A Week on the Kenai Peninsula
Driving around the Kenai Peninsula visiting Homer, Tutka Bay, Kenai, Hatcher Pass, Spencer Glacier, Girdwood, and the Kenai Fjords
We flew into Anchorage and took a “Puddle Jumper” (small plane) down to Kenai.
Our first adventure was riding horses in the Homer backcountry with Mark of Trail’s End Horse Adventures.
Afterward we enjoyed drinks at Salty Dog Saloon and halibut fish and chips from Boardwalk Fish and Chips on the Homer Spit.
We arrived right as fishing season had started! We fished the Kenai River, catching our limit after just a couple hours (7 a day for locals, 3 a day for non-residents).
Our next adventure was to hike Russian River Falls in Cooper Landing. We met up with a local and learned about the fish weir, a fish trap placed within the channel of a stream intended to capture fish as they swim along with the current to count them to get a sense of how many fish are running during the season.
We drove north from Kenai up to Hatcher Pass and stayed at Hatcher Pass Lodge in incredibly picturesque cabins in the valley.
We loved the lodge’s sauna and creek dipping spot.
We explored the abandoned mine and climbed up the cliff to the nearby lake.
On our drive back to Kenai from Hatcher Pass, we stopped in Girdwood. Here we visited Alyeska to take the tram to the top of the mountain, took a short hike to a waterfall, and ate a fabulous meal at the Double Musky.
Our next adventure was a long journey. We drove from our home base in Kenai down to Homer. From there we took a water taxi across the bay to Tutka Bay. From there we walked up the hill with our gear to our yurt for the night. This was a trip highlight and boating around in the kayak we rented through the water taxi service was quite memorable.
Our next trip was a day trip on the Chugach Explorer to Whittier and on to Spencer Glacier.
Our final adventure was a boat tour of the Kenai Fjords. We drove from Kenai to Seward for an early morning departure with a great captain from Seward Ocean Excursions. Exploring the glaciers of Kenai Fjords National Park and spotting all the wildlife was incredible.
