Cooper Landing Area RV Parks & Campgrounds

Camp out at this qui­et, clear­wa­ter lake, along Ski­lak Lake Road in the Kenai Nation­al Wildlife Refuge, where glac­i­ers once stood over 2,000 feet tall. There’s oppor­tu­ni­ties for fish­ing (and a boat launch) and a pic­nic area along the shore. All camp­sites are avail­able on a first-come, first served basis. 

Prim­rose Land­ing Camp­ground, at Mile 17 of the Seward High­way near Kenai Lake, offers 8 wood­ed sites in Chugach Nation­al For­est. Man­aged by the U.S. For­est Ser­vice, it fea­tures vault toi­lets, fire rings, lake access, and a boat ramp. This peace­ful spot is per­fect for trout fish­ing, hik­ing the Prim­rose Trail to Lost Lake, or enjoy­ing Kenai Penin­su­la views, with Seward nearby.

Low­er Ohmer Lake Camp­ground, 75.3 miles off the Ster­ling High­way on Ski­lak Lake Road, offers 3 wood­ed sites on Alaska’s Kenai Penin­su­la. Man­aged by Alas­ka State Parks, it fea­tures vault toi­lets, lake access, and a rough boat launch. This qui­et, prim­i­tive camp­ground is ide­al for fish­ing Dol­ly Var­den and trout, pad­dling the lake, or enjoy­ing the Kenai wilder­ness near Sterling.

Russ­ian Riv­er Camp­ground, at Mile 54 of the Ster­ling High­way near Coop­er Land­ing, offers 83 wood­ed sites with access to the Russ­ian and Kenai Rivers. Man­aged by the U.S. For­est Ser­vice, it fea­tures vault toi­lets, fire rings, and spruce sur­round­ings for an angler-friend­ly stay. It’s a pop­u­lar base for salmon fish­ing, hik­ing to Russ­ian Riv­er Falls, or enjoy­ing the Kenai Peninsula’s scenic beauty.

Engi­neer Lake Camp­ground, along Ski­lak Lake Road near Ster­ling, offers 3 wood­ed sites on qui­et Engi­neer Lake shores. Man­aged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser­vice, it fea­tures vault toi­lets, fire pits, and lake access for a prim­i­tive stay. This seclud­ed retreat is ide­al for fish­ing Dol­ly Var­den and land­locked salmon, pad­dling, and enjoy­ing wilder­ness, with Ster­ling nearby.

Upper Ski­lak Lake Camp­ground, in the Kenai Nation­al Wildlife Refuge near Ster­ling, offers 26 wood­ed sites with water­front access. Man­aged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser­vice, it fea­tures vault toi­lets, fire rings, and views of Ski­lak Lake. It’s a peace­ful base for trout fish­ing, hik­ing the Ski­lak Loop trails, or enjoy­ing the refuge’s nat­ur­al beau­ty, with Ster­ling close by.

Coop­er Creek Camp­ground, at Mile 50.7 of the Ster­ling Hwy near Ster­ling, offers 26 camp­sites (3 tent-only) along Coop­er Creek in Chugach Nation­al For­est. Man­aged by the U.S. For­est Ser­vice, it’s sur­round­ed by spruce with access to the creek and Kenai Riv­er. With vault toi­lets and fire rings, it’s a peace­ful base for salmon fish­ing, hik­ing Res­ur­rec­tion Pass Trail, or explor­ing the Kenai Peninsula.

Find out how the sock­eye salmon in this lake ben­e­fit from the clear waters.

Quartz Creek camp­ground is sit­u­at­ed on the banks of sparkling Kenai Lake. This is a great spot to cool off on a hot day. Kenai Lake has a good sandy swim­ming beach and a trail that fol­lows along near­by Quartz Creek. Cast your line for some awe­some fly-fish­ing at the creek or look for the near­by horse sta­ble for a scenic ride. 

16 sites in a wood­ed set­ting. There’s a fam­i­ly friend­ly trail that leads to Ptarmi­gan Lake. It’s a sev­en mile round trip and you’ll see sheep and goats along the way. There’s also good trout and Dol­ly Var­den fish­ing, so bring your gear.

