If you’re planning an upcoming road trip from Canada to Alaska via the Alaska Highway, here are 8 useful campsites strategically spread out so you can rest after 3 to 5 hours of driving on your way north or south. We’ve included a mix of absolute must-stops as well as simply practical options. All of these campsites are pinned on our Alaska Highway Campground map so you can reference them easily during your drive. Let’s get into it!
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🏕️ Top 8 Campsites on the Alaska Highway
We’ve included both free and paid campsites in this list, prioritizing stops that offer stunning scenery, a unique experience, or simply a very convenient and free location. Each spot is spaced out so you can complete the ALCAN in roughly 7 days. Below, you’ll see a map with all locations pinned in order, so you can visualize your route.
💡 As far as booking campsites in advance goes, it is typically not required. Try to book a day or two out if it seems to be a popular place—usually a hot springs or a famous lodge. We did not have a single issue or close call on our drive northbound or southbound.
1. Walmart Parking Lot in Dawson Creek (Free)
A no-frills place to camp before setting out on the ALCAN is the Walmart in Dawson Creek. There is an RV Park in town that you can pay to stay at, but it’s pretty basic, so we preferred to save the money and just stay in the Walmart lot. This is also a great place to provision right at the beginning of your road trip. Other paid RV park options include:
- Mile 0 RV Park
- Northern Lights RV Park
- Tubby’s RV Park
💡 If your timing aligns, we highly recommend fitting in a day trip to Chetwynd for the International Carving Competition (usually held around mid-June for 5 days). We figured we’d mention it as the dates usually align with many people’s start date, and it’s just an hour’s drive away from Dawson Creek.
2. Triple G Hideaway RV Park & Campground in Fort Nelson (Paid)
Fort Nelson is a no-nonsense pit stop about a 5-hour drive from Dawson Creek that strikes the perfect balance between convenience and comfort. We stayed at Triple G Hideaway, where RV sites start at $58/night and tent sites at $29/night. It’s a straightforward, no-frills spot to rest before or after a long stretch of highway.
Basically, we stopped in Fort Nelson because we wanted to cover a good bit of ground on our first day, without exhausting ourselves by driving any further. If you did want to drive 1-2 hours further to get a more beautiful spot, you can spend the night in Muncho Lake, Summit Lake, or Tetsa River Lodge. This is where the Alaska Highway gets super pretty. At Muncho Lake, there are three paid campgrounds:
- Muncho Lake Park: There are two campgrounds, Strawberry Flatts Campground and MacDonald Campground, with 5 Reservable frontcountry sites and 15 Vehicle-accessible sites each within this park
- Northern Rockies Lodge and Campground
ℹ️ While you’re in Fort Nelson, swing by the Visitor Centre or Heritage Museum if you’re interested in learning about the area or need to ask any travel questions.
3. Liard River Hot Springs Campground (Paid)
Just a few hours’ drive from Fort Nelson lies Liard River Hot Springs, our favorite campsite on the entire Alaska Highway! This natural hot spring features steaming mineral waters that you can relax in all day long. Open year-round, this hot spring is the second-largest in Canada, and the campground sits just steps away from the pools.
Reservations are highly recommended from May through mid-October, as spots fill up quickly. You can book up to three months in advance. In winter, while reservations are optional, the campground rarely reaches capacity. Pricing includes access to the springs and varies depending on the season of your visit:
- Summer (May 1 to October 12): $26 per party per night
- Winter (October 14 to March 31): $16 per party per night
There’s no water or electricity here, so plan to boondock. They do allow generators during certain hours of the day. We recommend spending the evening you arrive bathing in the natural hot springs, and the next day exploring the area’s trails, plus a bit more time in the hot springs. We don’t blame you if you want to stay a second night here!
4. Downtown RV Park in Watson Lake (Paid)
Just 2.5 hours from Liard River Hot Springs lies Watson Lake. This small town isn’t winning any beauty contests, but it’s a quirky and convenient stop just over the Yukon border with a Visitors Centre. Here, we watched an informative video about the Yukon, which helped set the tone for the second half of the ALCAN.
We recommend spending the night at their Downtown RV Park. For around $48/night, you’ll get a no-frills but well-located spot with hookups, hot showers, and easy access to Watson Lake Foods, a well-stocked grocery store.
The town is most known for the Signpost Forest, a legendary roadside attraction where you can add your own homemade signs to the thousands already on display. It’s a fun, interactive way to leave your mark on the Alaska Highway! Let us know if you spot our sign in the Signpost Forest!
5. Whitehorse, Yukon (Paid & Free)
After Watson Lake comes Whitehorse, the capital city of the Yukon. This city is a popular stop to provision along the ALCAN, so there are quite a few options as to where to stay the night.
We actually ended up staying for a few days and between two places, Hi Country RV Park (Paid) and a Riverside RV Parking (Free).
- Hi Country RV Park: We paid to stay here the first night. It’s just a few minutes out of town and is a nice and quiet RV Park with all your essential amenities. Prices start around $40/night for tents and unserviced RV-spots, and $50-$60 for RV-sites with hook-ups
- .Riverside Free RV Parking: We stayed here for free for the next two nights to rest a bit more halfway through the trip. When you visit, make sure to check whether there have been any local rule changes. Be respectful and keep it to two nights maximum if you visit.
💡 If you’re looking to relax in some hot springs a bit more, Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs is just outside of Whitehorse!
Other nearby campgrounds to Whitehorse include:
6. Wild Camping on Kluane Lake (Free)
Next up, we recommend staying at or near this wild camping spot right on Kluane Lake within Kluane National Park. We found this spot when planning to hike the Sheep Creek Trail, which starts just a short walk away from the site! The spot itself is quiet, free, and clean, with stunning lake views that made waking up there feel like a gift. A perfect camping spot in our books.
If you’re tempted to stay a few more days and want to change spots, head away from Alaska towards Haines Junction. This small town offers a handful of established campgrounds, a cozy downtown area, and the official Kluane National Park Visitor Center. Nearby campgrounds include:
- Kluane Park Inn & RV Park in Haines Junction
- Yukon Pine Lake Campground
- Yukon Congdon Creek Campground
- Cottonwood RV Park just north of Kluane National Park and Reserve
- Kathleen Lake Campground in Kluane National Park and Reserve
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7. Tesoro Parking Lot in Tok (Free)
Once in Tok, we recommend staying at the Tesoro in town for free. We recommend going inside and asking to stay overnight. We arrived late in the evening, fueled up, and gave the van a free wash and water refill. We parked to the side of the gas station and left first thing in the morning. This was a great, convenient spot for van life, but not as exciting as some of the other places we camped along the route.
8. Delta Junction (Free and Paid)
Delta Junction is the last town on the Alaska Highway, marking the end of your Alaska Highway adventure! While we didn’t stay here ourselves, many people do, as the highway ends here. We recommend using a site like iOverlander to find a place to stay, whether you’re looking for a free pull-off, a scenic boondocking spot, or a nearby campground. Some nearby campgrounds include:
We also recommend chatting with the volunteer in the Delta Junction Visitor Center & Museum. He’s been driving up to Alaska for many years and can give you recommendations for more things to do in Alaska. You can also get an official Alaska Highway Certificate here to commemorate your journey!
🗺️ Map of Alaska Highway Campgrounds
We’ve compiled a map with many great campsites along the Alaska Highway and where they are relative to hikes, re-provisioning, gas stations, and other relevant points of interest.
How to use this map: We have saved the locations from this guide on this map. You can save this map to your Google Maps by pressing the star icon. In your Google Maps, click the menu icon and then Saved Maps, where this map will appear.
🗓️ Alaska Highway Road Trip Itinerary
For a day-by-day itinerary, check out our Alaska Highway Road Trip Itinerary. This guide includes all the campgrounds featured in this article, plus more tips on what to see and how to make the most of your journey. You can find an extended Alaska Highway Map in this article as well, which pins gas stations, grocery stores, roadside attractions, and more!
☀️ Best Time for an Alaska Highway Road Trip
The best time to set out on an Alaska Highway road trip is anywhere between late May and early September, when Canadian/Alaskan weather is at its mildest, the days are at their longest, and services are open. We traveled in June and enjoyed pleasant temperatures, blooming landscapes, and plenty of daylight to enjoy the stunning scenery and wildlife.
That being said, the Alaska Highway is plowed throughout the winter months, making a winter roadtrip a possibility. You’ll enjoy fewer crowds, gorgeous snow-covered landscapes, and no bugs! But, as it is winter, you’ll need to be well-prepared for icy roads, shorter daylight hours, and below-freezing temps. Make sure to equip your vehicle with winter tires and snow tire chains, carry emergency supplies, and prepare for limited services.
⛺ What to Pack for the Alaska Highway
Besides your typical clothing, food, and personal items, we’ve listed what to pack for an Alaska Highway Roadtrip that you might not initially think of.
- Tire Repair Kit: Although the Alaska Highway is paved and regularly maintained, we did pass quite a few potholes in some very remote sections, so a tire repair kit is essential in our book.
- Garmin inReach: Since investing in a Garmin inReach, we’ve carried it with us on all of our hikes to make sure we can always send messages, navigate with its GPS, and have an SOS button just in case.
- Bear Spray: You can purchase bear spray and bring it across the border. Canada and Alaska are the center of bear country, so it’s a necessary safety precaution.
- Canadian Dollars: Make sure to withdraw Canadian Dollars before or at the beginning of your trip. There were a few places during the trip where we preferred to pay in cash.
