Primrose Campground, Chugach National Forest, Alaska

On our first full night in Alaska, Mountain Dad and I decided to set up camp at Primrose Campground in the Chugach National Forest, on the shores of Kenai Lake. Now, I know people warned me about the land of the midnight sun, but I really didn’t expect constant daylight to throw me off so much.

In the summer Alaska can get up to 22 hours of daylight in the summer (Fairbanks, summer solstice), so it’s relatively bright outside ALL THE TIME. That’d be great if I wasn’t so accostomed to sleeping in the dark. Sleeping in a tent without blackout curtains made bedtime feel like naptime, even with an eyemask. It made me focus more on how tired I felt, not on the external cues of darkness I hadn’t realized I needed. This must be how my kids feel at bedtime in the summer.

Primrose Campground is located the shores of Primrose Creek and Kenai Lake – a great base for a fishing adventure. People flock to the Kenai Peninsula to fish every year, for good reason. The annual salmon run attracts thousands of fish to their nursery waters, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Wildlife is a great resource for those looking for a good catch.

In addition to easy fishing access, Primrose Campground is the trailhead to Primrose Trail, a 15 mile backpacking hike that connects to Lost Lake Trail and a pristine mountain lake. The campground has 8 sites, no hookups and is within a short drive of Seward. It was a beautiful spot, and I would camp there again in a heartbeat, even if it doesn’t accept reservations.

Primrose Campground, Chugach National Forest
Getting There: Turn northwest at Mile 17 on the Seward Highway. Follow the shoreline of Kenai Lake 1.5 miles to the campground.
Amenities: Pit Toilets, Parking, Picnic Tables, Water, Boat Launch, Easy access to Primrose Trail, Primrose Creek and Kenai Lake
Tips: Bring a rain coat and mosquito repellant – even in the rain, the mosquitos were tenacious.