RV Parks In Ketchikan, Alaska

Not directly. Ketchikan sits on Revillagigedo Island in the Inside Passage and has no road connection to the mainland, so you can't simply drive there the way you would reach an inland Alaska town. RVs get to Ketchikan on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry, which carries any roll-on, roll-off vehicle, including motorhomes and travel trailers. You roll your rig onto the vehicle deck, ride up the coast, and roll off in Ketchikan. The ferry runs from Bellingham, WA and Prince Rupert, BC. Air travel is the only other way in, and you obviously can't fly a rig, so the ferry is the route for RVers.

As early as you possibly can, ideally as soon as your travel dates are set. Vehicle deck space on the Alaska Marine Highway is limited, and summer sailings fill quickly with RVs, cars, and cabins all competing for room. Fares are charged by your vehicle's length, so measure your rig before booking. Just as important, confirm the current schedule, because Prince Rupert and cross-gulf runs have been suspended in some seasons for vessel maintenance. Check the official schedule and book online or by phone through the Alaska Marine Highway System. If you miss the boat, there is no driving around it, so the ferry reservation should anchor your whole trip plan.

Yes, but the choice is limited. The private Clover Pass Resort, about 15 miles north of downtown, offers full hookup RV sites on the waterfront with gravel back-ins and pull-ins, plus restrooms, showers, laundry, and cabins. It's a long-running fishing resort open roughly May 1 through September 30, and it fills with anglers, so reserve direct and early. The public campgrounds around Ketchikan, including the Ward Lake sites and Settlers Cove, are primitive with no hookups at all. So if you need power, water, and sewer at your site, Clover Pass is effectively your one option, and you should treat the public sites as dry camping.

The main public campgrounds are clustered north of town. In the Tongass National Forest at Ward Lake you have Signal Creek with 24 drive-in units on the lake, Last Chance about 9 miles north along Last Chance and Ward creeks, and the small Three C's group-use site. All three are reservable on recreation.gov. Farther out at mile 18 on the North Tongass Highway, Settlers Cove State Recreation Site is an Alaska State Parks campground with 13 primitive sites, a rare sandy beach, and a short waterfall trail. None of these public sites have hookups, but they're affordable and put you close to fishing, hiking, and Totem Bight.

Yes. All sites at Signal Creek and Last Chance campgrounds in the Ward Lake Recreation Area must be reserved and paid for through recreation.gov, so you can't just show up and grab a spot the way you might at some first-come sites. The Three C's campground is a group-use site that only opens to single users when Signal Creek and Last Chance are full. Because these are the most convenient public campgrounds near Ketchikan and the season is short, summer weekends can book up, so reserve your dates ahead. Plan around your ferry arrival, since you'll want a site lined up before you roll off the boat.

It's a mix. Settlers Cove State Recreation Site is largely first-come, first-served, but the premium sites require reservations during the busy summer season, and those have run around $60 a night. The shelters can be reserved by calling the local Alaska State Parks office. There are 13 primitive campsites, some able to fit RVs up to about 35 feet, plus vault toilets and picnic shelters. Camping is limited to seven days, the gate locks after 10pm, and you need to vacate your site by noon unless you've paid for another night. Given the short season and limited sites, it's smart to arrive early in the day if you're counting on a first-come spot.

You can bring a sizable rig, but the island's short road system and primitive campgrounds set practical limits. The Alaska Marine Highway ferry can carry large motorhomes and trailers, with fares based on length, so size mostly affects your ferry cost. On the island, North and South Tongass Highways are straightforward, but they're short and there's nowhere to spread out, so very large rigs have limited room to turn around. Settlers Cove notes sites that can take RVs up to about 35 feet. Clover Pass Resort handles full-size RVs on gravel sites. For maximum flexibility, a mid-size rig is easiest, but bigger motorhomes do make the trip; just plan your campground choices around your length.

Summer, roughly mid-May through September, is the realistic window. The Forest Service and state campgrounds are aimed at the summer season, and Clover Pass Resort runs May 1 to September 30. June and July are the relative dry months in a place that otherwise gets very heavy rain, so those weeks give you the best odds of decent weather along with peak salmon fishing. The tradeoff is crowds: summer is when ferries and campgrounds fill, so reserve early. Spring and fall are quieter but wetter, with October the rainiest month. Winter is cold, dark, and not practical for RV camping.

A lot, and you should plan for it honestly. Ketchikan sits in the Tongass, the largest temperate rainforest in North America, and gets roughly 13 feet of rain a year. The wettest stretch is fall and winter, with October and January among the rainiest months. Even in the relatively dry summer, June and July still see several inches of rain each. Locals treat rain as normal, not a reason to stay inside. The upside is that all that moisture is exactly what makes Misty Fjords and the rainforest look the way they do. Pack quality rain gear, keep your wiper blades fresh, and bring a way to dry out gear inside the rig.

