Where to Stay in Eagle River

Immerse your­self in the Alaskan lifestyle by rent­ing this sophis­ti­cat­ed home with mag­nif­i­cent views in the foothills of Chugach State Park, just a 25-minute dri­ve from Anchorage.

New in 2016, Dol­ly Var­den Cab­in offers the same recre­ation oppor­tu­ni­ties that you’d find while car camp­ing in the Eklut­na Camp­ground, but you sleep inside an insu­lat­ed with a wood-burn­ing stove and loads of space. Aimed at peo­ple who might want to expe­ri­ence the pad­dling, bik­ing, hik­ing and climb­ing pos­si­bil­i­ties of the stun­ning Eklut­na Val­ley, but don’t want to ​“rough it” or chop wood for heating.

Along a his­toric trav­el route that dates to the Gold Rush era, these four pub­lic use facil­i­ties offer peo­ple a flat walk to a seclud­ed river­ine wilder­ness only an hour walk from a trail­head that’s an easy dri­ve from town. Man­aged by the Eagle Riv­er Nature Cen­ter, the three yurts and one cab­in are per­fect those who want to hike and explore the Eagle Riv­er cor­ri­dor, known both for its wildlife — bald eagles, brown and black bear, moose — and  ...more

Long pop­u­lar with fam­i­lies who seek a wilder­ness-like set­ting with­out leav­ing the urban area, the place has a rep­u­ta­tion for clean­li­ness and seren­i­ty. But you have to make peace with the riv­er: it is loud. 57 camp­sites are nes­tled along three wood­ed lanes and the inter­est­ing grav­el bars of Eagle Riv­er are nev­er more than a few min­utes’ walk away.