Hiking

Currant Ridge

6 Cabins

Currant Ridge near McCarthy, Alaska, offers six custom-built log guest houses at the edge of the Wrangell-St. Elias wilderness, with restrooms, showers, and WiFi. One requirement is essential: guests must be driving to McCarthy themselves, not flying or taking the shuttle. Six log cabins make up the accommodations — custom-built guest houses rather than a campground, and the quality is the point at this distance from anywhere. Restrooms, showers, and WiFi serve the property. If you have already booked flights or shuttle transportation and still want to stay, call the property first, because the access requirement is genuine rather than a formality. Pets are welcome. Planned activities run through the season, with mountains, a river, and a lake all nearby and a national park immediately at hand. The access is part of the experience. McCarthy sits at the end of 60 miles of gravel road from Chitina, which filters out casual visitors entirely. What waits at the end is the gateway to the Kennicott copper mining district, the Root and Kennicott Glaciers, and the vast interior of Wrangell-St. Elias — at 13.2 million acres, the largest national park in the United States and six times the size of Yellowstone. For travelers who make the drive, the quality of the accommodations here is the difference between a rough expedition and a genuinely comfortable base in extraordinary country. The Alaska season is short and concentrated. Summer is the only practical window for the McCarthy Road — reserve as far ahead as possible.

from $295/night

Eagles Rest RV Resort

131 RV Sites, 18 Cabins, 21 Tent Sites, 4 Glamping Sites, 1 Cottage

Eagles Rest RV Resort in Valdez, Alaska, offers 131 full-hookup RV sites, 19 cabin and cottage units, 21 tent sites, and four glamping sites near the harbor and downtown, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 80 feet. Back-in categories at every amp combination carry power, sewer, and water, with a laundry, showers, dump station, and dog park. One hundred thirty-one back-in sites run in 30-amp, 50-amp, 30/20-amp, and 30/20/50-amp categories, all carrying power, sewer, and water, sized to 80 feet. Naming the exact amp combination in each category removes any doubt about what you are plugging into, and 80 feet accommodates the longest coaches with a tow — genuinely useful for anyone who has driven the Richardson Highway to get here. Nineteen cabins and cottages, 21 tent sites, and four glamping sites round out the lodging. A laundry, dump station, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. A dog park fills the grounds, with boating, rivers, and mountains nearby and exceptional birding — bald eagles are common enough here to be unremarkable. Pets are welcome. The address is 139 East Pioneer Drive. Valdez sits at the terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline at the head of Prince William Sound, where the Chugach Mountains drop straight to tidewater in a wall of glaciers, waterfalls, and hanging valleys. Columbia and Mears Glacier cruises leave from the harbor, and Mineral Creek Canyon is close. The Alaska season is short. June through August is the window and it fills. Reserve as early as you can.