Best Time to Visit Alaska?

Discover the optimal month due to daylight, temperature, and rain

Best Way to See Alaska?

Cruises and land tours are great ways to see Alaska. Which one is right for you?

How Many Days Do You Need?

7-10 days is the most common. Find how many days you need based on what you want to see and do in Alaska.

How to Plan & Book?

Overwhelmed by choices? Let us simplify it for you

How Much Does an Alaska Vacation Cost?

How much does an Alaska summer vacation cost? Use our calculator to find out

What to Wear in Alaska?

Stay casual, dress in layers, and get proper footwear

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Off the Beaten Path

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Alaska Winter Tours & Activities

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Alaska RV, Motorhome & Campervan Rental

For most people, the main reason to rent an RV is the freedom. You’re in charge of where you go and how long you stay—no need to worry about booking and coordinating your hotel way ahead of time. Plus, your drives can be punctuated by stops to see the sights!

Whether you're an adventurous traveler seeking off-the-beaten-path destinations or someone who prefers a more agile experience, there are various sizes and styles of vehicles to suit your needs. From spacious 30-foot RVs capable of accommodating six people to compact campervans, the options are diverse. If you're looking to explore rugged roads, an overland vehicle with a rooftop tent is the perfect choice.

Renting is a pretty cost-effective way to see Alaska. Typically, a 14-day RV trip in Alaska costs less than trips involving airfares, car rentals, hotels, and restaurants.

Jump to see our list of recommended rental companies in Alaska.

Want to learn more about renting an RV? Read our guide below:

See the styles of RVs you can rent in Alaska! Choose from traditional motorhomes, campervans, or overland vehicles.

You don’t need a special license for the typical RV, and today’s vehicles come with automatic transmission, power brakes, and power steering. All that most people have to get the hang of, at first, is the length—and remembering that you can’t go through some shorter clearances, such as fast-food drive-thrus. Most RVs are pretty user-friendly: Just the push of a button will indicate what onboard may need attention. Still, be sure that you have the owner’s manual in hand before you head out, in case you need a cheat sheet on how to work the appliances, how to hook up the rig at a campsite, or how to fold out beds. Most rental companies will give you a thorough orientation before you drive off the lot, but make sure there’s someone you can call if you run into a problem.

“Class C” motorhomes are popular RV rental models, usually available in sizes ranging from 22 to 29 feet. Besides beds and seating, a Class C will have a stove, refrigerator, kitchen sink, hot-water heater, furnace and bathroom with toilet and shower. The size of your party is probably the best gauge of how big an RV you’ll want:

When you pick your operator or vehicle, think about how often you will want to stop (or not stop) at campgrounds. If your RV doesn’t have its own generator, you’ll need a “hook up” at campgrounds to make the appliances and lights work. Some companies have RVs that are powered by propane, double batteries, and a generator, so that you can stop anywhere for the night and still have all of your appliances humming along.

Many RV renters start in Anchorage and then head up to Fairbanks, stopping at Denali along the way, and then heading back south to the Kenai Peninsula. But a good operator can help you plot your own course, talking about driving distances and good places to stop. Check out our RV itinerary PDF for suggestions!

Companies will charge you based on a day rate or by the mile. If you’ve only come to Alaska to fish in Homer and do a few detours along the way, a mileage plan might be the best deal for you. But otherwise, look for unlimited mileage plans—they may be higher, but for most people they’re a better value. Paying $200 or $250 a day may sound steep, but you’d be paying that or more for any hotel during the summer, too. In your budgeting remember that you're responsible for things like gas, propane, and, of course, food.

Rental prices tend to increase during peak season and can decrease, perhaps by 20 percent, during the early and late part of the season—“early” meaning May (and sometimes even into June), and “late” usually being late August and early September. You can save even more during the winter, or by doing one-way trips that relocate RVs (sometimes to or from the Lower 48) for the company. February and March are usually the busy months for people to reserve their summer rentals, so book early enough, too.

Some companies will rent you extras for your trip, such as lawn chairs, fishing equipment or BBQs. But look out for any extra charges for things that are basic, such as linens, towels and kitchen utensils. Some companies even charge for those per person, which can add up fast on a family trip. Two other common extras: Insurance coverage (your car coverage won’t count on an RV) and cleaning up after you return the RV. Deposits are generally required to book an RV rental, but many companies have strict cancellation penalties, especially if you cancel within a month of your trip. Most companies charge for damages so before you leave the lot, so be sure to check the body, windshields, and inside conditions of the RV, so you don’t get stuck paying more than you expect.

