Description

The Chicken Gold Camp and Outpost, also known as Chicken RV Park and Campground, is a remote and rustic campground set amidst low forested mountains at the “Top of the World”. The park features displays of antique mining equipment, a historical gold dredge, facilities for gold panning and recreational mining, and a whimsical giant metal chicken. The park is an interesting place to stop while travelling the Taylor Highway / Top of the World Highway route or as a base to further explore the area.

Location

Chicken Gold Camp – Chicken RV Park & Campground
1/4 Mile Airport Rd
Chicken, AK 99732
Park: (907) 399-0005
Latitude: 64.069235 N, Longitude: -141.940284 W, Elevation: 1,677 ft (511 m)

Details

We stayed for 3 nights at Chicken Gold Camp in late May, 2018. We used this as an interesting stopover while travelling the Top of the World and Taylor Highways from Dawson City, Yukon Territory, to Tok, Alaska.

Campsite water and dump station were unavailable during our visit due to an unusually cold winter and late spring. The campground water pipes and RV dump station drain were still frozen in the ground, even in late May. We filled our fresh water tank at the office upon arrival in the park, but were not able to dump.

Cost

For 3 nights at a 30 amp electric-only (water pipes were still frozen) pull-thru site we paid about $40 per night, including tax. There were no fees for pets or an extra vehicle.

Ratings (1-5)

Accessibility – 4/5

The campground is accessible from the Taylor Highway via paved and gravel roads. Lanes in the campground are well-maintained gravel. The park has both pull-thru and back-in sites and can accommodate large rigs. The campground facilities have provisions for Universal access.

Facilities/Amenities – 3/5

The campground is rustic and offers basic amenities, including partial hookup water and electric (30 amp or 20 amp) sites, dry tent sites, RV dump station, chemical toilets, coin-op showers, and free WiFi. The park has water fill-up at the office for dry sites. Facilities were clean and in good repair.

The park’s camp store, the Chicken Creek Outpost, has amenities including: an internet café; a gift shop with native Alaskan art, products and handicrafts; Alaskan micro-brews and wine; an espresso bar; and a café with breakfast and lunch items, wood-fired pizza, ice cream and snacks.

The park has interesting displays of antique gold mining equipment; tours of the historical gold mining Pedro Dredge; and gold cleanup and panning facilities for recreational mining. The park also hosts the annual Chickenstock Music Festival.

Site quality – 3/5

RV sites have partial (water/electric) hookups, fire ring, and a picnic table. Electric service is 30/20 or 20 amp. Sites are gravel and have little separation between sites. The campground has back-in, pull-thru and tent sites.

Note: The park generates its electricity due to the remoteness of the area. Since we also have on-board power from solar and battery, we enabled our power inverter to smooth out any fluctuations or outages in campground power supply. As always, we use a surge protector to safeguard our RV electronics.

Scenic Value – 4/5

The park has dramatic vistas of rolling forested mountains and valleys. A whimsical giant metal chicken sculpture, signpost and historical gold mining Pedro Dredge add interest to the campground.

Location/Isolation – 4/5

Set amidst forested mountains, far from any major town, this quiet park feels very isolated. The closeness of sites detracts somewhat from the feeling of isolation.

Paws Friendliness – 4/5

The campground is pet friendly, but does not have an enclosed pet run or cleanup bag stations. The park is large enough for a decent walk with your pet.

Overall Rating – 4/5

Overall, the Chicken Gold Camp / Chicken RV Park and Campground is an interesting place to stay while traveling the Taylor and Top of the World Highways or just while exploring area. We enjoyed our stay here and would love to return another time.

Additional info

Internet access

There is no cellular phone signal at Chicken. The free campground WiFi service was slow and had intermittent outages.

Water Quality

We did not test the water at this campground.

Nearby Amenities

There are few services or amenities in Chicken – 2 restaurants, 2 gas stations with gas & diesel fuel, and a post office. Grocery stores, restaurants, shopping and some RV and automotive services are available in Tok, AK (77 miles) or Dawson City, YT (108 miles). More shopping and RV services are available in Fairbanks, AK (279 miles), Anchorage, AK (395 miles), or Whitehorse, YT (439 miles).

Nearby attractions

Here are a few local attractions and activities:

• Pedro Dredge No. 4
• Lost Chicken Hill
• Mosquito Fork Dredge – Overlook Trail & Hiking Trail
• Chickenstock Music Festival
• Chicken Gold Camp and Outpost – Museum, dredge tours, recreational mining & gold panning
• Historic Eagle, Alaska
• Top of the World Highway

Photos