Alaska State Parks include 3 million acres of land and water, more than 156 park units, and with the state parks celebrating the 50^th anniversary in summer of 2021, it’s easy to understand why these areas are so beautiful. Most of them were set aside before there was much traffic and population, hardly any private property.

Some of these parks are day use areas only, most are campgrounds, a few have public use cabins.

Some are right next to the highway, for others you have to drive a few miles, oftentimes of gravel road, to access them. But what a surprise when after a handful of narrow winding turns on the road you come to an opening with a beautiful lake, campsites alongside, loons calling while watching you – this is Alaska how you have been dreaming seeing it – this is the Alaska I escape to when having a few days off.

Camping in the Alaska of your dreams

If you are exploring while driving one of our 4×4 truck campers, you have the perfect home on wheels to spend time at these campgrounds. They usually are primitive campgrounds, meaning there are no hookups, no electric, no water at the individual sites, no dump station. They do have dry restrooms though and handpumps to pump water. With an RV you probably want to spend 2-3 nights at such places, then for a night or two camp at a private campground with full facilities to dump, but more importantly to recharge the camper battery. With just only 2-3 hours of driving that will not be accomplished. So it’s good to have a night with full hook up every now and then, before escaping to these wilderness campgrounds.

Watch out for flying jars

With the state parks celebrating their 50^th anniversary, you also understand, why these campgrounds really are for outdoorsy people with a truck camper. They were built when motorhomes were much smaller than they are these days. The modern huge rigs are usually not able to navigate the access roads to the sites, or even park on a site. With your GoNorth truck camper you will not have any such problem at all. The only surprise I encounter off and on, is when the access road has been very bumpy, I drove a bit on the faster side, not hearing what is happening in the camper, and maybe had some heavy glass jars in the fridge or heavy dishes in the top cupboards. Occasionally I do find these on the floor upon opening the camper door. To prevent this, don’t pack heavy containers in the fridge, they will push the door open. Store them in a drawer under the bench or under the sink, so if they still open drawer or door, at least the container does not fall far and will not damage anything. Better of course would be to having it on the floor in a box or shopping tote, and as my husband would say, don’t drive like Ms Schuhmacher. 😊

Stop anyway – even if you’re not camping there

If you are exploring Alaska by SUV and you stay overnight in hotels, you may still want to ensure you stop at the state parks along your itinerary. These are the best spots for lunch, dinner, an afternoon break, or a leisurely stroll. All parks require you pay a $5 fee for day use. The same is true if you go on a hike that starts at a state parking area. By far the best deal is to purchase the annual pass online for $60.00 and you will not have to deal with day use fees.

Get inspired by some pictures from adventures in Alaska’s State Parks and enjoy this beautiful state with stays at the State Parks!