Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula

In Anchorage, Alaska, we lean south toward the Kenai Peninsula for good reason. In darkest winter, that’s where the low-arcing sun hides, a dim orb taunting us from afar. But beginning each spring -- aah, spring -- that’s the direction we turn to find so many other wonderful things as well: fish and berries, trails and wildlife, a thousand secret places to walk or paddle or listen to the music of glacier-fed creeks splashing across rounded stones.

The migration begins every May, when I join other urbanites fleeing Alaska’s biggest city and drive along Turnagain Arm, the Kenai Peninsula’s northern boundary, to scout for proof of the thaw. The signs -- willow buds, an occasional bear track -- show up here first, on south-facing coastal trails. Across the Arm, high valleys sag under their eye-dazzling burden of snow, and the wrinkles of distant glaciers glow a brilliant turquoise. In the forest understory, a dozen shades of green spread and rise like the tide itself. The growing season is short, and the plants know it.

We know it too, and we can’t bear to waste time. By summer, we’re migrating to the campgrounds, rivers, beaches, and backcountry trails of the Kenai in droves, as explorers, prospectors and anglers have been doing for two and a half centuries. The first European seekers came looking for a Northwest Passage. It’s not here, of course, as the 18th century explorer Captain Cook realized after wearily “turning again” at the head of what we now call Turnagain Arm. Later, the Peninsula tantalized newcomers with promises of gold, trophy-sized fish, and solitude. Better luck with these three items: they’re still here to be found.

The Kenai’s easy access makes it an obvious destination for both Alaska residents and visitors. Ironically, though, easy access obscures just as many of the Peninsula’s finest attractions. Smooth highways and roadside espresso stands make it tempting to speed south until you find a crowded roadside spot where the fish are biting, or until you reach asphalt’s end, in the seaside towns of Seward and Homer. But by rushing, you miss out on the Kenai’s secret: The Peninsula is a microcosm of Alaska. Somewhere within its far-ranging boundaries you can get a taste of nearly every landscape and wildlife wonder our state has to offer. Not just fish and forest, but fjords, calving glaciers, ice fields and alpine tundra. Not just moose, but caribou, beluga whales, sea otters, seabirds and far more.

On the Peninsula, you can find Alaska’s past, as a wilderness first prized for its extractable resources, later appreciated as refuge for both animals and humans. You can meet its diverse people, including the descendants of Athabaskan, Alutiiq, Russian and pioneer settlers. On the Peninsula, you can see Alaska’s future, too. The Kenai offers a glimpse into what happens when people and wilderness exist side by side. (Anchorage, a city of over 260,000 residents, is just an hour’s drive away. Twice as many tourists visit the Peninsula each summer.) Fish, moose and brown bears thrive here, but not by happy accident. Anglers and hunters have recognized the Kenai as a wilderness worth protecting for nearly a century. Studies and conservation programs, especially aimed at salmon and brown bears, recognize the fine balance between trophy species and human crowds.

Kenai Peninsula At a Glance

Size: 9,000 square miles

High Point: 6,612 feet, Truuli Peak on the northwestern edge of Harding Ice Field.

Climate: Summers are cooler and winters are warmer than in Interior Alaska, and drier than in neighboring Prince William Sound. Summer daytime temperatures range from the high 40s to the low 70s (coolest along the southern coast, warmer inland). In winter, temperatures range from 30 below zero, to 30 above. The Kenai’s mountainous eastern half is wetter than the Cook Inlet-moderated western half; annual precipitation varies from 19 inches at Kenai, to 25 inches at Homer, and 67 inches at Seward. Wherever you go, a warm hat, fleece jacket, waterproof shell and waterproof boots will make your stay more comfortable.

Location/Access: The Kenai Peninsula is located in Southcentral Alaska, about 50 miles south of Anchorage. It is accessible by car along the Seward Highway, as well as by bus and train from Anchorage. Regularly scheduled air service is available from Anchorage to Kenai-Soldotna, Seward and Homer. The Alaska Railroad offers scenic summer rail service between Anchorage and Seward, along a 114-mile route that climbs mountain passes and skirts several glaciers.

Driving notes: Two major highways bisect the Kenai Peninsula. The 127-mile long Seward Highway, one of Alaska’s most scenic routes, connects Anchorage to Seward. Ninety miles south of Anchorage, the Sterling Highway branches off from the Seward Highway and continues for 143 miles to Homer. Both highways are open year-round, though avalanche activity can close the Seward Highway for short periods. On the Seward Highway, motorists must drive with headlights on at all times. On both highways, backups caused by slow vehicles are common. To look for roadside wildlife, stop at signed pull-outs and take a detour along the central Kenai’s Skilak Lake Loop Road, a restricted-hunting zone where animals are more frequently spotted.

