Upper Chatanika River State Recreation Site

Upper Chatanika River SRS sits at roughly Mile 39 of the Steese Highway, directly on the banks of the Chatanika River. It’s a genuine state-managed campground with vault toilets, fire rings, and picnic tables — clean, maintained, and used by both floaters and overland crews heading into the White Mountains NRA. The site handles a fair number of rigs and feels open and river-adjacent, which makes it a good overnight before pushing up Nome Creek Road or US Creek Road the following morning.

Road in is off the Steese — essentially zero rough driving to reach the site itself. Water from the river should be treated; no potable tap on site. Season runs roughly Memorial Day through freeze-up. Expect mosquitoes from mid-June through early August — bring your A-game.

State river camp on the Steese Highway.