King For A Day Campground and Charters borders the edge of the Klutina River and the Richardson highway. Patrons may find that the campground is located in a forested area with two cabins and sixty-five sites. Of these sites, different options are available for each guest in regards to hookups, one of the main being full hookups, some including just electric, while others offer water hookups, and lastly, the option of no hookups is available as well. Charters are available to visitors for an extra fee, and equipment can be provided, but not food or clothing. Management enjoys getting to know the people that come, and oftentimes they try to interact with them throughout their stay. Different activities are available to guests outside of the property, such as hiking, ATVing, fishing, and tours.
King For A Day Campground And Charters is located in Copper Center, Alaska, and sits alongside the Klutina River and the Richardson highway. Sixty-five sites are spread throughout the six-acre campground, each of which may vary based on the types of hookups that are provided. Seven of the sites are all-inclusive, with hookups for water, electricity, and sewage. Twelve sites have just water and electrical hookups, while ten of the sites solely have an electrical hookup, and the other thirty-six sites do not offer any hookups. Every reservable space comes with a picnic table and fire pit, and a few of the sites also feature a view of the Klutina River. Potable water is available, and overnight guests are welcome to fill their RVs at the filling station and use the dump station located in front of the office.
Alongside the sixty-five sites, two cabins are situated on the property at the top part of the hill where King For A Day Campground and Charters is located. The names of the two cabins are Sockeye and Chinook. The Sockeye Cabin has two stories with four single beds upstairs. It is not recommended for small children or people who have difficulty using stairs. The Chinook Cabin is a single-story building with four single beds and a living area, all in one room. Both cabins can accommodate four people and include cold running water, a toilet, a couch, and a dining table with four chairs. Each Bed comes with sheets, a sleeping bag, and a pillow. Both kitchen areas are equipped with a mini fridge, coffee pot, microwave, pots, pans, cooking utensils, and dishes for four. Included with each cabin is a covered outside deck with a grill and a two-burner stovetop.
Patrons can use the on-site laundry and shower facilities in the main building. Showers are free of charge, and towels are provided by the campground. It should be noted that a five-dollar fee is required for access to the laundry facilities, with them being available at all times. Wi-Fi is also provided throughout the campground, but the owner has expressed that “the top of the campground is where the signal is strongest, and that guests will often connect to WiFi near the office and carry the connection down to the sites further away.”
A store is located in the main lodge of the campground. In this store, they have shirts and other souvenirs that patrons may purchase. Should visitors have the desire to fish on the Klutina River, and they don’t have any gear, they may purchase or rent the needed supplies on-site. As guests catch fish on the river and would like to store them, they can also purchase ice or rent space in the campground’s freezer for an additional fee.
Forests and the Klutina River surround the King For A Day Campground And Charters. The grounds of the property are not paved but have been cleared. A variety of different flowers grow on the acreage, with some of the vegetation being aspen trees, wild raspberries, wild roses, lupines, and the Forget-Me-Not flower. According to the owner, wild animals may occasionally be seen on the property, and there is a nearby eagle's nest. A hill divides the two parts of the campground, the top of which contains the office, cabins, and some of the RV sites, while everything else that the acreage provides can be found at the bottom of the hill.
Management of the King For A Day Campground hopes that the people staying at their campground have an enjoyable and relaxing experience. They also expect their patrons to follow certain rules and guidelines. With regards to pets, if a visitor brings a dog, they must make sure that the dog does not bark and is well-behaved, and the patron must pick up after their pet. Additionally, they ask that guests be respectful of others and the campground by sticking to the trails that have been made and keeping noise to a minimum during the night. Rocks on the banks of the river are not allowed to be removed. Smoking on the campground is allowed, but they ask smokers to be cautious of other visitors and not smoke around children. Some of the owner's favorite parts of being in charge of the campground are “getting to meet the wonderful people that come to stay and hearing the stories that they have to share, and just the privilege of being in such a beautiful wild place.”
Previous guests have left reviews of the property, one of which commented, “The campground has an awesome spot right on the river. Staff went out of their way to accommodate us, and were very kind. We chartered a fishing guide, they provided gear, and we caught four salmon. The campground is laid back, and the showers were great. We got to see bald eagles during our trip.” Another patron said, “Perfect place to fish, the staff was accommodating, and the scenery is incredible. Bird and river watching was incredible.”
King For A Day Campground strives to cater to everyone, specifically to those who take interest in fishing, and they offer charters along the Klutina River for an additional cost. One of the charters is the Bank Charter/Fishing Lesson, and it takes place right on the bank of the campground. The management recommends those new to Sockeye river fishing take this charter soon after arriving. All gear for fishing is provided, and the guide will fillet the fish that have been caught. The Bank Charter/Fishing Lesson lasts for three hours or when three Sockeye Salmon have been caught. King For A Day Campground will not do bank charters on days when the fishing is slow. They also have a Full Day Charter Excursion which is an all-day event that starts at eight o'clock in the morning with a twenty-five-mile ATV ride to the raft launch site. In preparation for the charter, King For A Day asks that each group bring their own lunch and snacks, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, sunglasses, a camera, rain gear, and clothing for hot and cold weather. There is a dry box on the raft to stow personal items. All equipment needed for fishing is provided, but personal gear can be used. A guide is present throughout the trip and will help individuals learn how and where to fish. Guests will arrive back at the campground, where the charter ends on the bank of King For A Day.
Some events hosted at the King For A Day Campground And Charters include an annual Fourth of July salmon barbeque and fireworks show over the Klutina River. As part of the barbeque, the campground will provide salmon, and guests are asked to bring a potluck dish to share. Additionally, the fireworks show does not end until all of the available fireworks have been exhausted. The owner has mentioned that patrons can continue to add to the fireworks pile throughout the night and that the show can last for many hours. However, they will not launch fireworks that the campground deems a fire hazard. Management of the campground has made the season of operation from Memorial Day to Labor day.
A variety of different activities are available to patrons outside of the property; some of those include but are not limited to hiking in the nearby Wrangle/Saint Elias National Park, traveling to the Valdez to take a tour of the glaciers, going on ATV’s excursions, and more. If a guest would like to go out to eat at a restaurant, the owner recommends Tosina River Lodge, Copper Center Grill, and Klutina Cakes Bed and Breakfast.
King For A Day Campground And Charters has been a part of the hospitality industry for twenty years. However, the current owners purchased the property in 2015. One of the owners has always enjoyed to fish and has wanted to own a fishing campground since they were young. The current owners discovered the campground as they were looking for properties to purchase. Once they found the property, they took one day to look at it, and shortly thereafter, they bought it. According to one of the owners, the property was previously owned by one of the universities in Alaska and was, at the time, used for research purposes. Afterward, it was converted into a campground and is still being operated as such today.
Since the purchase of King For A Day Campground And Charters, the current owners have been making improvements to the site. Some of the previous improvements were the addition of more amenities on some of the sites, as well as redoing the outside deck of the main lodge. In the future, they plan to convert one of their storage areas into a recreational room, and they hope to improve the overall quality of their on-property store by increasing its size.
100 Richardson Highway
Copper Center, Alaska 99573
United States
Campground
Skylar Shenk
