Skilak Lake Road Map

Ken Tar­box is your guide to this area. Ken’s a retired fish­ery biol­o­gist for the Alas­ka Depart­ment of Fish and Game. He’s lived in the area for 32 years and would­n’t change a thing about it. 

This 18-mile-long loop grav­el road is the pre­mier wildlife-view­ing area on the Kenai Penin­su­la, and you’ll get spec­tac­u­lar views of lakes and glac­i­ers. Don’t for­get to stop and explore all the nature and wildlife around you! 

Find­ing your lost pup­py is prob­a­bly eas­i­er than this. Under­stand how refuge staff try to bring moose back to an area. It’s not as sim­ple as putting up posters.

Low­er Ski­lak Lake Camp­ground, in the Kenai Nation­al Wildlife Refuge near Ster­ling, offers 14 wood­ed sites with water­front access. Man­aged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser­vice, it fea­tures fire rings, a boat launch, and scenic lake views. This peace­ful camp­ground is per­fect for trout fish­ing, boat­ing, or enjoy­ing the refuge’s pris­tine wilder­ness, with Ster­ling just a short dri­ve away.

Check out this salmon-friend­ly habi­tat and learn why so many salmon spawn here annually. 

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.

The cab­in is locat­ed on the north shore of Engi­neer Lake. The cab­in is south fac­ing over­look­ing the lake sur­round­ed by spruce and birch trees. Two bunk beds, table with bench­es, wood stove, broom, shov­el, water buck­et, fire extin­guish­er, estab­lished camp­fire ring, and outhouse.

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.

See the small body of water to the right? This is the upper end of Hid­den Lake. Find out what nat­ur­al changes have occurred to it over time. 

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.

Out of ideas for what to do? Check out the log books at this cab­in to see who has stayed here and what they’ve done.

Cab­in in the Kenai Nation­al Wildlife Refuge. The trail­head to the cab­in is locat­ed on the Ski­lak Lake Road, mile 7.5 from the east entrance junc­tion with the Ster­ling High­way. The cab­in is locat­ed .2 miles from the road on the Upper Ohmer Lake Trail. 

If you need a moment to your­self, this lone­some lake is a great place to find qui­et soli­tude – and some excel­lent rain­bow trout fish­ing. But that’s not all it’s great for. 

Would­n’t it be nice to afford a sum­mer home one day? Well, most species of birds have both a sum­mer and win­ter home. Note which bird makes this lake its warm weath­er getaway. 

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. 

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. 

If you’re a bird watch­er, you’ll love this half-mile trail of Aspen and Spruce forest.

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

Hav­ing trou­ble being effi­cient with all your resources? You could prob­a­bly take a les­son from the ecosys­tem found here. 

This 18-mile-long loop grav­el road is the pre­mier wildlife-view­ing area on the Kenai Penin­su­la, and you’ll get spec­tac­u­lar views of lakes and glac­i­ers. Don’t for­get to stop and explore all the nature and wildlife around you!