Description

The Cottonwood RV Park is a lovely wilderness campground on the shores of Kluane Lake with the spectacular backdrop of the St. Elias Mountains. This family owned and run campground is big-rig friendly and has a range of sites, including partial service water and electric pull-thru sites, electric service lakeside sites, un-serviced lakeside RV and tent sites, as well as rental cabins. This park is a great place to stop along the ALCAN Highway, about half way between Whitehorse, YT, and Tok, AK.

Location

Cottonwood RV Park
1717 Alaska Hwy
Destruction Bay, YT Y0B 1H0, Canada
Park: +1 867-841-4066
Latitude: 61.088586 N, Longitude: -138.536452 W, Elevation: ~2,562 ft (781m)

Details

We stayed for two nights at the Cottonwood RV Park in late July of 2018, using it as a short break as we traveled down the Alaska-Canada Highway. This is a lovely, clean, and well-maintained wilderness campground with easy access to the ALCAN Highway. The scenery around the campground is just stunning. The campground owners and staff were friendly and helpful during our stay.

Cost

For two nights at a water and 15 amp electric pull-thru site, we paid about $40(US)/$45(CN) per night. There were no fees for pets or an extra vehicle.

Ratings (1-5)

Accessibility – 3/5

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

Facilities/Amenities – 3/5

This is a remote campground with basic amenities, including partial hookup water and 15 amp electric sites, 15 amp electric-only sites, dry RV and tent sites, rental cabins, RV dump station, restrooms and showers, mini golf course, and horseshoes. Water is potable and fill ups are available for those staying on un-serviced dry sites.

The park has a small convenience store with some groceries, household goods, camping supplies, souvenirs and tourist info for the local area. The park also a features a public phone, video lending library, and firewood sales. Facilities are clean and well maintained. Owners and staff were friendly and helpful.

Since this is a wilderness campground, the park generates its own electricity, providing 15 amp electrical on serviced sites. The power seemed fair, although there were several interruptions, low voltage and surge events during our stay. Anticipating such issues, we enabled our power inverter for seamless switching between shore and on-board (battery & solar) power. Also, as a matter of course at any campground, we use a surge protector to safe guard our rig’s electronics.

The park has no garbage service, so pack it in, pack it out. The park laundromat was not in operation during our visit.

There are many nice touches around the campground to make the park cheery and welcoming, including colorful flowerbeds, fresh paint, whimsical signs, rock gardens, and neat and tidy grounds. The park has a lovely beach along Kluane Lake.

Site quality – 3/5

The campground has pull-thru sites with partial hookup water and 15 amp electric service, lakeside back-in sites with 15 amp electric-only service, as well as un-serviced lakeside RV and tent sites. Sites are gravel and have a picnic table. Lakeside sites also have a fire ring. There is fair separation between sites, especially for the dispersed un-serviced RV and tent sites. Sites along the lakeside have shade trees, as do some of the pull-thru RV sites.

Scenic Value – 5/5

This forested campground is nicely landscaped and has stunning views of the St. Elias Mountains, Kluane Lake, and of mountains along the far shore. 

Location/Isolation – 5/5

This is a very remote site and feels very isolated. The park is miles from the nearest town, Destruction Bay. Although the campground is just off the ALCAN Highway, there is little road noise and the highway is not heavily traveled, especially at night. The location is simply stunning, with spectacular views of the St. Elias Mountains and of Kluane Lake.

Paws Friendliness – 5/5

The campground is pet friendly and has a designated pet relief area, but no enclosed run. The campground is large enough for a very nice walk with your pet. The campground beach is dog friendly and a great place for them to have a swim.

Caution – This is a bear country, so be alert for bears, keep your pet on leash and do not leave your pet unattended outside. 

Overall Rating – 4/5

Overall, the Cottonwood RV Park is a lovely campground with spectacular scenery and is a convenient place to stop when passing through the area. We enjoyed our stay here and would love to return another time.

Additional info

Internet access

We received a weak or intermittent 4G signal at this campground. The signal was too weak to establish a reliable internet connection. The campground provided free WiFi that was slow and only accessible from the office/patio area.

Water Quality

The water at this campground tested hard – we added our water softener to the water filtration stack.

Wind Advisory

Note: This area is prone to high winds. Be alert and don’t leave awnings or lose items unattended at the campsite. Plumes of blowing dust are often seen south of the campground where the Kaskawulsh River joins the lake.

Bear Advisory

Note: This is bear country. Be alert and do not leave food or trash out which might attract bears. Keep pets on leash and do not leave them unattended outside.

Nearby Amenities

A gas station, convenience store and restaurant is available near the campground in Destruction Bay, YT (16 miles/ 26 km). Grocery stores, restaurants, automotive and some RV services are nearby in Haines Junction, YT (50 miles / 80 km). A larger choice of services and shopping are available in Whitehorse, YT (145 miles / 234 km).

Nearby attractions

Here are a few local attractions and activities:

• Kluane Museum of History
• Kluane Lake
• Kluane National Park and Reserve
• Sheep Mountain Visitor Center
• Mt. Logan flight seeing tours
• Hiking, biking, ATV riding, fishing (lake trout & grayling)
• Kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding
• Wildlife viewing

Photos