Attractions

The Soldotna Regional Sports Complex is a 2,000-seat multipurpose arena located in Soldotna, Alaska. The arena opened in 1983. It is the current home of the Kenai River Brown Bears of the North American Hockey League.

The complex offers an Olympic sized ice rink, racquetball and wallyball courts, and a conference suite (with kitchen) capable of seating 350 guests. The City's Parks + Recreation Department is also housed within the complex.

Kenai Fine Arts is an organization of

artists and supporters of Arts on the

Kenai Peninsula.

Looking for an area to gather and recreate?Kenai has 18 parks totaling over 200 acres.There are a variety of outdoor facilities and programs to meet your recreational needs, from skate boarding, disc golf, cross-country skiing, gardening, to ice skating and more. Several organizations such as Little League Baseball, the Kenai Peninsula Softball Association, and the Kenai Peninsula Hockey Association are active seasonally and use City of Kenai facilities, which are maintained by the Parks & Recreation Department.

Kenai City Beach, famous for its dipnetting during the Red Salmon Run between July 10 and 31. Resident's fish with homemade nets attached to long metal poles. 

The Kenai River meanders 12 miles through marshy flats on its final drift to the sea, creating an extensive estuarine community dominated by salt-tolerant alkali grasses and sedges. Several distinct habitats converge here. Elevated spots dry out to grow alders, willow and birch with dense white spruce forest along the edges. The slow-moving water holds invertebrates and fish, and the mud banks are a storehouse of food for birds. With a tidal range of more than 15 vertical feet, the river mouth mixes fresh and salt water into a rich soup that contains 31 families of worms, small invertebrates, crustaceans and fish. This environment eases the transition that salmon must make twice in their lives: from river to ocean and back again.

The Russian River is a 13-mile-long river on the Kenai Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska. It flows northward from Upper Russian Lake in the Kenai Mountains through Lower Russian Lake, draining into the Kenai River at the town of Cooper Landing. 

The road provides a long edge habitat with alders, and mixed white spruce and paper birch forest. The Pothole Lake Fire Overlook at milepost 2.5 offers a view of an 8,700-acre region swept by wildfire in 1991, now a vast slope of young alder and willow.

Cultural Connection

Lower and Upper Skilak Lake campgrounds provide popular boat launching sites for people fishing the inlet and outlet of the Kenai River. The road is well-traveled by fishermen and tourists to access fishing, campgrounds, trails, and wildlife viewing.

Viewing Tip

In summer, listen for the loud, whistled “quick—three beers!” song of olive-sided flycatchers at Rock Lake near milepost 6. In early spring, listen for the hoots of great horned owls.

Helpful Hints

To maximize your chances of seeing wildlife and avoiding traffic, drive the road slowly at 10 to 15 mph early in the day (before boaters start driving the road with trailers), or late in the evening. If you hike, go during daylight hours, with company, and be bear aware.

Getting There

Skilak Lake Road runs for 19 miles, with entrances at Sterling Highway mileposts 58 and 75.2.

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Contact Station at Sterling Highway milepost 57.8; stop for refuge information, June 10—August 15, 10am to 4pm daily.

The Kenai River is, without a doubt, the most popular dipnet fishery in Alaska. It hosts a hooligan run during the month of May, followed by a sockeye run that peaks during the month of July. The river is very accessible, with ample amenities for day-trippers or week-long campers. Nowhere else in Alaska offers the opportunity to enjoy fine dining at an Italian restaurant while the 200 pounds of sockeye fillets you caught that day are flash-freezing at a local fish processor. 

Kenai Lake is a large, "zig-zag" shaped lake on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. The lake forms the headwaters of the Kenai River, and is itself a destination for fishing and other outdoor activity.

Our Mission at the North Peninsula Recreation Area is to provide healthy year-round activities the entire family can enjoy!

Holy Assumption Orthodox Church, also known as Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, is a Russian Orthodox parish church in Kenai, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States.