The Underrated River Trail In Alaska You'll Want To Hike Over And Over Again
By Catherine Armstrong|Published August 09, 2018
×
Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
Alaska’s wild, rugged beauty deserves to be explored, and one of the best ways for most of us to catch an up-close glimpse of Mother Nature is by taking a hike. Here’s a gorgeous trail that takes you along a river with some jaw-dropping views.
You'll find the Kenai River Trail near Skilak Lake. Take the Skilak Lake Road to the junction with the Sterling Highway. The trailhead is just a little more than a half mile from the junction.
The trail is 10 miles out and back, and considered moderately difficult. On the upper portion of the trail, you'll experience some elevation changes as you traverse the steep, rocky trail to the ridge of Kenai River Canyon.
...in other spots, you'll be stunned by the view in front of you, with steep canyon walls lining the river. The clear waters look aquamarine from up here, and you'll want to have a camera handy to capture this stunning vista.
You'll be surrounded by aspens both old and new. If you look carefully, you can see the traces of two wildfires - a large one in 1991, and a smaller one in 2004. You'll notice that the trees along this part of the trail are much younger, and are growing over the charred stumps and logs of the old fires.
As you get to the water's edge, it's a good time to enjoy a picnic or just sit and watch the river from its banks. You'll then return to the trail to hike it in reverse back to the trailhead.
Keep an eye out for bears along the trail. You'll likely run into signs of them, including scat, fish carcasses, and tufts of fur on bushes and trees. Make plenty of noise as you hike, and carry bear spray.
