Yellowcake

Great Campground, close to visitor center with wonderful museum and nearby Portage Glacier Tour - a quick one hour $45 tour. Close to the tunnel to Whittier ($13 for cars roundtrip). Close to Girdwood for gas and CELL SERVICE. The sites are heavily wooded and each has a picnic table and a fire ring. Vault toilets and water faucets (not threaded) spaced around the campground. Lots of hiking nearby and options for fishing, glacier sightseeing, kayaking and jet skiing in Whittier (which by the way has amazing cell service - as soon as you exit the tunnel!). Unfortunately, the location of this campground (in the Portage Valley) subjects it to tons of rain, low clouds and subsequently limited views. Each time I drove to Girdwood - it was not raining. You leave the valley and the entire weather system changes. I hiked Portage Pass Trail, ate dinner in Whittier and then the whole town shut down around 6pm. I hear its a cruise ship port - maybe they time the shop hours to coincide with the ships. Tried twice to see the Bore Tides (best viewing is between Girdwood and Bird Point after a full moon) - but they did not appear as expected. Girdwood has laundry and showers and a great little mercantile (basically a mini Safeway) and reasonable prices. I hear there are lots of little shops and restaurants, I only saw a coffee shop and one restaurant. There are several hikes, but given the wet weather, they were muddy and slippery. Also you can hike to the top of Mount Alyeska, eat in the restaurant and take the tram back down for free. There were no views - so I didn't bother. I hiked the Blue Ice Trail and Byron Glacier Trail (both easy), and even with rain gear - was soaked. Trying to make the best of it and still get out and sightsee, but the dreary gray skies and bone chilling wet rain, permeated everything making the 56 degrees feel like 36 degrees. Had to run the generator twice a day just to keep the batteries topped off. A huge improvement would be to add cell service (Verizon) or Wi-Fi at the visitor center or the Lodge. It is difficult to plan and make reservations when you have to drive 15 miles to Girdwood for cell service. I had planned to stay 7 days, but left after 5 to camp at Quartz Creek Campground, about an hour west (where it was overcast, but NO rain). The $9 rate reflects the senior pass. The campground is only about 20% full, many sites had reservations - but were no shows - which didn't impact anyone trying to find a site as they have many FCFS to chose from. If not for the extreme weather and lack of cell service/wifi, this is a great place to stay!

The park is new and the owners work very hard, all day long, cleaning, raking, watering and clear cutting additional areas. It is definitely an oasis and is well maintained with wonderful flowering plants. They have an organic garden on one side and a resident donkey, named Princesa towards the back of the property. There is always someone there and they are extremely friendly and helpful. The circular entrance allows 8-10 campers to back in to sites along the perimeter of the campground. There is no dump station and the water is non-potable. Mostly camper vans, but my 28’ airstream fit beautifully under a shade tree with plenty of room to circle around and back in. There are two flush toilets and two showers - which have good water pressure and hot water . The outdoor sink area is cute and stays clean with tile flooring (and the stone floors of the showers are a nice touch). All are extremely clean and have lovely spa like touches. It’s the details that sneak up on you that are so wonderful. Several palapas, a central “living room” area, communal fire pits and decorative lighting at night that adds a little ambience without being so bright that it is annoying - and if it does bother you, there are light switches where you can turn them off! Walking distance to the Mission, Museum and Plaza with several restaurants and a couple shops. The hikes recommended by the tourist office were outdated and are now gated, so no views from the hill behind the campground. If you have a vehicle, it’s just over an hour to the cave paintings in San Francisco de la Sierra (will have to buy permit and photo permit in town at the museum, and pay the guide at the INAH office at the cave site. I paid about $35). The road is newly paved ALL the way to the cave and it’s a short hike up the stairs to see the paintings (faded, but the guide explains the details). The drive out is worth the trip. Multi day trips are available by mule. Also nearby is Las Tres Virgenes Volcano. A 30 minute drive and you can take your own 2-3 hour hike around the base of the volcano or opt for the 4-5 hour hike down in to the canyon for cave paintings, hot springs and gorgeous views. You must pay a guide and Oscar at the ranch is wonderful (and speaks English).