Kel­ly Lake Camp­ground, in the Kenai Nation­al Wildlife Refuge near Ster­ling, offers 4 open sites along the lake in a qui­et road­side set­ting. Man­aged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser­vice, it fea­tures fire rings, lake access, and a sim­ple, prim­i­tive atmos­phere. Campers can fish for trout, pad­dle a kayak or canoe, and enjoy the peace­ful soli­tude of the refuge, with Ster­ling close by.

Wat­son Lake Camp­ground, near Ster­ling in the Kenai Nation­al Wildlife Refuge, offers 40 wood­ed sites along the qui­et shores of Wat­son Lake. Man­aged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser­vice, it fea­tures lake access and fire rings for a peace­ful, prim­i­tive stay. It’s an ide­al base for fish­ing rain­bow trout, pad­dling a kayak or canoe, or enjoy­ing the soli­tude of the refuge, with Ster­ling close by.

Cres­cent Creek Camp­ground, near Coop­er Land­ing in Alaska’s Chugach Nation­al For­est, offers 9 tent-only sites along a scenic creek. Nes­tled among spruce and hem­lock, it fea­tures vault toi­lets, fire rings, and peace­ful creek­side access. Ide­al for fish­ing Dol­ly Var­den, hik­ing Cres­cent Creek Trail, or explor­ing the Kenai Penin­su­la, with Kenai Lake just a short dis­tance away.

Trail Riv­er Camp­ground, at Mile 24 of the Seward High­way near Moose Pass, offers 91 wood­ed sites in Chugach Nation­al For­est. With access to Kenai Lake and the Kenai Riv­er, it fea­tures vault toi­lets, fire rings, and a vol­ley­ball area. Sur­round­ed by spruce and moun­tains, it’s a scenic base for fish­ing, hik­ing, and enjoy­ing the Kenai Penin­su­la, with Seward a short dri­ve to the south.

Peter­son Lake Camp­ground, locat­ed along Ski­lak Lake Road near Ster­ling in the Kenai Nation­al Wildlife Refuge, offers 4 wood­ed sites beside the lake. Man­aged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser­vice, it pro­vides lake access, fire rings, and a qui­et, prim­i­tive stay. It’s a seclud­ed spot for trout fish­ing, float­plane watch­ing, or hik­ing refuge trails, with Sterling’s ser­vices a short dri­ve away.

Jean Lake Camp­ground, near Ster­ling in the Kenai Nation­al Wildlife Refuge, offers 3 qui­et camp­sites along Jean Lake off Swan­son Riv­er Road. Sur­round­ed by spruce and wet­lands, it has lake access but no for­mal ameni­ties. Campers can fish for trout, pad­dle the calm waters, or watch for wildlife like moose and loons, with the town of Sterling’s ser­vices just a short dri­ve away.

Bear-resis­tant lock­er and fire ring. Less than two miles from the east trail­head near Coop­er Lake.

2 camp­sites. bear resis­tant lock­er and fire rings. Sit­u­at­ed on the north shore of Upper Russ­ian Lake with views of lake and moun­tain skyline.

Bear-resis­tant lock­er and camp­fire ring. Less than a mile from Aspen Flats Cabin.

The six-room B&B, in a log build­ing, is strict­ly no-frills, but you’ll find clean, com­fort­able rooms with one dou­ble bed and one twin bed. While they may be basic, you won’t find more afford­able lodg­ing in the area — there’s even a con­ti­nen­tal break­fast. It’s the per­fect choice for hard­core fish­er­men and adven­tur­ers who want a warm, clean, afford­able room to return to in the evening. 

Few ameni­ties. Near sev­er­al small lakes.

Locat­ed near Russ­ian Riv­er Falls. Bear resis­tant lock­er and camp­fire ring.

Mile 5.86 Russ­ian Lakes Trail. In the for­est with few amenities.

Close to Bar­ber Cab­in, with bear-resis­tant lock­er, camp­fire ring and out­house access.