The Eagle Campround is a BLM-managed campsite in a remote area of central-eastern Alaska near the state's border with Canada. The campground takes its name from the nearby city of Eagle. It's an area steeped in history, and close to the campground are two BLM properties of significant historical importance: the Eagle Historic District National Historic Landmark and the Fort Egbert National Historic Site. The campground sits in a mountainous region on a bend of the Yukon River just south of the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. It's a superb location for combining outdoor recreation time with some cultural activities.
Fort Egbert and Eagle were developed during the Klondike gold rush era of the late nineteenth century. Eagle grew as a mining town and fur trading post while Fort Egbert was built to help keep law and order in an otherwise volatile and unruly community. Go RV camping at the Eagle Campground and you'll not only be able to experience a unique environment, but will also have the opportunity to hike interpretive trails while exploring the town and the fort. Float down the Yukon, go whitewater rafting on the Charley River or fish in either for some unusual species.
The stunning Alaskan landscapes around the Eagle Campground make fantastic photographic subjects and if you go at the right time of year, you'll catch images of the incredible Northern Lights lighting up the skies. Eagle is also a checkpoint in the Yukon Quest and seeing the dog sleds racing through is a once in a lifetime sight not to be missed.
Heading to the Eagle Campground in Alaska for an RV vacation is a trip that needs to be prepared with almost military precision. If you're planning on motoring all the way from somewhere in the US, it's a journey you won't be able to complete without passing through a couple of Canadian provinces, and you'll be on the road for several days. You may want to consider organizing overnight stop-offs in the North Cascades National Park or the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest in the north of Washington state before heading over the Canadian border.
If you don't have enough vacation days to make the mega-trip from the US to Alaska, it's worth considering the idea of flying into Anchorage and renting an RV there. It'll give you more time in Eagle to enjoy the amazing surroundings. While the drive from Anchorage to the Eagle Campground is still a hefty five hundred miles, it is definitely a super scenic one. During the ten and a half hours of motoring, you'll pass along the western border of the Wrangell St Elias National Park and Preserve and through the Tanana Valley State Forest. While the route follows the AK 1 and the Taylor Highway all the way, depending on the severity of the winter weather, expect seasonal road blockages from snowfall until the snow plows have been able to clear the roads.
The Eagle Campground is a small remote campground located by the side of the Yukon River in Alaska. The campground is a three-minute drive from the city of Eagle along Tractor Trail and Campground Road. It's a distance that can be easily walked in good weather in under twenty minutes. The Fort Egbert National Historic Site is also within walking distance of the campground and can be reached after a steady fifteen-minute stroll.
There are eighteen campsites at the Eagle Campground, all accessible for even very large RVs. However, drivers of large rigs should be aware that weather conditions during late fall and winter may make roads difficult to negotiate in longer vehicles or when towing a trailer.
The campsites at the Eagle Campground are distributed throughout an area wooded with tall and shady pine trees. All the pitches are dirt and grass surfaced. Each one is furnished with a picnic table and benches, fire ring and grill. There are no utility hook-ups or any on-site amenities. The campground operates on a first-come-first-served basis and is open all year round.
Before setting out to go hiking around the Eagle Campground, it's a good idea to stop off at the Eagle Visitor Center and submit a backcountry hiking plan. It's easy to get lost in the wild landscapes where there are no defined trails, though you may come across pathways forged by the passage of animals or an old roadway leading to a disused mine.
Carrying a map, compass, and plenty of supplies is recommended. Hiking is best enjoyed after the spring thaw and in the summertime when the temperatures are agreeable.
The incredible scenery around the Eagle Campground makes for stunning landscape shots. But for the most unforgettable photographic experience, the best time to go RV camping in Alaska is in late fall or early spring when the Northern Lights put in an appearance.
November through to January are also good times for snapping off amazing shots as the days are shorter. You just need to be able to handle a camera in freezing conditions and have some protective thermal gear to keep you warm.
The Eagle Campground is located right by the Yukon River. It's an unbeatable place to float a canoe or kayak and to paddle through some of the most majestic scenery in the world. The Charley River offers more challenging boating as it twists and turns varying in width from wide stretches to narrow, fast-flowing channels.
It's possible to navigate the Yukon in a motorized craft but Charley is strictly for kayakers and rafters.
Eagle was once the central hub for trading goods and purchasing supplies for the many miners who flocked to the area in search of riches. In the present day, the city is a tiny community with less than one hundred inhabitants, but one which still retains many features of its past history.
One of the best ways to see Eagle is to take a two-hour-long guided tour with a qualified local who knows the history inside out and can recount lots of interesting facts that might otherwise pass you by.
While Fort Egbert was abandoned as a military installment way back at the beginning of the 1900s, some of the original buildings still remain. Wander around the five existing buildings and you'll begin to wonder just what hardships their occupants had to endure.
Fort Egbert also operated as a Washington-Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System station until 1925 when the building housing it was destroyed in a fire.
The Yukon Quest is a one-thousand-mile dog sled race that takes place in February every year. The fifty competing sled teams start the race in Whitehorse, Yukon and run in stages until they reach Fairbanks in Alaska. It's a hard challenge which can take up to two weeks to complete. Eagle is the fourth checkpoint in the race and sees the dog teams arriving from Dawson City after completing over one hundred and forty miles.
