★ Field-verified · Dave's ownPublic land
Ketchikan Gateway Borough
Drive-up · public land · Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK · 55.40890, -131.69954
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →Dave's been here. A spot from Dave's own travels on public land — free to camp. Conditions still change, so confirm access, stay limits and fire rules before you go.
A fee campground in Ketchikan. Not costly at $10. Very lovely forested area off of Ward Lake. Fire circles, picnic tables, vault toilet. This campground was a bit busy, and noisy, so although the setting was nice, a lot of traffic. One of the few options for camping around Ketchikan. Some cell service. Enough room for one or two vehicles. Sort of recommended.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 80 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery1 mi
- @Mail1 mi
- RxPharmacy4 mi
- +Urgent care4 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- HHardware4 mi
- WWater5 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 1 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Dump, Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
public land
Elevation
80 ft
County
Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK
Coordinates
55.40890, -131.69954
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSignal Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townWard Cove · ~1.0 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~5.0 mi
- FuelWestside Services · ~4.2 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesAlaska & Proud Market · ~3.6 mi
- PharmacyIsland Pharmacy · ~3.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicPeace Health Ketchikan Medical Ceneter · ~3.9 mi
- HardwareMetco Hardware · ~19.8 mi
From the field — what Dave saw, in person
Cell service
Had a signal
Getting there
Any vehicle managed it
Fire ring
Yes
Toilet on site
Yes
Tent friendly
Yes
Verdict
Recommended
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSigeidi Aas Hidi · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomSignal Creek · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomPerseverance · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomGrassy Point · at this camp · USFS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Last Chance Campground~1.6 mi
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough~3.8 mi
How we know this
Source
Dave's own travels
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
FIELD VERIFIED by Dave Lalande -- he has stood on this site. Coordinates are his own GPX track point, not a geocode. County and state confirmed against the FCC Census Block API (Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK). Everything under 'From the field' is a direct observation; nothing here is inferred from a land record.
Field check
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- How many rigs actually fit
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Finding water out here →Dumping grey & black →Cold-weather camping →Camping with a dog →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →