Hotels

Camping & Cabins

Three beautiful campgrounds with water and pit toilets lie along the road by the Chena River, managed by the Alaska Division of Parks. Although they can't be reserved ahead, the campgrounds are unlikely to be full except on a sunny holiday weekend. The Rosehip Campground, at mile 27, has 37 sites, well separated by spruce and birch, with 6 suitable for RVs. Some sites are right on the river, and some are set up for more private tent camping, in the woods. The Granite Tors Campground is across from the trail head at mile 39.5; it has 24 sites, 7 suitable for RVs. Some sites front on a river slough, and, as at Rosehip, float trips can start or end here. The Red Squirrel Campground, at mile 42.8, has 12 sites and a pleasant picnic area on the grassy edge of a small, placid pond, where swimming is permitted. Camping is $10 a night at each of these campgrounds.

There are several public-use cabins in the recreation area, two of them easily accessible to summer visitors and not hard to book a month or two ahead. These are primitive cabins; you must bring your own sleeping bags, lights, fuel, and cooking gear. The North Fork Cabin is at mile 47.7 of the road, and the Chena River Cabin faces the river at mile 32.2. You can get to either by car or canoe, and each costs $50 a night in the summer, $40 off-season. Other public cabins in the area primarily serve winter users and are difficult to reach when the ground thaws.