Cooper Creek South, Anchorage, Alaska

Campground Review from Heather

I found out about this campground on Reserve America, and I tent camped there in May 2006.

Two mamas, two munchkins and a dog headed out to Cooper Creek for Memorial Day weekend. Just two hours south of Anchorage on the gorgeous Seward Highway, and only minutes outside of picturesque Cooper Landing (the town that was the basis for the TV show "Northern Exposure"), Cooper Creek South is a charming little campground along the banks of Cooper Creek and across the highway from the Kenai River. The map on the reservation Web site was backwards, so we thought we had one campsite that backed up to the creek and one that was inside the circle, but we were on the opposite side of the campground. One of our sites backed up to private property, we could see the house from the campsite. Nothing destroys the illusions of a camping trip more than thinking you're out in the woods but discovering you're really in someone's front yard. Our campsites were small and very close together, so we consolidated cooking into one site. That made for easier meals, easier unpacking and more fun. For daytime activities, we drove down the highway to Skilak Lake. Lots and lots of hiking and fishing opportunities there. We saw a bear beside the highway on our way back to the campground. Because it was Memorial Day weekend, the weather wasn't all that beautiful, which made it wonderful. No worries about bug bites or sunburns, no matter how deep into the woods we went. So no bugs made for fabulous hiking.

Pros: Close to amenities in Cooper Landing (including a latte stand), short drive to the Skilak Lake Recreation Area, small and relatively quiet. Across the highway from boat launch into the Kenai River. The sites at the back of the campground are the best, nice and big, backing up to wilderness. The campground host was a young college kid, very polite, who kept a nice campground.

Cons: Right on the highway, so daytime noise was high. Campsites are small and close together.

Nearby attractions: Cooper Landing, Kenai River, Skilak Lake Recreation Area, Russian River fishing area. Not being fishermen, we didn't take advantage of the proximity to the Kenai River. This would be a perfect campground for fishermen, since there is a boat launch right across the highway. Waking up really early one morning, I was delighted to be able to hop in the truck and drive a few minutes to one of the coffee stands in Cooper Landing for a latte. We all had mochas, lattes or hot chocolates with our campfire breakfasts. The town of Soldotna is close enough that we drove there for dinner.

While it's nice to have a campground that's out in the middle of nowhere, it really doesn't make that much difference. You spend most of your day away from camp enjoying the great outdoors, and you spend most of the night sleeping. As long as you have a safe place to lay your head and a secure fire ring to roast your marshmallows, the rest of the campground is just bonus anyway.