Plenty, and a lot of it is right off the road system. Fishing is the headline; Ketchikan calls itself the salmon capital of the world, and the area also produces halibut. Beyond the water, you can take a flightseeing trip or boat tour into Misty Fjords National Monument, a vast wilderness of granite cliffs and waterfalls in the Tongass. Closer to your campsite, Totem Bight State Historical Park sits about 10 miles north of downtown with restored totem poles and a clan house. Downtown, the Creek Street boardwalk is the city's most photographed spot. Hiking and wildlife viewing around Ward Lake round out an easy day from the campgrounds.

Yes, as long as you come prepared. The Ward Lake Forest Service campgrounds and Settlers Cove are all primitive with no hookups, so they're effectively dry camping in scenic, forested or beachfront settings. They have vault toilets and drinking water, fire rings, and in some cases picnic shelters, but no power or sewer at the sites. Arrive with full fresh water tanks, charged house batteries, and empty waste tanks, and plan to manage your resources over your stay. There are no on-site dump facilities at these primitive sites, so handle waste and refills in town. If dry camping isn't your thing, the private Clover Pass Resort has full hookups instead.

Misty Fjords National Monument lies east of Ketchikan within the Tongass National Forest, and you reach it by floatplane or boat, not by road. It's a 2.3-million-acre wilderness of sheer granite walls, waterfalls, and fjords, and the frequent low cloud and mist are genuinely part of its character rather than a problem. From your campsite, you'd drive into Ketchikan and book a flightseeing tour or boat trip from one of the operators in town. If you can be flexible, try to book your trip on a day with a bit more visibility, though the area is striking even under heavy cloud. It's one of the main reasons RVers make the effort to ferry up here.

It depends on what you're after. Getting a rig to Ketchikan takes ferry planning, costs more than driving to an inland destination, and lands you on a small island with a short road system and heavy rain. The RV scene is modest, and full hookups are limited to one private resort. But if you want world-class salmon fishing, the rainforest of the Tongass, flightseeing into Misty Fjords, and totem poles and history you can't reach by ordinary road trip, the payoff is real. It rewards RVers who plan ahead, embrace the rain, and treat the ferry crossing as part of the adventure rather than just a chore.

Not directly. Ketchikan sits on Revillagigedo Island in the Inside Passage and has no road connection to the mainland, so you can't simply drive there the way you would reach an inland Alaska town. RVs get to Ketchikan on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry, which carries any roll-on, roll-off vehicle, including motorhomes and travel trailers. You roll your rig onto the vehicle deck, ride up the coast, and roll off in Ketchikan. The ferry runs from Bellingham, WA and Prince Rupert, BC. Air travel is the only other way in, and you obviously can't fly a rig, so the ferry is the route for RVers.

As early as you possibly can, ideally as soon as your travel dates are set. Vehicle deck space on the Alaska Marine Highway is limited, and summer sailings fill quickly with RVs, cars, and cabins all competing for room. Fares are charged by your vehicle's length, so measure your rig before booking. Just as important, confirm the current schedule, because Prince Rupert and cross-gulf runs have been suspended in some seasons for vessel maintenance. Check the official schedule and book online or by phone through the Alaska Marine Highway System. If you miss the boat, there is no driving around it, so the ferry reservation should anchor your whole trip plan.

Yes, but the choice is limited. The private Clover Pass Resort, about 15 miles north of downtown, offers full hookup RV sites on the waterfront with gravel back-ins and pull-ins, plus restrooms, showers, laundry, and cabins. It's a long-running fishing resort open roughly May 1 through September 30, and it fills with anglers, so reserve direct and early. The public campgrounds around Ketchikan, including the Ward Lake sites and Settlers Cove, are primitive with no hookups at all. So if you need power, water, and sewer at your site, Clover Pass is effectively your one option, and you should treat the public sites as dry camping.

The main public campgrounds are clustered north of town. In the Tongass National Forest at Ward Lake you have Signal Creek with 24 drive-in units on the lake, Last Chance about 9 miles north along Last Chance and Ward creeks, and the small Three C's group-use site. All three are reservable on recreation.gov. Farther out at mile 18 on the North Tongass Highway, Settlers Cove State Recreation Site is an Alaska State Parks campground with 13 primitive sites, a rare sandy beach, and a short waterfall trail. None of these public sites have hookups, but they're affordable and put you close to fishing, hiking, and Totem Bight.

