Kenai / Soldotna Wildlife Viewing Spots

Thousands of sockeye salmon migrate up Hidden Creek each year in late July and early August. With salmon come bears to feed on them. As you drive through this area, you may be able to spot bears at the Skilak Road crossing of the creek near the Hidden Lake Campground turnoff. 

Let's go caribou-spotting on the wide open spaces at the mouth of the world-famous river system. This spot is one of your best bets for viewing these beautiful, stately beasts.

Stop off here during the summer for an eagle's eye view of an annual Alaskan fishing frenzy. We really love our salmon, and it shows! Or, just count the bald eagles circling high overhead.

Join us as we drift downstream through one of the world's most beautiful freshwater salmon fisheries, passing gravel bars left by a glacial flood, migrating salmon, brown bears, and human fishers as you float on by.

Savannah sparrows love to sing and hide in the grass. However, sometimes they will perch on a fence, small trees or brush piles in this estuarine area. Walk along the beach toward the Kasilof River and look at the large flats to your right. In addition to sparrows you will see arctic terns, numerous herring, mew gulls and migrating shorebirds in the spring and  More...

Not Steinbeck’s classic novel, but a fantastic adventure, communing with a 30,000-member herring gull colony. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience you won’t want to miss.

At the Soldotna dump you can sometimes see several hundred eagles at once. 

Want to see a soaring eagle up close? Stop at this site near the senior center and walk out toward the bluff – not too close as the bluff is eroding. Eagles play in the wind along the bluff. If not flying they can be seen on the mud flats at low tide-- looking for food that has washed downstream.

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This park is the confluence of the Kenai and Moose Rivers. Take a break at this recreation site named for the English author Izaak Walton who wrote The Compleat Angler. Look for the informational sign to learn about the Moose River Archaeological Site. You will also find a hosted campground and boat launch. There's excellent fly-fishing in this area.

Watson Lake is a shallow lake that is full of vegetation – just the right spot for dragonflies and other critters. Standing at the boat launch and camping area, look out across the lake for these large flying insects. Red-necked grebes, rusty blackbirds and loons are also found on the lake. Most lakes on the Kenai Peninsula can be a good spot for  More...

The wetlands where the Kenai Spur Highway crosses Beaver Creek are great for viewing moose in the early morning or late evening. Like most streams on the Kenai Peninsula, the streamside vegetation consists of willows- a favorite food of moose. Look to your right as you head toward Kenai and check out all the wetland areas for the next couple of miles.

Caribou can be seen anywhere on the Kenai River estuarine area but are more frequently seen on the east side of the Bridge Access Road. They have their calves here in the spring and feed the rest of the summer and fall. They are commonly seen but there are no guarantees with caribou.

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There is parking at the trailhead for passenger vehicles and one or two campers. The trail is half a mile long and takes you through a mature birch forest that is carpeted with devil's club and watermelon berry plants. It's an easy walking, ideal for small children, and ends at a small camping area on a slight bluff that overlooks Bishop's Beach and Bishop Creek. There is  More...

The Keen-Eye Nature Trail is .75 miles long through a wooded area with a side trail leading down to Headquarters Lake. The Centennial Trail provide an additional 1.9 mile loop through a wooded area with further opportunity to view wildlife in the area. There are three basic options on these refuge trails. First and easiest is the 0.3 mile (one way), "accessible with assistance,"  More...

This recreational site has a series of loop trails that pass two small lakes. Park in the parking lot and take the path to your left as you face the buildings; this will lead you to the trailhead. The trail is great for viewing woodland birds and loons on the lake. As evening approaches, look for bats flying over the lake feeding on insects. Bats are hard to see  More...

Stretch your legs here and check out one of the favorite rest stops for thousands of Kenai River salmon on their journey home. We’ll also seek out giant trumpeter swans, red-necked grebes, and of course, fishers of another species—humans. Here at the confluence, the two rivers reveal their source waters in a very clear visual demonstration.

Walk out to the boardwalks along the Kenai River, learn about riverine habitat and the salmon lifecycle, and witness the timeless dance of hunter and hunted, of fish and fisher. One year-round resident here will impress you with their winter survival skills.