The Kenai Peninsula in Alaska is known for its incredible beauty, hiking, and who can forget, salmon fishing! While most people opt to camp at the Russian River Campground to be close to the action, it can get pretty busy.
Just a short drive away (3 miles), however, is the more tame Cooper Creek Campground. It offers a more relaxing camping experience while still keeping you close to the fishing!
Below I’ll give you more details on what the campground has to offer to see if it’s a good fit for you.
Cooper Creek Campground Review
Cooper Creek Campground is a lesser-known campground in Cooper Landing, compared to the Russian River Campground.
Between the two, I would definitely prefer Cooper Creek Campground because it’s a more laid back site and offers good privacy between sites.
It’s a quick drive to the Russian River for salmon fishing from here. So unless you really want to camp within walking distance to Russian River fishing, I’d take a look at Cooper Creek Campground first.
Cooper Creek Campground has 29 campsites, with 7 located in the North portion of the campground and 22 located in the South portion of the campground.
We drove through the North portion of the campground in early August, and while it was full, it was pretty quiet given how close it is to the Stirling Highway. You definitely will get some road noise at both portions of the campground but the sound of the river drowns out a lot of the noise.
The North portion of Cooper Creek Campground is located right along the scenic Kenai River, with a couple of sites located right on the water (23, 24, and 29).
The South portion of Cooper Creek Campground is located on the other side of the highway, but is a quick walk to the river.
Please be bear aware of this campground. There are lots of bears in the area so it’s important (and required) to keep your food safely stored any time you are away from it.
The Forest Service issued an advisory to tent campers and those using soft-sided camping trailers
Fees
Sites cost $23 per night.
Cooper Creek Campground Campsites
The campground has really nice campsites that are well-maintained. Most of the sites have good privacy.
Campfires are allowed, as are pets as long as they are leashed.
Cooper Creek Campground Amenities
The campground has pit-toilet style outhouses. There are also food storage lockers that must be used if you can’t adequately secure food in your car or RV. There is also potable water from manual pumps.
Bear resistant trash containers are also available. Be sure to keep a clean camp because bears are everywhere in Alaska, and the wilderness is literally at the edge of the campground!
Cooper Creek Campground Reservations
Cooper Creek Campground is broken into two parts; North and South. The South campground accepts reservations through recreation.gov up to 6-months in advance (book early to get the best sites).
The North campground is first-come, first-serve and has a self-service pay station, so be sure to bring cash or checks. Many campgrounds in Alaska are switching to payment stations that accept credit cards, so this might change in the future. But as of 2024, it was still just cash or check.
When is Cooper Creek Campground Open
The campground is open from mid-May through early September, annually.
Where is Cooper Creek Campground Located
Cooper Creek Campground is located in the community of Cooper Landing, Alaska, along the Sterling Highway. From Anchorage, the campground is approximately 100 miles away, and the drive takes just under 2 hours.
Summary
If you’re looking to be close to all that the Kenai Peninsula has to offer, but you don’t want to feel suffocated, then give Cooper Creek Campground a shot. Be sure to book early though because summer is prime time for salmon fishing.
If it’s your first time camping in Alaska, be sure to check out my essential Alaskan camping gear list.
