RV Park Proposed North of Trapper Creek

A private company is proposing an R-V Park, campground, and helipad in Denali State Park. The Ark at Denali R-V Resort Campground will be built on an 85-acre retired gravel pit just north of the Denali State Park South Viewpoint.

According to Mat-Su Borough Current Planner Peggy Horton, the property must apply for a Conditional Use Permit because it lies within the Denali State Park Special Land Use District, or SpUD. The development will regrade the gravel pit to protect it from further erosion. 

Horton says the developer intends to leave much of the vegetation to provide visual screening from the Parks Highway. And to protect the unnamed tributary to the Chulitna River that runs through the parcel. 

In addition to the proposed 40 R-V sites, there also are 14 duplex cabins, tent sites, and a convenience store. A third-party helicopter tour company is expected to use the proposed helipad. Though the helicopter tours will only operate mid-May through the end of September, the campground will stay open with dry sites year-round.

The Conditional Use Permit application will be introduced at this week’s Borough Planning Commission meeting. The Commission will discuss and vote on it at their December 16th public hearing.