Soldotna Alaska camping options for those seeking a free camping spot near the Kenai River in or near Soldotna or Kenai Alaska.
Free Camping in Soldotna
Free Campgrounds in Soldotna, Well not to much to add to this section. While free camping areas are abundant throughout Alaska, this is not the case on the Kenai Peninsula. About the only exceptions are found in the parking lots of the mega businesses like Fred Meyer and Walmart.
Fred Meyer Parking Lot is one of the most popular free camping spots in Soldotna. All summer long there are loads of campers, trailers, motorhomes and campervans utilizing the parking provided by Fred Meyer. With gas, diesel, propane, a dump station, restaurants, shopping, fishing gear etc. Fred Meyer makes for a great budget friendly campsite when no hookups are desired.
As with all forms of outdoor adventuring on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, camping has gotten pretty expensive for many of the young families today. This is especially true in the Kenai Soldotna area where, in the month of July when the dipnetting is in full swing, just pitching a tent can run you what a motel use to run just a few years ago.
One of the greatest allures in Alaska use to be found in the abundant boondocking it offered. Boondocking, for those that don't speak the RVers language, refers to free camping without any services or utilities; likewise we use to just call it roughing it. The big advantages to boondocking come in the greatly reduced costs for those families living on a tight budget.
Free Camping near Kenai Alaska
There is the typical parking lot boondocking available in Soldotna Fred Meyer parking lot and then there is another open gravel area off Funny River Road on Airport Heights Street we see lots of folks boondocking in. Most of the folks we spoke with were Alaskans down from Anchorage or up as far away as Fairbanks. Also the large part of were military personal camping in tents in a grassy area along an old runway.