← Kenai Peninsula
Kenai & Russian Rivers
Cooper Landing and Soldotna — the heart of Kenai salmon country.
The Kenai River flows out of Kenai Lake at Cooper Landing, runs through Skilak Lake and winds west past Sterling and Soldotna to Cook Inlet. Its glacier-fed water is a striking milky turquoise, and it carries runs of king, sockeye, silver and pink salmon along with trophy rainbow trout and Dolly Varden.
Near Cooper Landing, the clear Russian River meets the Kenai at the famous confluence, where sockeye runs in June and July draw anglers shoulder to shoulder. Downstream, Soldotna is the commercial hub, with guides, drift boats and riverside lodges.
Highlights
- — Russian River confluence sockeye fishery
- — Drift-boat trips for rainbow trout
- — Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
- — Skilak Lake Road wildlife viewing
Getting there
Sterling Highway; Cooper Landing is about 1.75 hours from Anchorage, Soldotna about 2.5 hours.
Kenai Peninsula