Yes. All sites at Signal Creek and Last Chance campgrounds in the Ward Lake Recreation Area must be reserved and paid for through recreation.gov, so you can't just show up and grab a spot the way you might at some first-come sites. The Three C's campground is a group-use site that only opens to single users when Signal Creek and Last Chance are full. Because these are the most convenient public campgrounds near Ketchikan and the season is short, summer weekends can book up, so reserve your dates ahead. Plan around your ferry arrival, since you'll want a site lined up before you roll off the boat.

It's a mix. Settlers Cove State Recreation Site is largely first-come, first-served, but the premium sites require reservations during the busy summer season, and those have run around $60 a night. The shelters can be reserved by calling the local Alaska State Parks office. There are 13 primitive campsites, some able to fit RVs up to about 35 feet, plus vault toilets and picnic shelters. Camping is limited to seven days, the gate locks after 10pm, and you need to vacate your site by noon unless you've paid for another night. Given the short season and limited sites, it's smart to arrive early in the day if you're counting on a first-come spot.

You can bring a sizable rig, but the island's short road system and primitive campgrounds set practical limits. The Alaska Marine Highway ferry can carry large motorhomes and trailers, with fares based on length, so size mostly affects your ferry cost. On the island, North and South Tongass Highways are straightforward, but they're short and there's nowhere to spread out, so very large rigs have limited room to turn around. Settlers Cove notes sites that can take RVs up to about 35 feet. Clover Pass Resort handles full-size RVs on gravel sites. For maximum flexibility, a mid-size rig is easiest, but bigger motorhomes do make the trip; just plan your campground choices around your length.

Summer, roughly mid-May through September, is the realistic window. The Forest Service and state campgrounds are aimed at the summer season, and Clover Pass Resort runs May 1 to September 30. June and July are the relative dry months in a place that otherwise gets very heavy rain, so those weeks give you the best odds of decent weather along with peak salmon fishing. The tradeoff is crowds: summer is when ferries and campgrounds fill, so reserve early. Spring and fall are quieter but wetter, with October the rainiest month. Winter is cold, dark, and not practical for RV camping.

A lot, and you should plan for it honestly. Ketchikan sits in the Tongass, the largest temperate rainforest in North America, and gets roughly 13 feet of rain a year. The wettest stretch is fall and winter, with October and January among the rainiest months. Even in the relatively dry summer, June and July still see several inches of rain each. Locals treat rain as normal, not a reason to stay inside. The upside is that all that moisture is exactly what makes Misty Fjords and the rainforest look the way they do. Pack quality rain gear, keep your wiper blades fresh, and bring a way to dry out gear inside the rig.

Plenty, and a lot of it is right off the road system. Fishing is the headline; Ketchikan calls itself the salmon capital of the world, and the area also produces halibut. Beyond the water, you can take a flightseeing trip or boat tour into Misty Fjords National Monument, a vast wilderness of granite cliffs and waterfalls in the Tongass. Closer to your campsite, Totem Bight State Historical Park sits about 10 miles north of downtown with restored totem poles and a clan house. Downtown, the Creek Street boardwalk is the city's most photographed spot. Hiking and wildlife viewing around Ward Lake round out an easy day from the campgrounds.

Yes, as long as you come prepared. The Ward Lake Forest Service campgrounds and Settlers Cove are all primitive with no hookups, so they're effectively dry camping in scenic, forested or beachfront settings. They have vault toilets and drinking water, fire rings, and in some cases picnic shelters, but no power or sewer at the sites. Arrive with full fresh water tanks, charged house batteries, and empty waste tanks, and plan to manage your resources over your stay. There are no on-site dump facilities at these primitive sites, so handle waste and refills in town. If dry camping isn't your thing, the private Clover Pass Resort has full hookups instead.

Misty Fjords National Monument lies east of Ketchikan within the Tongass National Forest, and you reach it by floatplane or boat, not by road. It's a 2.3-million-acre wilderness of sheer granite walls, waterfalls, and fjords, and the frequent low cloud and mist are genuinely part of its character rather than a problem. From your campsite, you'd drive into Ketchikan and book a flightseeing tour or boat trip from one of the operators in town. If you can be flexible, try to book your trip on a day with a bit more visibility, though the area is striking even under heavy cloud. It's one of the main reasons RVers make the effort to ferry up here.

It depends on what you're after. Getting a rig to Ketchikan takes ferry planning, costs more than driving to an inland destination, and lands you on a small island with a short road system and heavy rain. The RV scene is modest, and full hookups are limited to one private resort. But if you want world-class salmon fishing, the rainforest of the Tongass, flightseeing into Misty Fjords, and totem poles and history you can't reach by ordinary road trip, the payoff is real. It rewards RVers who plan ahead, embrace the rain, and treat the ferry crossing as part of the adventure rather than just a chore.

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