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RV & Motorhome Rental

RV Rentals

Great Alaskan Holidays Motorhome & Camper Van Rentals

Explore Alas­ka at your own pace, with a guar­an­teed bed and meals when­ev­er you want them with a state-of-the-art…

Great Alaskan Holidays Motorhome & Camper Van Rentals

When you want to explore Alas­ka on your own timetable, with a guar­an­teed bed and meals any time of day, con­sid­er a trip in a state-of-the-art motorhome rent­ed from Great Alaskan Hol­i­days, Sales &  Ser­vice. They offer the largest selec­tion of spark­ly clean and well-main­tained motorhomes in Alas­ka, with great pric­ing and a no-fuss reser­va­tion and rental process. It’s the most con­ve­nient, flex­i­ble, and afford­able mode of inde­pen­dent trav­el in  ...more

Alaska Motorhome Rentals

Explore at your own pace, one-way rentals available

Alaska Motorhome Rentals

Alas­ka Motorhomes Rentals from Alas­ka Trav­el Adven­tures offers one-way rental options. See­ing Alas­ka by motorhome is dif­fer­ent than see­ing it by train, for exam­ple – so why not expe­ri­ence them both? If the thought of a long, round-trip jour­ney on the Al-Can keeps you from set­ting out on that amaz­ing adven­ture, how about dri­ving one way and fly­ing back? You can con­sid­er all these options when you rent one of the com­fort­able, easy-maneu­ver­ing C  ...more

ABC Motorhome & Car Rentals

Rent an RV from ABC and see Alas­ka at your own pace, dri­ving your­self around and stay­ing wher­ev­er you…

ABC Motorhome & Car Rentals

ABC ’s RVs are all 2016 or new­er, and com­plete­ly bat­tery- and propane-oper­at­ed. In addi­tion, this com­pa­ny is known for its spec­tac­u­lar cus­tomer ser­vice, which includes trans­fers to and from the air­port and a 24 -hour emer­gency assis­tance line. ABC also makes sure to include all the house­keep­ing items you will need onboard, from linens to uten­sils. And before you head down the road, they’ll give you a quick tuto­r­i­al to ensure that you begin your  ...more

Campervan Rentals

River Wild Alaska Campervan Rentals

Explore Alas­ka in a lux­u­ri­ous, easy-to-dri­ve camper­van that has been specif­i­cal­ly designed to take you into the wilderness.

River Wild Alaska Campervan Rentals

Adven­ture in a lux­u­ri­ous camper van on your own terms. No time­line. No agen­das. Pure free­dom. These camper vans were designed specif­i­cal­ly for Alaska’s wilder­ness by incor­po­rat­ing addi­tion­al insu­la­tion, gear stor­age, cab­in heat­ing, and all of the essen­tials for your adven­ture, in an easy-to-dri­ve Camper Van. Set off on your own, or work with Riv­er Wild to build a cus­tom itin­er­ary – includ­ing the high­lights as well as  ...more

Overlander Expedition Vehicles

Size of a regular SUV, easy to drive • 4 seat belts • rooftop tent sleeps 3-4 • cooler and camp stove store in back for outdoor camp kitchen setup

Alaska Overlander

Com­plete with rooftop tents that set up in min­utes, camp stove, and refrig­er­a­tor, Over­lan­ders are per­fect for explor­ing Alas­ka. Explore the Denali High­way, McCarthy Road, or Dal­ton High­way just as eas­i­ly as you can zip into towns like Homer, Tal­keet­na, or Fairbanks.

Cruise + RV Rental

Cruise + RV Packages • Cruise Alaska's Inside Passage, then pick up an RV and start exploring Alaska

Alaska Highway Cruises

This flex­i­ble and unique tour lets you take in some of Alaska’s most icon­ic high­lights in a vari­ety of ways. After your amaz­ing Hol­land Amer­i­ca cruise through the Inside Pas­sage, you’ll pick up an RV and start explor­ing Alas­ka. Itin­er­aries range from 11 – 29  days.

Expert Advice

Best Three-Day Camping Trips from Anchorage

You don’t have to go far from town for an amaz­ing 2 ‑night camp­ing trip.

Alaska's Best Campgrounds in Spring & Fall

Best camp­grounds in April &  May and Sep­tem­ber &  October

Be a Great Campground Neighbor in Alaska

How be a good camp­ground cit­i­zen on your next camp­ing trip

Alaska Campfire Tips

Long­time Alaskans love camp­fires — win­ter and sum­mer. And you will too!

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