RV Parks In Juneau, Alaska

There are really three options. Mendenhall Lake Campground, run by the Forest Service in the Tongass National Forest, is the favorite for its direct glacier view, lakeside setting and mix of full, partial and basic sites. Glacier Nalu Campground Resort is the best private full-hookup park, on 12.5 wooded acres near the glacier. Auke Bay RV Park is a small private lot prized for being under a mile from the ferry terminal. All three sit in the Mendenhall Valley and Auke Bay area within about 13 miles of downtown, so any of them makes a workable base.

You bring it on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry, because Juneau has no road connection and you cannot drive a rig in. The two main routes are a multi-day sailing from Bellingham, Washington, or driving through Canada to Haines or Skagway and taking a four to five-hour ferry hop into Juneau. RVs are booked by length under a separate vehicle code, and Coast Guard rules prohibit staying on the car deck while underway, so you reserve a cabin or use the recliner lounges. Book the ferry well before your campsite, since summer sailings sell out.

Some do. Mendenhall Lake Campground has nine full-service sites with electric, water and sewer plus nine partial sites and a central dump station. Glacier Nalu Campground Resort offers full hookups with 30-amp service, restrooms, showers and laundry. Auke Bay RV Park has full and partial hookups but is a small lot, so call ahead to confirm a site for your rig length. Given how few sites exist overall, reserve early if full hookups are a must, especially for the Forest Service full-service sites, which are limited and fill first in summer.

On the island the camping itself is reasonable. Mendenhall Lake Campground runs about 20 dollars for basic sites, 34 for partial hookups and 36 for full hookups. Private parks are higher, roughly 40 to 60 dollars or more per night for full hookups at Glacier Nalu, with Auke Bay RV Park in a similar range. The bigger expense is the ferry, which moves your rig by length and usually costs far more than your nightly camping fee. Budget the Alaska Marine Highway crossing and a cabin or lounge seat separately when you plan the trip.

Yes, within limits. Mendenhall Lake Campground has about 48 sites that accommodate units larger than 30 feet, and Glacier Nalu takes big rigs up to roughly 40 feet. Auke Bay RV Park is a small lot, so confirm your length before arriving. The real constraint is not the campground but the ferry: fitting and reserving your rig on the Alaska Marine Highway is the harder part, and longer rigs cost more and have fewer sailing slots. If you run a big rig, book the ferry early and pick Mendenhall Lake or Glacier Nalu for the roomier sites.

June through early September is the window, with the mildest temperatures, long daylight and the only stretch when all the campgrounds are open. It is also the busiest, overlapping peak cruise season, so reserve both your ferry and your campsite early. Spring is historically the driest and least cloudy time, but campgrounds do not open until mid-May. September brings the wettest weather and big Pacific storms as the campgrounds wind down. Whenever you go, pack serious rain gear, since Juneau sees precipitation on most days of the year.

Mendenhall Lake Campground offers same-day reservations when sites are open, but you should not count on walk-up availability in peak summer. With such a small total number of sites across the three parks and heavy cruise-season demand, the realistic approach is to reserve ahead, especially for full and partial-hookup sites and any spot with a glacier view. If you arrive late off the ferry without a booking, Auke Bay RV Park near the terminal is the practical first stop while you sort out a longer stay at Mendenhall Lake or Glacier Nalu.

Yes, that is the signature draw of Mendenhall Lake Campground, which sits on the shore of Mendenhall Lake with a direct view of the glacier across the water. The lake-view sites are the ones to grab, and they fill first, so reserve early. The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, run by the Forest Service, is adjacent, with exhibits, a film, ranger staff and trails to Nugget Falls and several overlooks. From camp you can hike the West Glacier and Nugget Falls trails or paddle the lake among the icebergs, all with the glacier in view.

A lot for such a compact area. The Mendenhall Glacier and its visitor center are right by the campgrounds, with hiking to Nugget Falls and the West Glacier Trail. Auke Bay is the launch point for summer humpback and orca whale watching. You can take a day cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and its tidewater glaciers, ride the Mount Roberts Tramway above downtown for alpine trails, fish for salmon and halibut, or tour Glacier Gardens in the rainforest. The mix of glacier, ocean and temperate rainforest packs a remarkable range of activities into a short road system.

No. U.S. Coast Guard rules bar access to the car deck while the ferry is underway, so you cannot sleep or cook in your rig during the sailing. Instead you reserve a cabin or use the recliner lounges and the solarium on deck. This matters most on the longer Bellingham sailing, which spans multiple days, and is one reason many RVers prefer driving through Canada to Haines or Skagway and taking the much shorter four to five-hour ferry hop into Juneau. Plan your onboard accommodations when you book the ferry slot for your rig.

Yes, it is one of the shortest you will find. The practical RV season runs roughly mid-May through mid-September. Mendenhall Lake Campground typically operates May 15 to September 15, and Glacier Nalu runs about mid-May to October 1. Outside that window the campgrounds are closed and the weather is cold, dark and snowy. Because the season is so compressed and overlaps peak cruise traffic, sites and ferry slots both fill, so plan and reserve early. Aim for the heart of summer for the best weather and the longest daylight on your trip.

Auke Bay RV Park is the closest, sitting less than a mile from the Auke Bay ferry terminal directly across Glacier Highway from the bay. That makes it the natural first stop if you roll off a late sailing and just need to park for the night. It is a small lot with full and partial hookups, so call ahead to confirm a spot for your rig. From there it is an easy move deeper into the Mendenhall Valley to Mendenhall Lake Campground or Glacier Nalu for the glacier views and roomier sites.

