Kanai National Wildlife Refuge

This was my very first afternoon in Alaska. By myself just meandering around the state by car with a map in my lap. Alaska - what a limitless place of adventure. For those who end up following me, I have a things for places with bodies of water surrounded by towering peaks - so off I was to find something secluded. On the way I stumbled into some rather interesting folks, one of which joined me...

Slaughter Gulch Trail is a leg-busting 2600' ascent up Slaughter Mountain in Cooper Landing, Alaska. Covering only a few miles, the trail is steep and quite rocky in some places, requiring the use of trekking poles, all fours, or impeccable balance. Start off early at the small parking lot near the trailhead. This lot fills up quickly, and there's very little roadside parking. Unless absolutely...

I set off down the road towards “the lake I saw on the way in that was really blue”. From Seward, AK I knew that Kenai Lake was along State Highway 9, our only road out of town. It was deceiving to see the south end of the lake about 10 miles outside of Seward- but I found that the most accessible boat launch was about 50 miles away in Cooper Landing. I drove 37 miles from Seward to the Cooper ...

It's hard to fathom how massive some Alaskan glaciers can be. But spend a day hiking along one and you'll start to get an idea of how much ice there is in Alaska. The Exit Glacier is a small tongue of glacier from the Harding Ice Field that comes down to almost sea level.Drive the Exit Glacier Road just North of Seward to the Exit Glacier Nature Center in Kenai Fjords National Park. There are e...

None of Alaska’s eight national parks are easy to get to, but Kenai Fjords National Park is one of only three national parks in the state that can be accessed (partly) by road. It’s also the closest national park to Anchorage, which makes this an easier jaunt from the capital. While this park is the smallest of Alaska’s parks, it’s still the size of Yosemite National Park in California, so ther...

This is an easy drive with nice views.  On a clear day you can see across Kachemak Bay, showing off glaciers, mountains and Mount Augustine Volcano, a stratovolcano. Start at either West Hill Rd. or East Hill Rd.  Then turn left or right onto Skyline Dr.  Other recommendations in the area: We had a nice dinner at the Little Mermaid. Huge menu, but tiny restaurant, get a reservation. Two sisters...