This campground was one of our FAVORITES during our Alaskan journey. We opted for this Denali National Park campground over others because of its distance into the park. The park road is nicely paved the first 12 miles. Beyond that, motorists are restricted to only those camping deeper within the park. Savage River Campground is at mile 11 on this park road, so we were excited to remain on smooth, paved asphalt as we ventured into the park. To access the park's interior beyond mile 12, you must take a park shuttle. There are a couple of different types of tours and they go different distances. I found it helpful to call the park directly and speak to a representative about our wants and hopes to find the best tour for us. I HIGHLY recommend one of these tours and recommend you go as far into the park as you can manage. Tours are relatively inexpensive and you will see an abundance of wildlife and hopefully, Denali. Savage River Campground is wooded, adjacent to the Savage River, and offers private campsites with
picnic tables, fire pits, and maybe even your own moose scat! We were out and about both of our full days here, and returned to camp both days to find more moose scat at camp. A friendly camp host informed us that moose sightings, along with bears are frequent. The park encourages "off-trail"
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| Grizzly sighting on Denali NPS bus tour |
hiking, so we did just that. Armed with our bear spray, bear horn, bear bells, and loud voices, we hiked from camp along the Savage River. We went a few miles and spotted numerous grizzly bear digs, fresh foot prints of grizzlies and moose, and an abundance of scat. The campground has a couple of dirt road loops, mostly back in sites, and sites that are fairly level, although some leveling may be required. Interpretive ranger programs are available in the evenings. Water is available via a water pump, so come filled and prepared. At the entrance to the park you will find the main visitor's center along with a well-appointed cafe and gift shop. This area tends to get quite crowded and busy with tour buses of all kinds (cruise ships, hotel tours, NP tours), so we appreciated our quiet camp. At the entrance to Savage River Campground you will find a bus stop where all National Park tours going into the park will stop to pick up passengers.
Best Sites: All
Poor Sites: None
Hookups: None
Potable Water: Hand pump
Dump Within Facility: At park entrance
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