Teklanika River
63.6705, -149.5810 · Park boundary: National Park Service
Open in summer only (May 20 to mid-September). Though nearly all private vehicles must turn around at mile 15, Savage River, Tek campers are an exception to that rule. If you wish, you may drive your vehicle / RV to Tek. The trade-off is that you must make, at minimum, a three-night stay, and your vehicle must stay in your campsite for the duration of your stay, while you use transit buses to sightsee. Tent campers using the park bus system to reach Tek are not subject to the 3-night minimum stay.
- Every day
- All Day
Check-in/out is 11 am. You must have your site vacated by 11 am and begin heading back toward the park entrance. Quiet hours are 10 pm to 6 am. You are welcome to stop at pull-outs alongside the road if you wish to hike, enjoy the views, etc. Teklanika is open in summer only (see exceptions, below, for details).
- Closed in winter · Sep 12, 2026 – May 19, 2027 · Closed
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
This is the cost, per night, for a campsite at Teklanika Campground. A single site can contain up to eight people and up to three tents. This is the fee for all campers, regardless of whether you have just a tent, or an RV or other vehicle.
Strongly recommended. The Tek Pass is a bus ticket that lets you use transit buses throughout your stay at Tek. The pass acts like a normal transit ticket for your first trip (i.e., on a specific bus you choose); on subsequent trips, you can board any transit bus for a day-trip farther into the park. You cannot drive your vehicle to/from the campground except at the start and end of your stay, so this is the only way to sightsee while camping at Tek. (Note: This pass is free for kids 15 and younger.)
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
Reservations are strongly recommended. Group campsites are not available at Teklanika; larger groups of 9–20 people should consider staying at Riley Creek or Savage River Campgrounds.
- Amphitheater
- Yes - year round
- Drinking water
- Yes - seasonal
- Food storage lockers
- Yes - year round
- Host on site
- Yes - seasonal
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets - year round
- Trash & recycling
- Yes - seasonal
- Camp store
- No
- Cell reception
- No
- Dump station
- No
- Firewood for sale
- No
- Ice for sale
- No
- Internet
- No
- Laundry
- No
- Showers
- None
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
- RVs
- Allowed · up to 40 ft
- Trailers
- Allowed · up to 40 ft
- Access roads
- Unpaved Roads - All vehicles OK in good weather
- Classification
- Limited Development Campground
Wheelchair accessible bathrooms are available in the campground. Paths and roads in the campground are made of compacted gravel and have little or no gradient.
Wheelchair accessible bathrooms are available in the campground. Paths and roads in the campground are made of compacted gravel and have little or no gradient. Elevation at the campground is around 2,000' above sea level.
Fires are permitted only in the fire grate at each campsite. If you cook over your fire, you must burn off or otherwise remove all food residue, to ensure that you do not attract wildlife. You may not cut live (or standing dead) wood in the area, so plan on bringing firewood with you.
Though nearly all private vehicles must turn around at mile 15, Savage River, Tek campers are an exception to that rule. If you wish, you may drive your vehicle / RV to Tek. The road between Savage River and Tek River is gravel. If you drive your car to Tek, the trade-off for being able to drive farther into the park than most visitors is that you must make, at minimum, a three-night stay, and your vehicle must stay in your campsite for the duration of your stay. Your vehicle can only leave your campsite when you are ready to travel back to the park entrance. If you are tent camping, you may wish to use the camper bus to access the campground. If you arrive in Tek via bus, rather than your own vehicle, there is no minimum number of nights you must stay. All campgrounds have recycling collection containers for aluminum cans, glass, plastic jugs and bottles (#1 and #2), and plastic containers #5.
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
Though nearly all private vehicles must turn around at mile 15, Savage River, Tek campers are an exception to that rule. If you wish, you may drive your vehicle / RV to Tek. The trade-off is that you must make, at minimum, a three-night stay, and your vehicle must stay in your campsite for the duration of your stay. Your vehicle can only leave your campsite when you are ready to travel back to the park entrance.
Summers are generally cool and wet, though warm, dry weather is possible on occasion. Prepare for nighttime temperatures near freezing, particularly in May, late August and September.
Recreational Vehicle (RV), Car/Truck/Trailer Information – The maximum length of an individual RV or camper-trailer is 40'. The combined length of a vehicle and trailer combination may exceed 40', but each individual vehicle component (e.g., the truck or trailer) may not exceed 40' on its own. A trailer in tow must be integral to the camping experience. An example of a permitted combination would be a truck pulling a camper-trailer. Conversely, a car being towed behind an RV would not considered integral, and therefore the car must be left at the park entrance (parking is free of charge). Ask at the Denali Visitor Center where overnight parking is permitted. Quiet hours are 10 pm—6 am. Generators may only be operated from 8 am—10 am and 4 pm—8 pm. Keep all food and scented items in your hard-sided vehicle. If you are tent-camping without a vehicle, use the food lockers found throughout the campground. Label and date your items in the food locker. Keep a clean camp and wash your dishes immediately.
Drive to Teklanika River
Byway plans the scenic way in — real places, real weather, every stop verified. Zero hallucinations. Google Maps for turns. Byway for soul.