Delta Junction Area State Parks Map
Facilities
Clearwater State Recreation Site, 10 miles east of Delta Junction, is a beautiful little campground with 17 campsites, a picnic area, water and toilets. The campground overlooks and has a boat launch on Delta Clearwater River, the largest spring-fed tributary of the Tanana River. From the campground the Delta Clearwater is a popular float trip while offering fishing opportunities for Arctic grayling, whitefish, and salmon. A boardwalk located along the river behind the campsites allows visitors to view sandhill cranes, swans, geese and other migratory birds in the spring or fall.
Located right in Delta Junction is Delta State Recreation Site, a popular campground for those traveling between Tok and Fairbanks. The small recreation area has 25 developed campsites, a picnic area, a covered picnic shelter, water and toilets and quick access to stores, commercial showers and other tourism services. A city airstrip next to the campground allows for fly-in camping while directly across the Richardson Highway is Delta River and spectacular views of the Alaska Range, including Mount Hayes.
Donnelly Creek State Recreation Site is 32 miles south of Delta Junction along the braided Delta River. The scenic recreation area has 12 campsites, toilets and water along with outstanding views of the Alaska Range. A variety of wildlife can often be spotted around the recreation site including moose, bear, porcupine, beaver, and snowshoe hare. Occasionally, caribou are sighted browsing in the area while the Delta bison herd can often be seen across the Delta River on their summer calving grounds.
Sixty miles south of Delta Junction off the Richardson Highway is Fielding Lake State Recreation Site, a scenic campground above treeline in the Alaska Range at an elevation of 2,973 feet. Because of the elevation, ice sometimes remains on the lake until July. This rustic campground has 17 sites and toilets while nearby is a public-use cabin that can be reserved in advance. There is also a boat launch as Fielding Lake offer fishing opportunities
for Arctic grayling, lake trout and burbot.
Bordering two lakes 10 miles north of Delta Junction is Quartz Lake State Recreation Area, offering a wide range of facilities. At Quartz Lake there are 16 campsites in the loop and 87 parking and camping sites in the parking lot development. Other facilities include two boat launches, a handicap accessible fishing dock, picnic sites, a picnic shelter, a swimming area, a beach volleyball court, water and toilets. At Lost Lake there are 12 campsites, a handicap accessible fishing dock, a picnic area, water and toilets.
Winding through the recreation area are five hiking trails that total almost 9 miles and provide access to views of the Tanana River Valley, Alaska Range, Shaw Creek Flats, Quartz and Lost Lakes, and Moose Pond. Quartz Lake also has two public-use cabins available and four ice huts anglers can rent in the winter for ice fishing. Other popular activities include snowmachining, dog mushing and skijoring.
Fees
There are nightly fees for camping at all five recreation areas as well as a daily parking fee at Quartz Lake State Recreation Area. There is also a boat launch fee at Quartz Lake State Recreation Area and Clearwater State Recreation Site and the public-use cabins and ice huts which can be reserved online through the parks reservation system (dnr.alaska.gov/parks/cabins).
Accessibility
All five recreation areas are accessible by road from Delta Junction. Clearwater State Recreation Site is reached by turning onto Clearwater Road at Mile 1415 of the Alaska Highway and driving 8.5 miles, or by turning onto Jack Warren Road at Mile 268 of the Richardson Highway and driving 11 miles.
Delta State Recreation Site is at Mile 267 of the Richardson Highway, Donnelly Creek State Recreation Site is 32 miles south of Delta Junction at Mile 238 and Fielding Lake State Recreation Site is 2 miles west of the Richardson Highway at Mile 200.5. Quartz Lake State Recreation Area is 10 miles north of Delta Junction and is reached by a 3-mile road at Mile 277.8 of the Richardson Highway.