Alaska is America’s final frontier land. Filled with 156 state parks, thousands of miles of untamed wilderness, and home of Denali, the highest peak in North America, the 49th state is the perfect site to see via recreational vehicle.
Anchorage, AK (Photo: AJC1 via Flickr/ CC BY-SA 2.0)
The stepping off point for most visits to Alaska is Anchorage, the state’s largest city with a population of 293,531 residents. Visitors to Anchorage enjoy the views from Old Glenn Highway Scenic Drive, Matanuska Glacier Scenic Drive, and Arctic Valley Road Scenic Drive. All make for a good day trip out of the city limits. A family could make the most of the drive with an RV rental. To help you find the best camper rental, we’ve selected what we consider the best RV rental agencies based in Anchorage. Here are our picks.
Outdoorsy
Outdoorsy is a peer-to-peer marketplace that invites RV owners to advertise and rent their vehicles to people needing a short-term RV. Vehicles come in multiple sizes and styles, from 2-person trailers to much more spacious vehicles that can sleep larger groups. One big advantage of booking an RV through a company like Outdoorsy is more affordable deals over other rental agencies. When we searched for RVs in Anchorage, we found many options available for pick-up across the area.
Among them was a 2007 Thor Hurricane, a pet friendly Class A unit with a slide-out for added comfort. The unit sleeps 6 comfortably and rents for $1,200 plus fees and insurance per week. Small is sometimes key in Alaska and a small RV rental is the perfect way to get around the state quickly and safely. We found a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4×4 camper van that sleeps two and offers a lot of convenience in a small package. Travel north of Fairbanks is prohibited by the owner and pick up and drop off can be arranged near the Anchorage airport for this rental costing $1,890 plus fees and insurance per week.
RV Share
Another RV sharing rental service is RVshare where owners can list their RVs and renters can search from locations throughout the US. The website offers a variety of tips, destination guides, and helpful articles dedicated to enjoying travel by recreation vehicle. When we searched for RVs in Anchorage, the results returned two choices. Both are perfect for those looking for a small RV rental.
Drivers love the ease of towing a pop-up trailer and today’s versions are easy and quick to set up and take down. Pop-ups make great facilities for park camping. A 2004 Jayco Qwest 10X sleeps six and rents for $85 per night. Also in Anchorage, but providing unit delivery to specific locations, a 2011 Jay Series Sport 8 sleeps six and rents for $75 per night.
ABC Motorhome Rentals
ABC Motorhome Rentals considers itself “the best way to see Alaska.” Based out of Anchorage, the company offers an entire fleet of motorhomes in many sizes and price ranges. Motorhome rentals range from $270 to $350 per night based on size. The largest rental is a 32 ft. bunk motorhome, which has enough room to sleep eight people. A slide-out provides extra room in this Class C vehicle.
For those who enjoy just the basics and are looking for a small camper rental ABC offers economy camper vans. The converted panel vans are equipped with a full-size foam mattress with sleeping bags, a propane stove, a grill, coolers, kitchen utensils, and a kitchen wash basin. The vans rent for $175 a night. Another local outfit, Alaska Travel Adventures, offers “standard” and “large” RV rentals May 1 through October 15 statewide. Prices vary throughout the season.