Susan in Anchorage....question

Hi Susan,
I am looking for a good hike on the Kenai Peninsula. Something with a
great view at the end and some nice waterfalls. Any ideas?
I am planning on rafting at six-mile but Nova said it is too soon to
tell what water levels will be like in September. So I need a good
back-up plan.

Sean,

Okay, headed to the Forest Services web site and found you one for the
Seward Ranger District so if you click on this
http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/chugach/seward/rec/ then go into the Maintained
Trails this will get you all the trails close to where you will raft
with Nova. Hope/Seward area, really about an hour, an hour and a half
from town. It will also show you the cabins you can hike into and the
campgrounds available. Cabins require reservations, not sure about all
the camp sites.

Can't really say about waterfalls, a lot depends on the snowpack left,
etc. We even get them along the Seward Highway going down the Turnagain
arm.

I've hiked the Russian River trail to one of the cabins and that one
paralled the canyon for a while. Have friends that have done the
Resurrection Pass a number of times. They've also done Crescent Lake
and have enjoyed that.

You can check out the State link
http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/aktrails/ats.htm and look at Anchorage
and the Kenai.

This should give you a start.

Susan



Sean wrote:

Hi Susan,
I am looking for a good hike on the Kenai Peninsula. Something with a
great view at the end and some nice waterfalls. Any ideas?
I am planning on rafting at six-mile but Nova said it is too soon to
tell what water levels will be like in September. So I need a good
back-up plan.

Thanks Susan!
I appreciate the feedback. I did some searching on the web and found
some interesting trails near Shilak Lake. I also found Primrose Trail
near Seward that has Porcupine Creek Falls 3 miles in from the start.

I am going to check all the links now...thanks!

Check the links and they were very helpful!

Sean,

Glad I could help!

Susan

Sean wrote:
Check the links and they were very helpful!

AkSusan wrote:
Sean,

Glad I could help!

Susan

Sean wrote:
Check the links and they were very helpful!


Hey Susan, its me again.
I am looking at trails in the Skilak lake area. If you hear anyones
experience with that area, could you pass it along to me?

Also isn't there a nice waterfall along the Russian Trail that you
took?

Thanks for your help,

Sean

oops, I also meant to ask if ther are good vistas of the mountains
along the Russian Lakes trail? I will be picking up a car in Seward
after my cruise at 10 am and returning it at the airport at 10 pm, so I
am looking for a good day hike.

Something combining a good waterfall and great vistas would be perfect!
I am extemely healthy so somewhat difficult would be ok. Also, maybe I
could do two shorter ones.....one for the waterfall and one for the
view.

Sean

Sean,

I've been to the Skilak area, the lake but never have hiked and most
everyone I know has down Crescent Lake or the Resurrection Pass.

To tell you the truth I can't remember a waterfall on the Russian Trail
but I do remember that it wasn't a very strenous trail even carrying our
packs in. You know got to carry that wine in and the empties out :-}

We also did one in Seward once headed to Caines Head but not that far
and even though it wasn't a very long hike it did have a 500 foot
elevation change in the first mile.

Susan

Sean wrote:

AkSusan wrote:

Sean,

Glad I could help!

Susan

Sean wrote:

Check the links and they were very helpful!



Hey Susan, its me again.
I am looking at trails in the Skilak lake area. If you hear anyones
experience with that area, could you pass it along to me?

Also isn't there a nice waterfall along the Russian Trail that you
took?

Thanks for your help,

Sean

Sean,

Now Skilak is not off the Seward Highway but I think somewhere about 50
or so miles (guessing off the top of my head right now) off the Seward
onto the Sterling.

If I were you I'd try and stay at ones along the Seward Highway - just
looked at the one link again and this is one that you might enjoy
http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/chugach/sew...rails/hope.htm

It will give you the view I think you want but not sure about
waterfalls. Guess it's not something I really think about when we are
hiking. The only places I can think off of the top of my head are ones
around Valdez, which you can't get to in the time you have or north of
Anchorage about 35 miles is Thunderbird Falls - No 5 on this list
http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/uni...ach/trails.htm

Now if you came back and come closer to town there are all kinds of
hikes that overlook Turnagain Arm
http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/uni...h/turnagan.htm

Please remember to to factor in accidents on the highway. They don't
happen all the time but if they did they can close the highways for
hours. Last July 4th a friend got stuff for 2 hours just sitting.

Susan

Sean wrote:

oops, I also meant to ask if ther are good vistas of the mountains
along the Russian Lakes trail? I will be picking up a car in Seward
after my cruise at 10 am and returning it at the airport at 10 pm, so I
am looking for a good day hike.

Something combining a good waterfall and great vistas would be perfect!
I am extemely healthy so somewhat difficult would be ok. Also, maybe I
could do two shorter ones.....one for the waterfall and one for the
view.

Sean

Hope Point is a good possibilty. I stayed overnight in Hope and then
took six-mile the next day a couple of years ago. My best friend was
with me and I have fond memories of that place and we both really
enjoyed Hope. Recently my friend passed away with throat cancer and it
may make me too sad to go back there. (But I will do the river run
again if conditions are right).

I do remember the mountains being awesomely beautiful along Sterling
highway, so that is a possibility.

I think I just came to a decision. Its going to be the Russian Lakes
Trail. It says it has "panoramic views of mountains" and that is
something I really want.

Thanks for all your help, Susan