Childs Glacier Recreation Area And Campground
Eleven maintained campsites are available at $10 per night. Payment can be made at a self-serve fee box located at the main pavilion. Visitors to Childs Glacier Campground and Recreation Area are instantly captivated by spectacular views of Childs Glacier, famous for its calving icebergs that once put on a great show. Other must-do activities in the area include hiking along the river and fishing for salmon. Childs Glacier was once accessible by road.
Sites are first-come, first-served. Recreation.gov lists this campground for paying on site, and you may be able to pay with the Scan and Pay feature of its app.
More like this: first-come in Alaska
Amenities & rules
The campground is now suited for tents only. A portion of the campground and associated recreation area continues to be maintained, though trash must be packed out. There is a large covered viewing platform and covered pavilion, information boards, picnic tables, vault toilets, and a hiking trail. Drinking water is provided at hand pumps. Recreation Sites • Standard Nonelectric • Tent Only Nonelectric • Overnight
Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.
Weather by month
Getting there
From Cordova, the campground is 48 miles east on the Copper River Highway just before the Million Dollar Bridge. Two sections of the highway at mile 36 and mile 44 are washed out, and access to the site now requires a boat ride or travel by air. Several outfitters provide transportation to the campground.
| Coordinates | 60.6644° N, 144.7585° W · Directions ↗ |
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Video
This is what we ate in camping at Glacier National park. #campingfood #campinglife #eggsal
Trails nearby
- 0.2 miCopper River Trail0.7 mi trail · hiking
- 0.6 miMiles Lake Trail4 mi trail · hiking
- 1 miChilds Glacier North Trail1.1 mi trail · hiking
- 3.7 miChilds Glacier South Trail2.8 mi trail · hiking
Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.
Public land it sits in
This campground sits inside Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness.
- inWrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness ↗Wilderness · National Park Service · 9,432,000 acres
Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.
Cabin and lookout rentals nearby
On the National Register nearby
- Million Dollar BridgeStructure · Cordova · 0.7 mi
Natural features
Childs Glacier Campground is nestled in the Chugach Mountains on the south coast of Alaska. Alder, willow, devil's club and fern make up much of the campground understory. Tall cottonwoods dominate overhead. The campground is about 300 feet from the Copper River, a wide, glacier fed river that creates the extensive Copper River Delta and flows into the Gulf of Alaska.
Recreation
The Copper River boasts plenty of salmon. Wildlife watching opportunities include moose, grizzly and black bears. Lucky campers may spot bears fishing on the opposite side of the river. Recommended trails include Copper River and Childs Glacier North. Copper River Trail connects Childs Glacier Recreation Area to the historic Million Dollar Bridge following the shores of the Copper River. Childs Glacier North Trail begins north of the Million Dollar Bridge and leads hikers to the face of Childs Glacier.
Nearby
The historic Million Dollar Bridge, constructed in 1910, is nearby. The bridge over the Copper River was used to transport copper from the old mining town of Kennicott to the port of Cordova.
Guidebooks for Alaska
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Reference
Questions people ask
Do I need a reservation at Childs Glacier Recreation Area And Campground?
No. Childs Glacier Recreation Area And Campground is first-come, first-served. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.
Source: How first-come camping works
What is there to do at Childs Glacier Recreation Area And Campground?
The Copper River boasts plenty of salmon. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.
Source: Recreation