Tangle Lakes Campground

Tangle Lakes Campground is a developed campground on the north side of the Denali Highway at milepost 21.5, set among a chain of long, narrow lakes. Keep it in the plan if you want a night by the water, a launch for boating or fishing, or a base for the Tangle Ridge Trail or a longer river trip. This is a place to settle into, not just a quick roadside stretch.

The Tangle Lakes link through the Tangle River and form the headwaters of the Delta River. The paved launch is the designated start of a 30-mile float on the Delta Wild and Scenic River; the takeout is north of Phelan Creek at milepost 212 on the Richardson Highway. That is a point-to-point trip, so arrange the takeout and transport before you launch.

An accessible path east of the boat-launch parking leads to an overlook above Round Tangle Lake. The non-motorized Tangle Ridge Trail also starts at the campground and reaches a 360-degree view across the surrounding country. The route distance and time aren't specified in the available trail details, so check a current map before treating it as a short walk.

The campground sits inside the 226,660-acre Tangle Lakes Archaeological District, where human use has been documented for more than 10,000 years. Interpretive panels at camp help explain the wider area; the archaeological story belongs to the district, not only to the campground. Moose and caribou are also found in the surrounding country.

There are vault toilets, two hand pumps for potable water, bear-proof food lockers, a picnic area and fire rings. The loops are flat, compacted gravel. Four walk-in sites sit about 25 to 30 yards from a smaller lot along wide gravel paths; the larger lot by the launch holds about a dozen vehicles.