We found the best private campground in Glennallen, AK. I’ve talked about the Alaskan private campgrounds how they are gravel parking lots, or sites crammed in so close together you are looking into your neighbors windows. Tolsona Wilderness CG is just what it says – wilderness. Each of the eighty-eight sites sits on the side of a lovely creek that curves through the very large park. It is about a mile off the road so no traffic noise. It has a nice laundry and wonderful showers that cost only a quarter. Best campground we have stayed in since we have gotten to Alaska.
So here is the tiny, bity downfall of the park. As we were checking in with a very nice older fellow, he asked if we knew about the mosquitoes. Yes, I had read in RV Review that there was mosquito issues in the park but heck we are from Minnesota so what are a few mosquitoes? This fellow said that they did have a few mosquitoes and those mosquitoes brought their brothers, sisters, cousin, grandparents, friends, second, third, fourth cousins, and their friends. You get the picture? We have never seen mosquitoes like this before. It was 41 degrees when we got up in the morning and the mosquitoes were swarming. The wind was blowing and we had a light rain, the mosquitoes were swarming. Minnesota mosquitoes are wimps compared to these Alaskan bugs. Fortunately we brought our screen house with so we could enjoy sitting by the creek and also sitting by a fire. We just couldn’t enjoy a walk. It was still the best CG in Alaska.
Before we got to Glennallen we had a nice short visit with my friend Wendy and her daughter, Theora in Palmer. The drive on the Glenn Highway between Palmer and Glennallen was spectacular. We always think that it can’t get any better but Alaska keeps surprising us. We stopped about half way between Palmer and Glennallen to take a walk on Matanuska Glacier. We could have stopped at Matanuska State Recreation Area and walked out to a platform and view the glacier from a distance or we could go to a privately owned business where you pay $15 a person (seniors) to explore the glacier. We decided to explore. After signing a two page waiver saying we wouldn’t sue them if we were injured or killed on the glacier we drove two miles on this terrible dirt road to get to the glaciers base. We walked through areas of rocks and then mud. We walked on ramps to cross over crevasses which were a little frightening for me but what was more frightening was jumping over the crevasses where there were no ramps and then watching Joe jump over crevasses that you couldn’t see a bottom. I went just so far, the chicken that I am, and Joe jumped over a few more crevasses to get better pictures. People were crawling all over the glacier. It was an experience but after an hour I was ready to get off the ice. Joe was ready too. Nice way to break up a drive.
We passed by Sheep Mountain keeping our eyes open for Dall sheep. The sheep are supposed to live around the mountain and like to lick the mountain sides because of the high mineral content. We didn’t see any sheep but the mountain was striking because it was so different from what we had been seeing. The views along this road kept changing from rivers to mountains to snow covered mountains to lakes with black spruce surrounding them. Beautiful drive and tomorrow we drive to Valdez which we are told is one of the most beautiful drives in Alaska. We can hardly wait.
Stay safe! Love to all.
What a wonderful world! (And those ten million mosquitoes know it)