expensive. Overall we enjoyed our camping experience. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a very nice no hook-up CG near the entrance of Denali NP. We had site #32 (we reserved a site for 31+ ft RV's) it was double wide so we could park our toad next to the RV. Bear loop had more longer sites and we thought they looked a bit more level than the other loops. This was a terrific campground near trails, the visitor center, the wilderness access center, the restaurants and the shops just outside the park. Price reflects Inter-agency Senior Pass. We camped here in a Motorhome.
While more civilized and closer to park activities than Savage River, Riley Creek still offers a great wilderness setting. Sites are designated as 30 ft or less and 30 ft or more, you must choose a size when making reservations. Site selection, within size category, is first-come first-served, so arrive early. Several of the 31 ft plus sites looked awfully short to me and no one was policing site selection to prevent someone with a 30 ft or less reservation from snagging a 31 ft plus site. The nearby Mercantile offered showers, internet, groceries, and supplies, but the prices were outrageous; try to bring whatever you need. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Despite the lack of hookups, and no access to running water or dump station for a few days due to camping there right as they opened for 2006 in mid-May (pipes were still frozen), this was probably the nicest place we stayed in Alaska. You pick your own spot based on whatever's available as you drive around. Nice level sites, each with a picnic table. Quiet. Restrictions on use of generator were just fine (mornings and evenings for a few hours each). We had a moose sighting right outside the campground. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Very nice large level sites. This is one of three loops for camping right in the park. This campground is kept very clean and its quiet. We stayed for 8 days. Within walking distance to the store, laundry,post office,trails. Just a real nice campground. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Sites of varying size,and levelness. One loop (half?) are pull-thru and the only ones that would accomodate bigger rigs. About 30 min from services - visitor center, store, dump, etc. While because of the smaller number of sites, the 'activity' level may be less than Riley. I really didn't see much of a difference..you're parked in the trees at either. You can catch the shuttle every 30 minutes, after departure, you have 30 minutes to access any services - arrange/change shuttle etc...you might even get cell service at the entrance (Riley)...can't remember. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Difficult to get reservations, but well worth the effort. Outstanding wilderness setting. Site selection is first-come first-served. We arrived early so no problems finding a site for our 29 ft 5th wheel. If you are big and arrive late you could have problems. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We really enjoyed our stay in this campground. It was nice and quite, and had wonderful hiking opportunities. There is a Forest ranger presentation every night which was informative and interesting. Right now they are working on fixing the plumbing for the toilets since it was messed up with an ice flow this winter. They did have portapotties available. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
No hook up campground at about mile 30 on the road into the park. The CG was noisier than you'd think it would be given it's remoteness but I guess there's no outrunning noisy neighbors this time of year. It looked like they were allowing tent campers again in this CG. The very best thing about this CG is the drive to and from it on the park road. We loved being able to drive our RV at our own pace, we took it very slowly and had terrific wildlife sightings without being crammed into a bus with 50 other people. Loved it. Price reflects Inter-agency Senior Pass. We camped here in a Motorhome.
You have to get special permission to stay in this campground and you have to stay the minimum of 3 nights. Its very nice but this is boondocking at best. There are streams and flowers and wild life. Very beautiful. Worth the special rules and regulations to stay there. We camped here in a Motorhome.