There are really three options. Mendenhall Lake Campground, run by the Forest Service in the Tongass National Forest, is the favorite for its direct glacier view, lakeside setting and mix of full, partial and basic sites. Glacier Nalu Campground Resort is the best private full-hookup park, on 12.5 wooded acres near the glacier. Auke Bay RV Park is a small private lot prized for being under a mile from the ferry terminal. All three sit in the Mendenhall Valley and Auke Bay area within about 13 miles of downtown, so any of them makes a workable base.

You bring it on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry, because Juneau has no road connection and you cannot drive a rig in. The two main routes are a multi-day sailing from Bellingham, Washington, or driving through Canada to Haines or Skagway and taking a four to five-hour ferry hop into Juneau. RVs are booked by length under a separate vehicle code, and Coast Guard rules prohibit staying on the car deck while underway, so you reserve a cabin or use the recliner lounges. Book the ferry well before your campsite, since summer sailings sell out.

Some do. Mendenhall Lake Campground has nine full-service sites with electric, water and sewer plus nine partial sites and a central dump station. Glacier Nalu Campground Resort offers full hookups with 30-amp service, restrooms, showers and laundry. Auke Bay RV Park has full and partial hookups but is a small lot, so call ahead to confirm a site for your rig length. Given how few sites exist overall, reserve early if full hookups are a must, especially for the Forest Service full-service sites, which are limited and fill first in summer.

On the island the camping itself is reasonable. Mendenhall Lake Campground runs about 20 dollars for basic sites, 34 for partial hookups and 36 for full hookups. Private parks are higher, roughly 40 to 60 dollars or more per night for full hookups at Glacier Nalu, with Auke Bay RV Park in a similar range. The bigger expense is the ferry, which moves your rig by length and usually costs far more than your nightly camping fee. Budget the Alaska Marine Highway crossing and a cabin or lounge seat separately when you plan the trip.

Yes, within limits. Mendenhall Lake Campground has about 48 sites that accommodate units larger than 30 feet, and Glacier Nalu takes big rigs up to roughly 40 feet. Auke Bay RV Park is a small lot, so confirm your length before arriving. The real constraint is not the campground but the ferry: fitting and reserving your rig on the Alaska Marine Highway is the harder part, and longer rigs cost more and have fewer sailing slots. If you run a big rig, book the ferry early and pick Mendenhall Lake or Glacier Nalu for the roomier sites.

June through early September is the window, with the mildest temperatures, long daylight and the only stretch when all the campgrounds are open. It is also the busiest, overlapping peak cruise season, so reserve both your ferry and your campsite early. Spring is historically the driest and least cloudy time, but campgrounds do not open until mid-May. September brings the wettest weather and big Pacific storms as the campgrounds wind down. Whenever you go, pack serious rain gear, since Juneau sees precipitation on most days of the year.

Mendenhall Lake Campground offers same-day reservations when sites are open, but you should not count on walk-up availability in peak summer. With such a small total number of sites across the three parks and heavy cruise-season demand, the realistic approach is to reserve ahead, especially for full and partial-hookup sites and any spot with a glacier view. If you arrive late off the ferry without a booking, Auke Bay RV Park near the terminal is the practical first stop while you sort out a longer stay at Mendenhall Lake or Glacier Nalu.

Yes, that is the signature draw of Mendenhall Lake Campground, which sits on the shore of Mendenhall Lake with a direct view of the glacier across the water. The lake-view sites are the ones to grab, and they fill first, so reserve early. The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, run by the Forest Service, is adjacent, with exhibits, a film, ranger staff and trails to Nugget Falls and several overlooks. From camp you can hike the West Glacier and Nugget Falls trails or paddle the lake among the icebergs, all with the glacier in view.

A lot for such a compact area. The Mendenhall Glacier and its visitor center are right by the campgrounds, with hiking to Nugget Falls and the West Glacier Trail. Auke Bay is the launch point for summer humpback and orca whale watching. You can take a day cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and its tidewater glaciers, ride the Mount Roberts Tramway above downtown for alpine trails, fish for salmon and halibut, or tour Glacier Gardens in the rainforest. The mix of glacier, ocean and temperate rainforest packs a remarkable range of activities into a short road system.

No. U.S. Coast Guard rules bar access to the car deck while the ferry is underway, so you cannot sleep or cook in your rig during the sailing. Instead you reserve a cabin or use the recliner lounges and the solarium on deck. This matters most on the longer Bellingham sailing, which spans multiple days, and is one reason many RVers prefer driving through Canada to Haines or Skagway and taking the much shorter four to five-hour ferry hop into Juneau. Plan your onboard accommodations when you book the ferry slot for your rig.

Yes, it is one of the shortest you will find. The practical RV season runs roughly mid-May through mid-September. Mendenhall Lake Campground typically operates May 15 to September 15, and Glacier Nalu runs about mid-May to October 1. Outside that window the campgrounds are closed and the weather is cold, dark and snowy. Because the season is so compressed and overlaps peak cruise traffic, sites and ferry slots both fill, so plan and reserve early. Aim for the heart of summer for the best weather and the longest daylight on your trip.

Auke Bay RV Park is the closest, sitting less than a mile from the Auke Bay ferry terminal directly across Glacier Highway from the bay. That makes it the natural first stop if you roll off a late sailing and just need to park for the night. It is a small lot with full and partial hookups, so call ahead to confirm a spot for your rig. From there it is an easy move deeper into the Mendenhall Valley to Mendenhall Lake Campground or Glacier Nalu for the glacier views and roomier sites.

Yes — there are free RV waste disposal options available near Juneau.