here is the deal and its long!!!!!
this campground gets a bad rap. mostly from folks who are KOA kind, and ya should have made proper reservations is all I can say. but that's why you ended up at centennial . the talk of homeless folks seems irrelevant. the entire city has a huge homeless problem. I mean its everywhere. first for me and I've been in a lot of shady areas. the campground is mostly a nice campground. level spots. offers dry camping and electric sites for a very reasonable price if your needing convenient to anchorage area in the spur of the moment . we stated 4 nites with no issues,, but we also lock up. I appreciated the codes to get in the bathrooms for showers. not the cleanest but not the worst either. so do like old campers do and bring shower shoes. there is a onsite security guard that doesn't let folks in without a reservation. he does drive around. he also let everyone know they changed the bathroom code, and they do so every few days. keeps the place from becoming a homeless encampment again. we needed the amenities of anchorage. groceries, restocking, I needed shoes. lol and we had a train trip booked. no campers allowed in the train station parking lot. and there is a homeless encampment right on the hill beside it. not sure how that works. at least at the campground they have a bit of a hike to do anything. there they just have to walk down the hill. I think they are trying very hard to keep the campground safe and a place to stay for you if your traveling.
eagle river yes is up the road. but you'll need reservations. so pre planning is necessary. we are very much enjoying our leisure with limited reservations. to enjoy all alaska has to offer. .