Campground Review - Hotel Carmacks RV Park - Carmacks, Yukon Territory, Canada

Description

The Hotel Carmacks RV Park is a quiet campground just off the Klondike Highway at Carmacks, Yukon Territory, Canada. The park has scenic views of forested hills and the historic Yukon River. Amenities on site include a gas station, general store with groceries, lounge and restaurant. This campground is a convenient place to stop while traveling the Klondike Highway and a great base from which to explore the area.

Location

Hotel Carmacks
35607 North Klondike Hwy
Carmacks, YT Y0B 1C0, Canada
Park: +1 867-863-5221
Latitude: 62.089708 N, Longitude: -136.282224 W, Elevation: ~1,770 ft (539 m).

Details

We stayed for one night at the Hotel Carmacks RV Park in late May, 2018. This is a very basic, full service, and clean park. Due to the late spring the park had only been open about a week so spring maintenance and repairs were still underway. We changed sites due to an electrical issue on the first site. The staff was very understanding and helpful with addressing this issue.

Cost

For one night at a 30 amp full hookup pull-thru site we paid about $42(CN) per night. There were no fees for pets or an extra vehicle.

Ratings (1-5)

Accessibility – 3/5

The campground is accessible via paved 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 laundry, showers & washroom facilities seem to have few provisions for Universal access.

Facilities/Amenities – 3/5

This is a small campground with basic amenities, including full hookup sites, restrooms and showers, coin-op laundry, and pay WiFi. Dump service and water fill are available for a fee. Overflow dry camping is available if the RV sites are full. Facilities were clean and in reasonably good repair.

The hotel has a variety of rooms and cabins for rent. Amenities on site include a gas station, the Gold Panner Restaurant, Tatchun Centre General Store (includes groceries), and Gold Dust Lounge.

Site quality – 3/5

RV sites have full hookups, and grassy area with picnic table. Electric service is 50 amp for some sites, 30 amp for others. Sites are level gravel, with little separation between sites. The campground has back-in and pull-thru sites.

One thing we found very awkward on the pull thru sites was positioning of the shade trees and ornamental rock beds. We had to take extra care in how we parked our rig to avoid a slide-out from hitting the tree, as well as leaving room for deployment of our steps away from the rock bed. Even then, it was difficult to reach all hatches and walk around the rig without stumbling on the rocks. This is one area where the park could use a review and redesign.

Scenic Value – 4/5

The park has some shade trees and nice landscaping touches, as well as sweeping views of forested hills and the Yukon River.

Location/Isolation – 3/5

This is a quiet park with nice views of the Yukon River. The open layout of the park and closeness of sites does not lend to a feeling of isolation.

Paws Friendliness – 2/5

The campground is pet friendly, but does not have an enclosed pet run or cleanup bag stations. The park is small for walking your pet, but there is easy access to the waterfront boardwalk for longer walks. Be on alert for stray dogs in the area.

Overall Rating – 3/5

Overall, the Hotel Carmacks RV Park is a convenient place to stay while travelling the Klondike Highway between Whitehorse and Dawson City. We enjoyed our stay here and would return another time.

Additional info

Internet access

We received a weak cellular signal (3G?) at this campground – too weak or variable for reliable internet access. We did not use the campground WiFi.

Water Quality

The campground water tested hard.

Nearby Amenities

Several gas stations and restaurants, grocery store, gift shop, household goods and hardware are available in Carmacks. A wide range of grocery stores, restaurants, shopping, and RV and automotive services are available in Whitehorse, YT (109 miles / 177 km) or fewer options at Dawson City (219 miles / 355 km).