Visitor Centers: The Begich-Boggs Visitor Center in Portage, en route to the Kenai Peninsula from Anchorage, is the state’s most-visited attraction, offering views of Portage Glacier, observation decks with spotting scopes, short interpretive trails, exhibits on glaciers and wildlife, and a theatre that runs films about Alaska’s famous ice. The Kenai Fjords National Park visitor center in Seward’s Small Boat Harbor has a good bookshop and can answer questions about the park. The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge visitor center in Soldotna offers maps and wildlife-watching brochures that will help you find your way around the less-used trails of the refuge. The Kenai Bicentennial Visitors Center offers brochures on local B&Bs, fishing charters, and other local attractions, as well art and historical exhibits. Soldotna has its own Kenai Peninsula Visitor Information Center, in the center of town on the Sterling Highway. On the highway leading into Homer you’ll find the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, with displays, a small theatre, and summer programs.

Bird-Watching: Shorebird lovers should consider coming to the Kenai in early May, when hundreds of thousands of migrating shorebirds descend on Kachemak Bay. June through August is the best time to see seabirds; boat-tour destinations include the Chiswell Islands, near Seward, and Kachemak Bay, near Homer. Good road-side birdwatching spots include Tern Lake at the junction of the Seward and Sterling Highways, Skilak Lake Loop Road near Cooper Landing, Warren Ames Bridge in Kenai, Anchor River Road in Anchor Point, and the Homer Spit. More than 200 bird species have been tallied in the Chugach National Forest.

Fishing: An Alaska fishing license, purchased easily from most grocery stores, gas stations and sporting goods shops, is required for all fishing. An additional king salmon fishing tag is required for those pursuing Alaska’s largest salmon species. Fishing opportunities include river fishing for salmon and rainbow trout, especially on the Kenai and Russian Rivers. Lakes in the Chugach National Forest and Kenai National Wildlife Refuge offer more secluded fishing for grayling, arctic char, lake trout, and rainbow trout. Deep-sea halibut charters depart from several Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay communities. The Seward Silver Salmon Derby (August), and the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby (May 1 to Labor Day) offer cash prizes to ticket-holders who catch the largest fish.
Contact Alaska Department of Fish and Game (907) 267-2898 for fishing updates and regulations.

Hunting: Licensed hunting is allowed on some Kenai Peninsula public lands. Species include caribou, moose, black bear, Dall sheep, mountain goat, and ptarmigan. Contact Alaska Department of Fish and Game for regulations.

Paddling: The 60-mile Swan Lake Route and the 80-mile Swanson River Route are both part of the popular Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Canoe Trail System, allowing canoeists to fish away from the crowds and spot more reclusive loons, bears, moose, and rarely, wolves. Sea kayakers can explore miles of coastline along Resurrection Bay and the south shore of Kachemak Bay, or can arrange remote drop-offs in Kenai Fjords National Park. Canoe and kayak rentals and guided sea kayaking tours are available throughout the Kenai.

River Rafting and Kayaking: Cooper Landing and Hope are the respective starting points for river rafters and kayakers wanting to join guided floats of the Kenai River (Class I-III) and Sixmile Creek (Class III-V).

Cruise Ship Tours: Large cruise ships dock in Seward. Smaller sightseeing boats depart daily in summer from Seward for half-day and day-long tours of Resurrection Bay and the Kenai Fjords. Sightseeing boats as well as water taxis depart Homer daily in summer for trips across Kachemak Bay.

Hiking and Mountaineering: The Kenai Peninsula has over 300 miles of developed hiking trails and many more backcountry paths. The 38-mile Resurrection Pass Trail is the Peninsula’s most popular multi-day hike through the Chugach National Forest. Linked with the Russian Lakes and Resurrection River trails, it is a 7- to 10-day trek from Hope to Exit Glacier near Seward. The 23-mile Johnson Pass Trail, once part of the Iditarod Trail from Seward, is another popular overnight hike in the Kenai Mountains. The 15-mile combined Primrose and Lost Lake trails, near Seward, offer good views of the alpine countryside. Kachemak Bay State Park, the Kenai National Wildife Refuge, and the Caines Head State Recreation Area near Seward all have their own diverse networks of trails. Kenai Fjords National Park, best visited by boat, has few developed trails, with the exception of the half-mile trail to the face of Exit Glacier, and a steep and snowy 5-mile (one-way) trail to the Harding Ice Field, at 3,500 feet. From trail’s end, well-equipped mountaineers can venture further onto the ice field.

Camping: The U.S Forest Service maintains backcountry campsites and over a dozen roadside campgrounds near Hope and along the Seward and Sterling highways. Those closest to the Kenai and Russian rivers fill early. Slightly less crowded are the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge campgrounds on the Skilak Lake Loop Road. The National Park Service operates a tent-only campground on the road to Exit Glacier. Kachemak Bay State Park has rustic tent sites. Seward, Homer, Kenai, Soldotna, Anchor Point, Ninilchik, Calm Gulch, Kasilof, and the Captain Cook State Recreation Area all have waterfront campgrounds and/or rustic campsites that tend to be mobbed during salmon runs, and quiet the rest of the summer. For more information, contact land agencies directly or visit the Alaska Public Lands Information Center in downtown Anchorage, 405 W. 4th Ave.

Copyright 2001 Andromeda Romano-Lax.
All rights reserved.

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