Bureau of Land Management · Alaska
Cripple Creek Campground
Bureau of Land Management · Alaska, United States
- Cost
- $12 per night for vehicle sites $6 per night for walk-in sites
- Elevation
- 1,211 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile none · AT&T none · Verizon none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Lake
- White Mountains National Recreation Area
- Nearest town
- Fairbanks
- Address
- Eastern Interior Field Office , Fairbanks, AK, 99709
- Phone
- 907-474-2200
- Activities
- Camping, Camping Area, Day Use Area, Fishing, Picnicking
About
Located at milepost 60 of the Steese Highway, Cripple Creek Campground has 12 first come first served universal design campsites, as well as 6 walk-in campsites. The campground also has a riverside day use area with fishing access along the Chatanika River. Winding through tall white spruce trees along the river between the day use area and the campground is a short interpretive trail for visitors.
A class I-II float trip to the Upper Chatanika State Recreation Site at milepost 39 is approximately 25 miles (40 km) long. Occasional low water may require some boat dragging.
The campground is maintained during the summer season, end of May through mid-September. The campground has a hand pump well for potable water, trash cans, and outhouse style toilets. Each campsite has a parking area, picnic tables, and fire rings.
Use the Recreation.gov App to pay for camping
Download the Recreation.gov Mobile App before you leave home to make mobile payments for campsites using Scan&Pay. When you are at the campground, claim your campsite and use the camera on your phone to scan the unique campground QR code to pay for the campsite.
No Need to Wait or Carry Cash
Payment is conveniently made right on your phone, without the hassle of waiting in line, carrying cash, or writing a check and dropping it in a fee tube.
No Signal, No Problem
Even in remote areas with no cell service, Scan & Pay allows you to pay when you’re offline and then processes your transaction once you’re back online.
Learn more about the Recreation.gov mobile app: https://www.recreation.gov/mobile-app
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5° | -1° | -37° | 35° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 11° | -2° | -29° | 45° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 8° | -4° | -24° | 42° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 35° | 21° | -20° | 44° | 11 of 11 |
| May | 55° | 37° | 25° | 70° | 5 of 11 |
| June | 66° | 51° | 37° | 78° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 67° | 54° | 46° | 82° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 60° | 49° | 38° | 75° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 52° | 41° | 34° | 62° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 29° | 18° | -4° | 46° | 10 of 10 |
| November | 10° | 0° | -21° | 36° | 10 of 10 |
| December | 8° | -4° | -30° | 41° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Cripple Creek Campground · Bureau of Land Management · 0 mi · 18 sites
- Mount Prindle Campground · Bureau of Land Management · 6 mi · 13 sites
- Ophir Creek Campground · Bureau of Land Management · 14 mi · 20 sites
- Ophir Creek Campground · Bureau of Land Management · 14 mi
- Upper Chatanika River State Recreation Site · Alaska State Parks · 19 mi · 24 sites
All public campgrounds in Alaska · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-08-03. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.