Kenai Travel Guide
COMPARE PRICES on all Kenai Hotels
Compare prices and availibility on major travel sites with one click
COMPARE PRICES on all Flights to Kenai
Compare prices and availibility on major travel sites with one click
These towns resemble the highway frontage development of shopping malls and fast-food franchises on the outskirts of any western U.S. town, but do have a claim to fame: The largest sport-caught king salmon in the world, almost 100 pounds, came from the Kenai River. The Kenai's kings run so large there's a different trophy class for the river -- everywhere else in the state, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will certify a 50-pounder as a trophy, but on the Kenai it has to be at least 75 pounds. That's because kings in the 60-pound class -- with enough wild muscle to fight ferociously for hours -- are just too common here. Anglers prepared to pay for a charter will be in their element on the river when the fish are running hot. Catching a big king is not easy or quick, however, and success rates vary greatly year-to-year and week-to-week.
Those not interested in fishing will find less than a day's sightseeing in these towns. Instead, use the towns as a base for the outdoors. Kenai has a strangely beautiful ocean beach and the Kenai River mouth, with exceptional bird-watching during migrations. Beyond the towns, you'll find a wealth of outdoor activities, primarily in the lake-dotted Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, which has its headquarters in Soldotna. The refuge is covered in the next section.
Kenai came into being with the arrival of the Russians at the mouth of the Kenai River more than 200 years ago, but it came into its own only with the discovery of oil on the peninsula in 1957. Today its economy relies on oil, commercial fishing, and, to a smaller extent, tourism. Soldotna, a smaller, newer, and less attractive town, is the borough seat and the primary destination for anglers. Sterling is just a wide place in the road -- incredibly wide, as a matter of fact (no one is quite able to explain why such a small town needs such a big road).
