Opening Thoughts - RVing in Alaska

I've lived in Alaska in the Anchorage area for 10 years now, and we've loved the outdoors. In 2012, we moved from tent campers to RV owners when I bought a used 1994 Jayco pop up RV. It opened up a lot of possibilities for my family, and I definitely got into it. I joined a lot of forums and answered a lot of questions. There's a lot of noise out there on RVing in Alaska. I wanted to share some of the advice and locations I found which were great experiences.

2015 in Keystone Canyon: the old rig.

We have since moved on from the pop up, and now it is mostly just the wife and I camping in a 29 foot toy hauler.

We've discovered we do not like crowds. And by respecting that, we've found some cool out of the way spots that we can still get the toy hauler to that support that.

Some Alaska Camping Realities

If you're planning a trip to Alaska in your RV, you're going to have a wonderful experience, that's for certain. But, if you're thinking about campsites with huge spots and tons of space between sites, you need to manage your expectations some. It's not bad, but I hear over and over how folks thought Alaska camping would be.

Most commercial campgrounds are tight, mostly gravel, and close to the highway. There are some rare exceptions, and in future posts I will explain some of the best campsites I've come across. If your campground has a grass strip between sites, consider that luxurious. Some sites are so tight, you'll likely not be able to fully extend awnings. If you're tied to having full hookups, then you'll be packed in tighter. If it is space you want, you'll have to cut the power cord and the stinky slinky!

Gravel roads are the quiet camper's friend... and enemy. I've found the best camping spots on a gravel road in Alaska. But gravel roads get rough and sometimes soft. This picture shows my rig that got into a soft shoulder when I tried to avoid a soft spot in the middle of the road. It took a huge truck with TWO 8,000 pound winches to pull me out, but no real damage (besides my ego). Should you bring a spare tire? No, you should bring TWO if you plan to go on the gravel roads. If you're going to stick to the asphalt, do what you normally do.


I'll add some info on specific campgrounds (formal and informal), popular destinations and my favorite places to stay and so on. Until then, put your wheels in the ruts and drive on.