Established Camping
Quartz Creek Campground
About
National Forest
Chugach National Forest
Overview
Quartz Creek Campground is tucked between Kenai Lake and Quartz Creek in Cooper Landing, Alaska. Boating, hiking, nature-viewing and fishing are popular pastimes at this family-friendly campground, where most campsites offer sweeping views of the lake. At an elevation of 500 feet, the campground is relatively flat with small spruce trees dotting the area.
Recreation
Kenai Lake is the third largest lake in the Kenai Peninsula. It is over 20 miles long and 500 ft. deep. It boasts about 14,000 acres of water as well as one island the three remote campsites at Ship Creek, Meadow Creek and Porcupine Island. These can be reached by boat from the boat launch at Quartz Creek Campground. Fishing is also popular in the area. Rainbow, lake trout and Dolly Varden are found in Kenai Lake, with rainbow and Dolly Varden found in Quartz Creek later in the summer. About two miles east of Quartz Creek Campground, Kenai Lake becomes Kenai River. Kenai River is world-famous for its trophy trout fishing as well as salmon fishing. Rafting and drifting are both popular on the river. Many outfitters and guides in the area can help anglers understand local fishing regulations as well as increase your chances of fishing success. Kenai Lake and River, offer unparalleled nature and wildlife viewing. However, they are also very cold and conditions can quickly deteriorate from calm to rough. If you plan to venture on the water, always let someone know where you are, when you will return and wear your life jacket at all times.
Facilities
The campground provides a boat ramp to access the expansive lake. Quartz Creek offers 46 campsites for both tent and RV camping. Drinking water, flush toilets and picnic areas are provided at the campground. The west loop has parking spurs and firewood is sometimes sold on-site.
Natural Features
Chugach National Forest covers more than 5 million acres and is comprised of ice fields, alpine tundra, jagged mountains, dense forests, glacier-fed rivers and the Prince William Sound. Bears, moose, mountain goats and wolves call the area home.
Nearby Attractions
Quartz Creek Road leads to Crescent Creek Campground, Crescent Creek Trail and eventually becomes the Old Sterling Highway. The bridge over Quartz Creek is a great place to view salmon spawning from late July through September. The Crescent Creek Trail follows the creek for six miles to Crescent Lake where Crescent Lake Public Use Cabin can be reserved. Grayling fishing is popular in Crescent Lake. More adventurous hikers can continue on a primitive trail another eight miles along the lake to the Crescent Saddle Cabin. Beyond Crescent Lake, hikers traverse another three miles of beautiful alpine wildflower meadows and pass Carter Lake to end at the Seward Highway in Moose Pass. The Old Sterling Highway is open to motorized use, and great for OHV enthusiasts and wildlife viewers. It leads five miles through the woods above open marshy areas from Quartz Creek Road to the Tern Lake Day Use Area. Observant hikers may spot wood frogs, moose, hawks, owls and bears. The Tern Lake Day Use Area has picnic tables, vault toilets and a salmon viewing platform. Tern Lake is a premier spot for bird watching and photography. Throughout the summer arctic terns, trumpeter swans, and many types of ducks, wading birds and songbirds can be identified. This shallow, marshy lake often has a perfect reflection of the steep surrounding mountains making it a great spot to enjoy nature and wildlife. Other popular trails in the area include the Resurrection Pass Trail which takes hikers and bikers on a 38-mile scenic adventure that climbs from 500 to 2,600 feet.
contact_info
For local information, please call (907) 522-8368 or call (907) 288-3178 for general information.
Location
Quartz Creek Campground is located in Alaska
Directions
From Anchorage, Alaska, take Seward Highway to Sterling Highway south for 100 miles and turn onto Quartz Creek Road before reaching Kenai Lake.
Address
Seward Ranger District, 33599 Ranger Station Spur
Seward, AK 99664
Coordinates
60.4786111 N
149.7280556 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonFair
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
Features
For Campers
- Trash
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Alcohol
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
- Pull-Through Sites
- Big Rig Friendly
This place is beautiful, right on Kenai lake
Surrounded by mountains lays a long yet narrow lake, Kenai lake. It’s a glacial lake that has a beautiful green/blue hue. The water is cold, but it’s gorgeous here.
Sites right on the lake. Boat launch and day use available
This site has it all. Camping, day use and boat launch. We enjoyed our spot here even though we couldn’t get on right on the water so we spent most of our time in the day use area fishing. Picnic tables and fire pits at all sites
- (12) View All
Best RV site I've stayed in
Best RV site I've stayed in. Period. Site was great, plenty of space, the day use area was right in the lake, and good fishing within 20 minutes.
- (4) View All
Wonderful Campground for all
This USFS Campground is right off the highway at Kenai Lake near Coopers Landing. Easy access for most any size RVs or trailers, well spaced, improved, level sites with big wooden tables and metal fire pits with metal cooking grates. Water and very clean restrooms and locking trash cans throughout the 2 loops. There is a boat launch. One side has Quartz Creek running along it and another has lakefront campsites. There are first come, first served as well as reserved campsites. Some are single ($18) and some are doubles ($28) and there is a dump station. Salmon run up Quartz Creek and once they arrive the Bears will too. Very close to Coopers Landing and the Russian River. Lots of hiking, Mtn Biking trails, boating and fishing within very close distances as well as small stores, gas stations....
This is a great, quiet campground very close to many popular areas in Alaska. It is very busy once the Red Salmon arrive, esp fron mid July to mid August...
Great Stay on the Kenai Pennisula
We stayed for two nights in this campground on the edge of Kenai Lake and were very happy. Great fishing spots and a gorgeous view of the lake.
always reserved
was slightly disappointed in the way spots work. we tried to stay on the lake side but all spots were "reserved" but sat empty the entire weekend we were there. other than that the sites are clean open and set up well. each sites has its own picnic table and fire pit. there's two sides to this campground; the lake side or the creek side. I would recommend going online to reserve a spot on the lake if that's what you are going for. we camped on the creek side where it was less sunny and ridden with bugs. campground does have bathrooms with running water which in alaska is quite the amenity! there's also a hidden geocache so keep your eyes open
Quartz Creek
This National park is ONE of the cleanest campground we have found heading towards Kenai Ak. The view is on unbelivable.
- (4) View All
Gem on the lake
Quartz Creek Campground is a lovely little spot, situated between Quartz Creek and Kenai Lake. There are 45 spaces at this campground, so it's one of the larger ones. With easy access to Kenai Lake, it's easy to see why so many kayakers and canoers visit this area. We've fished for Dolly and Rainbows in the lake too. If you get tired of camp food, the Sunrise Lodge is on the highway at the turn-off for the campground. Hiking trails abound and for a challenge, take the Resurrection Pass Trail. I've only done about 15 miles before doubling back but it goes for about 39 miles. FYI, we had 3 vehicles parked in a spot and the camp host asked us to move one of them and pay for another site.
Great
This place was amazing for tent or trailers. We did a girls weekend here and some kyaking. Would be great for kids to