- Dog Documentation: If you’re travelling with your pup, like we are, be prepared to declare them at the border. Bring along a copy of their rabies vaccination and any food in its original packaging. The border back into the US also has a few extra requirements, which you can read about here.
- Bug repellent: Bugs can be intense in Canada and Alaska during the summer, so we recommend bringing heavy-duty bug spray and a Thermacell bug shield. They aren’t called the Canadian Airforce for no reason…
- Passport: As you’ll be crossing the border between the US and Canada, make sure to bring your passport and a copy, just in case.
- Binoculars & Cameras: Bring binoculars if you have them, and your best camera, to capture any wildlife you spot while driving!
- Camping Gear: If you plan to sleep in a tent while on the road, and not in an RV or van, bring your tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pads, pillows, and any cooking gear like a Jetboil Stove.
🚫 What NOT to bring! When crossing the US-Canada border, make sure to avoid bringing any prohibited items such as pepper spray, weapons, cannabis, meat and dairy products, or fresh produce to comply with regulations.
ℹ️ Tips & Key Decisions Before Camping on the Alaska Highway
As two people who have driven the Alaska Highway in our self-converted campervan, here are some tips for camping the Alaska Highway. Ideally, these are things to decide on before camping on the Alaska Highway to ensure a safe and enjoyable road trip!
1. Decide whether to go tent camping or RVing
The Alaska Highway can be travelled in a tent as well as in an RV, truck camper, or van. If you’re torn between which to go with, here’s what you can expect from and need to know about each:
- Tent Camping: Staying in a tent allows you to travel in your own car if you don’t have an RV or van, saving you money both on gas and on campground fees, as tent sites are typically less expensive. That being said, you are in bear country, which can be intimidating for some travellers. (More on bear safety in the next tip).
- RV, Truckcamper, or Van: This is what we did, and we felt very comfortable throughout the entirety of the ALCAN. Although you pay a bit more at the paid campgrounds for hook-up spots, and typically pay more for gas, you don’t have to worry about the weather or bears as much. When it comes to reserving a spot, know whether you need a pull-through spot if you aren’t comfortable backing your vehicle up. It’s also useful to know the length of your vehicle and what hook-up it needs. We recommend carrying this electrical adapter so you can adjust your electrical hookup as necessary.
2. Practice bear safety
The Alaska Highway winds through bear territory, so practicing bear safety is super important. Store food, trash, and scented items (even deodorant, chapstick, toothpaste!) in bear-proof containers or your vehicle, never in your tent. It is also highly recommended to rent or buy bear spray just in case. Make sure to learn how to use it and keep it accessible (not buried in your pack), especially when on hikes.
Other bear safety tips include making noise while hiking (talk, clap, or wear a bear bell) to avoid surprising wildlife. If you see a bear, back away slowly—never run. Most bears want to avoid you as much as you want to avoid them. More bear safety info on this National Park Service page.
🏍️ If you’re travelling on a motorcycle, practice good bear safety as well! We saw many black and brown bears on the highway—this is their territory!
3. Do you have a timeline for finishing the ALCAN?
If you don’t have a timeline, you can also always just drive and stop to camp when you see something interesting. The 1,390-mile (2,236-km) Alaska Highway is dotted with countless other campgrounds. You can use sites like iOverlander or Campendium to find more spots than the ones listed in this article.
If you do have a timeline, the campgrounds we listed in this article are spaced out to get you from the beginning to the end of the ALCAN in roughly 7 days if you stay just one night at each.
4. Be aware of current fire bans
Wildfires are a serious risk in summer, so check local fire bans before striking a match to make your morning coffee. During our road trip to Alaska, we were rerouted from the Alaska Highway to the Stewart-Cassiar Highway due to wildfires, since they temporarily closed the Alaska Highway. Since regulations change daily, we recommend visiting sites such as BC Wildfire Service, Yukon Wildfire, or Alaska Fire Info for real-time updates.
5. Keep your tank above half full
Gas stations are few and far between, especially in the Yukon and northern British Columbia. Fill up whenever you can, and try not to let your tank dip below half-empty. You can always keep a jerry can in your vehicle for emergencies.
6. Prepare for Limited Cell Service
Cell service is also pretty spotty or nonexistent for long stretches on the ALCAN. Download offline maps if you’re able and considering installing something like Starlink, which is what we have installed in our van. It gave us internet connection the entire length of the road, so we didn’t have to stop working.
We also carry a Garmin inReach on all of our hikes to make sure we can always send messages, navigate with its GPS, and have an SOS button just in case. This was also useful as a backup in the van, even when we weren’t hiking.
📰 Related Articles
- Anchorage to Denali National Park: The Perfect Alaskan Road Trip
- How to Drive the Dempster Highway: Ultimate Road Trip Itinerary
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