Kenai
Peninsula Activities
Kenai
Peninsula
The
Kenai Peninsula offers a diverse number of activities for people of
all ages. Fishing certainly isn't the only thing to do here.
Rafting
on the Kenai Peninsula is quite diverse and can lead you to some of
the most remote, picturesque and challenging sections of its many wild
rivers. The most popular rafting trips include a white water rafting
trip on Six Mile Creek near Hope or a more leisurely float down the
upper Kenai River near Cooper Landing. For more information on these
trips, please see the following link:
http://www.novalaska.com/
Hiking
on the Kenai Peninsula is very popular and there are a number of well
established trails of varying degrees of difficulty. For specific
information on different trails and hiking locations, please see:
http://www.visitkenai.com/outdoors/trails.asp
http://alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/Activities/Hiking/hikekp.html
The
Kenai Fjords National Park is indeed one of the most popular of all
the Kenai Peninsula's spectacular sightseeing destinations. Accessible
via cruise ship from the port of Seward, this magical wonderland of
steep mountain fjords, calving tidewater glaciers and abundant sea life
is an awesome experience. For booking information and to see the different
cruise options, please see:
http://majormarine.com/
http://www.kenaifjords.com/
Canoe
rentals are available for the nearby Moose River or Swanson Lake trail
through a variety of local outfitters. Typically they have several
available and advance reservations are not required for a day trip.
If you are interested in an overnight or guided canoe trip , please
see:
http://www.alaska.net/~weigner/
A
variety of sea kayaking trips are available from three Kenai Peninsula
locations: Whittier, Seward and Homer. Please see the following links
for additional information:
Whittier:
Seward:
Homer:
Float
planes are not just handy for accessing remote fishing locations, they
are nice to just fly around in and command a bird's eye view of the
area. These tours vary in price according to the number of people
and the duration of the flight. Please contact the following flight
service for further details:
Here
is a brief description of the major towns on the peninsula to help you
develop your itinerary.
Seward:
A small fishing village on the east side of the peninsula with a resident
population of about 1500, Seward offers not only fishing, but excellent
wildlife tour boats that will take you the edge of glaciers that form
the Kenai Fjords. Here, you can watch glaciers calving into the ocean
as well as view diverse marine wildlife including several species of
whales, seals, mountain goats, an occasional bear. In addition, you
can view myriad species of birds like the amusing puffin that eats so
much fish in the rich Alaskan waters, they are unable to fly and instead
run on the surface of the water.
Approximately
8 miles from Seward by road is Exit Glacier. Here you can park within
1/2 mile of the glacier and take a short hike to get a closer view of
the blue ice that borders the edge of the Harding Ice Field. Exit Glacier
is one of the most rapidly receding glaciers in Alaska. As you drive
up the road you will notice signs with years marked. These signs indicate
where the edge of the glacier was during that year. You will be amazed
to see where the ice had been as little as 30 years ago.
The
Fourth of July is a big event in Seward as this is when the annual marathon
is held. This is an annual competition to see who can run up Mt. Marthon
faster. Seward also offers a marine aquarium and exhibit as well as
some quaint gift shops and restaurants.
Hope:
Hope is a little town that borders the Turnagain Arm at the mouth of
Ressurection Creek.. Once the center of the Alaskan gold rush,
today Hope is a quiet and quaint community with only several dozen permanent
residents. Ressurection Creek is know for its substantial run
of pink salmon, and today visitors are allowed to pan for gold in the
creek.
Soldotna:
Sister City to Kenai, Soldotna has a resident population of about 8000.
Soldotna offers dining, dancing, entertainment, gift shopping, fast
food restaurants, pizza parlors and shopping centers. We in Soldotna
certainly don't live in the boondocks, however there is an abundance
of wildlife in and around our town. Eagles, moose, and an occasional
bear will encroach within the limits of our city, even during the summer.
So don't be surprised if a moose happens to stop traffic on the main
highway or one of the side roads..
Kenai:
Kenai borders the lower Kenai River and has a resident population of
about 8000. Here you will find the airport, many large shopping centers,
Home Depot and K-Mart among other large stores. Many of the launch sites
we use for fishing the lower river are in Kenai.
Ninilchik:
Certainly worth of mention due to its unique character, Ninilchik maintains
the atmosphere of the Russians who named the town. A small river flows
through this tiny town, and several lucky anglers catch salmon from
the bank from this river. This Russian church make for a striking view
from the river.
Deep
Creek: Deep Creek is where many boats launch from the beach
with the assistance of tractors to fish the waters of Cook Inlet for
halibut. This can be a very busy place when the weather is favorable.
Homer:
Homer is called the halibut capitol of the world. We don't know if this
is actually true, but we can say that Homer is a popular spot for sport
and commercial fishermen alike. The Homer Spit has a boat harbor that
borders Kachemak Bay and a small saltwater lagoon called the Fishing Hole.
This pond is stocked with king and silver salmon as a "terminal"
fishery. Since the salmon have no river to spawn in, they simply swim
in circles in the pond and attracting many anglers.
For
those not interested in fishing, there are dozens of gift shops in Homer
that offer jewelry, furs, Native Alaskan carvings from tusks, whale
bones, wood and moose horns. There are also many restaurants ranging
from fish and chips shops to some nice but expensive restaurants such
as Land's End.
No
trip to Homer would be complete without a visit to the Salty Dog Saloon.
Once the first post office in Homer, the Salty Dog is now an historical
landmark with an atmosphere that must be seen to be believed. Dollar
bills cover the walls and ceilings, autographed and dated by the posters.
Read this article from the Seattle Times, Homer,
Alaska: the town at the end of the road
Seldovia:
Those wanting a little adventure can take a taxi boat across the Kachemak
Bay inlet to the little town of Seldovia. This area is not accessable
by road, only by boat and aircraft. Seldovia is a little art and fishing
community with character. It is certainly worth a visit to get away
from the busy roads during the summer.
