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Entrance to Last Chance Campground
Entrance to Last Chance Campground
USFSTongass National Forest · Alaska

Last Chance Campground

Overview Last Chance Campground is located in the Ward Lake Recreation Area, 9 miles north of downtown Ketchikan and about 4 miles north of the State ferry terminal.
Sites18all reservable
Elev.213ft
Comf.Apr-Nov8 months
Max rig45 ft
Electricnonesites
From Fairbanks37h52real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27

At 213 ft, Last Chance Campground has a 8-month comfortable window (Apr-Nov). Winter nights average around 31°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 18 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Within about 4 miles: 8 peaks, lake or river access.

The campground at a glance

01 · CHARACTER
QuietCoolRoomyShadeRV-fitReserv.

Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.

Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.

When to go

02 · CLIMATE
JFMAMJJASOND
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · May
Apr-Nov
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
52%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Apr 7
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 31.
54°F
Average July low.

Getting there

03 · ACCESS
01
Fairbanks
1567 mi
37h52
02
Juneau
1315 mi
39h18
03
Anchorage
1683 mi
40h30
By drive time
Fairbanks · 37h52Juneau · 39h18Anchorage · 40h30Camp

Picking your site

04 · 18 SITES
Color byShow only

18 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.

0
Pull-thru
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
16
Accessible
0
Prime
18
Sites
★ The standout
Site 001
LAST · shaded.
To neighbor
147 ft
Max rig
30 ft
Type
Standard

What's within four miles

05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER

Trails & Peaks

Trail segments
188
Peaks
8

Water & Access

Lake / river access
yes
Method

We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.

Check availability on Recreation.gov →