“Nice Boondocking Area by the Glacier”
Glacier View City Park
The city of Valdez has done a great job providing this boondocking area for those of us that like to stay outside the city limits where it is less crowded. There are fire rings designating some spots. The area is quite large for big rigs which is always a plus for us. Plus it is less than 15 minutes to the city of Valdez.
If you want to see icebergs this is the place to go and if you have a kayak you can get up close to the icebergs. The lake sits at the terminus of the Valdez Glacier and is often home to chunks of ice floating around. It’s a nice place to get beautiful views of the Chugach Mountains and the Valdez Glacier which is receding with the warming climate.
Near the lake, it is much cooler than being in town so be prepared for it to be on the chilly side. If you want peace and quite though this isn’t the place, it looks very peaceful but the park is set near a quarry which runs all day.
The quarry didn’t so much bother us, it was the gun range just up the road. Target practice seemed to run up until at least 10 pm (didn’t happen every day). With Maggie being terrified of gunshots/popping noises she was nervous the week we were there. So if you have a dog that is scared of popping noise, I recommend not staying.
Nice and level gravel areas to park for up to 14 days. We went into town almost every day and visited the dog park which was awesome! Maggie loved it. We also drove down by the fish hatchery hoping to see wildlife. We were lucky enough to seals, otters, eagles, and a black bear.
Amenities/Activities
No services at this park. Only one picnic table was available. You need to be self-contained and bring water with you. There are services in the town of Valdez to dump and fill your tanks. There are a few fire rings scattered about.
This park sits in front of a mile-long glaciated lake. Towering icebergs and the Valdez Glacier face can be seen from there. Historical plaques are in place that explain the past history of the area. Kayaking is a big activity we saw many people kayaking to get up close to the icebergs.
We had a spectacular view of the icebergs and the Chugach Mountains and the Valdez Glacier. We wished we had kayaks, the water was way too cold for paddleboarding unless you have a wetsuit.
Would we stay again?
We probably wouldn’t with the gun range so close even though it didn’t bother us (didn’t happen every day). We would go into Valdez to stay since Maggie is terrified of loud noises. The campgrounds in Valdez were still packed in August when we were there.
Nightly Cost: $ FREE
Days Stayed: 14
Hookups: None – Dry Camping
Reservations: None
Pad Type: Gravel
Pets: Allowed on Leash
Cell Service: Yes, we used AT&T
GPS: 61.14868, -146.17207
You can find all of our Campground Reviews here on our 2019 Campground Reviews page along with a map of the places we have stayed.
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