Alaska's parks
Denali campground guide
Park has more than 200 campsites for tents, vehicles
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
Denali National Park's 220 campsites may be the most popular in a state full of campgrounds.
Two of the park's five campgrounds allow only tents. Three accept vehicles and tents, and one accepts only vehicles with hard-sided campers/trailers. During most of the summer season (May to September), nearly all of them fill up every night. The campgrounds and their features are listed below.
Backcountry camping is also allowed, at least a quarter-mile away from roads and neighbors.
Wildlife gets a high priority at Denali, and that may influence the availability of campgrounds. As has since 2001, the presence of wolves has lead the Park Service to again restrict tent camping in some areas.
Official opening day at the campgrounds nearest the entrance is May 24, when fees will be charged for use. The big campground at the entrance, Riley Creek, is open all year.
Astute campers make reservations by phone as soon as they know when they'll be at Denali. Reservations can be made in person at the Denali visitor center also, but it may take a day or two before a spot opens up.
If your last-minute attempt at making a reservation fails, there are other campgrounds in the area. The Healy Lions club traditionally publishes a list of campgrounds, motels, restaurants and other travel services in the Healy-Denali area.
Phone numbers for campground and shuttle reservations:
- 800-622-7275 nationwide
- 907-272-7275 international
- 272-7275 in Anchorage
Campgrounds
The three campgrounds that accept RVs are Riley Creek, Savage River and Teklanika River. Drivers who go to Tek River, which is beyond the cutoff point for most public traffic, get only the one trip in and out on the park road and are required to sign up for at least three nights. The Riley Creek and Savage River campgrounds allow drivers to come and go as they wish.
The presence of wolves and bears has led the Park Service to ban tent camping in the Teklanika and Igloo Creek campgrounds, which are five miles apart. At Teklanika, camping is permitted only in hard-sided vehicles. Igloo is just plain closed.
The green shuttle buses, whose routes begin at the park's visitors center, stop at all open campgrounds except Riley Creek. A free shuttle bus makes a circuit connecting Riley Creek with the visitors center, park headquarters and the commercial area outside the park.
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