A gravel road curving into a high mountain valley at first light, the peaks catching the sun.

Forest Service campground

Harris River Campground

Forest Service campground in Tongass National Forest, Prince of Wales-Hyder County, Alaska. 278 feet. 10.1 miles from Craig.

Managed by
Forest Service Tongass National Forest
Elevation
278 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
14 8 standard non-electric, 6 tent only non-electric
Longest rig
74 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

Harris River Campground is located on Prince of Wales Island on a paved highway just 10 miles from the Hollis Ferry Terminal and 20 miles from the Craig/Klawock area. Visitors enjoy hiking, fishing and viewing abundant wildlife.

Recreation

Hiking, fishing and wildlife viewing are popular activities. The Harris River Trail and the Twentymile Spur Trail both pass along the Harris River. The latter ends at a set of beaver ponds.

A short boardwalk trail dissects the campground to offer campers a close-up view of a muskeg habitat without getting their feet wet. A bridge and short path across the Harris River connect the campground to the Harris River Picnic Area.

About two miles east of the campground is the Harris River Interpretive Trail, which provides information about recent river restoration work and habitat management experiments.

Facilities

The campground offers accessible campsites, each equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring. Accessible pit toilets and trash collection are provided. No hookups are available.

Natural Features

The campground is situated along the Harris River, a short drive from hiking trails and fishing outposts, within the Tongass National Forest, which covers nearly 17 million acres in southeast Alaska and is the largest forest in the national forest system.

The Tongass surrounds the Inside Passage, the network of waterways that buffers the jagged Alaskan Coast and a cluster of coastal islands. The Tongass offers visitors a chance to view wildlife, including eagles, bears and spawning salmon. Expansive vistas of fjords, glaciers and mountain peaks abound. Much of the forest is a temperate rain forest.

Nearby Attractions

The One Duck Trail was originally constructed by the Youth Conservation Corps in the mid-1980's. The trail offers a challenging hike and spectacular views of the Harris River watershed award those who complete it.

Prince of Wales Island offers boat rentals, fishing supplies and other conveniences a short drive away.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • boating
  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • wildlife viewing

The land around Harris River Campground

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.