Kenai Camping Advice Needed

[wildcat33]

I'll be making my first trip up to Alaska this summer to the Kenai Peninsula area. Ill be up there for two weeks, the second week Ill be staying with a buddy, so that part of the trip is covered. However, for the first week my wife and I will be camping and fishing off the road system. We're flying in and renting a pickup, we will be tent camping, and our gear load is limited (50lbs each plus carry on).

Ive traveled, camped, hiked, explored pretty extensively in the mountain west of the lower 48. But AK is a totally new thing for me and I was hoping for some newb advice.

Bears/Guns/spray: Ive always carried while in the woods in the lower 48, for general reasons. I could pack my 40s&w loaded with hard cast 200gr. Is it worth the effort to fly with a firearm? Buy bear spray regardless? Most of my outdoor experience is in bear-lite areas and bears around have never bothered me. My instinct is to leave the piece and buy spray. However I want to double check I'm not under estimating the situation.

We plan to hit the Seward & Whittier areas and then head over to the west side. Any advice on good camping?

Any good ideas for random oddities of things to do like clamming, gold panning, hot springs, etc?

Late July/Early August: Should we expect camping/lodging to be crowded/booked in advance?

Im expecting rain and bugs, any other gear advice that may be overlooked?

 

[keller]

I will be their the same time.their are a lot of options out their state campgrounds, state dry cabins, private campgrounds cabins.i have been told those two weeks are the busiest of the year so book early.i booked camping at all seasons campground nilnichek they have showers and such.reasonably priced.i also have booked a halibut trip to get the dates I wanted.as far as pistol ive heard bear encounters on the peninsula don't happen oftern as they are used to people.but I'm going river fishing up north of anchorage and that guy told me to bring one and spray as well.
good luck john

 

[VernAK]

Seward and Whittier will be wet usually!

 

[handwerk]

In 2007 we camped with our 3 young kids on a 18 day trip starting the 1st week of August. I think you have a good start to your plan, we didn't seem to have much problems finding tent sites that time of year. The only rain days we had were in Homer, which worked fine as they have an awesome library, my kids love to read so we spent almost one whole day there. With the Milepost in hand you'll have a blast! I'd say just stay flexible with your plans.

 

[wildcat33]

I think you have a good start to your plan, we didn't seem to have much problems finding tent sites that time of year.

Good to know. Thanks! When I think summer crowds, I think summer in Colorado crowds. I can deal with busy, I just hope its not one of those things where you end up driving all over to find a place to camp.

 

[Mattt]

I would say 41 mag with a hot load to be minimum. Any less and 2 cans of spray may be better. If u see a bear ( not black) u will know why. As far as flying to ak with a firearm(pistol) I have had no trouble at all.

 

[Dexter Grayson]

Good to know. Thanks! When I think summer crowds, I think summer in Colorado crowds. I can deal with busy, I just hope its not one of those things where you end up driving all over to find a place to camp.

If all else fails you can camp in my back yard. But it will be seriously packed on the Kenai side until august 1, you should be good after that.

 

[wildcat33]

Thanks for the offer fella.

 

[Dexter Grayson]

Hit me up if y'all want to get away from the crowds to fish. I fish every day that time of year.

 

[Barnstormer]

Download TheAlaskaApp

As far as bringing a handgun for bear protection I wouldn't bother with a .40 S&W. I carry a Ruger Alaskan in .454 Casull 360 gr while fishing and flying.

Some guys carry a 10mm Gloch. The idea I suppose is to put a lot of holes in the bear. I love my 10mm Gloch but if I let it recoil upward (and not backward) it can jam while ejecting the shell. I figure if I'm being charged by a bear I don't want to worry about which direction my handgun recoils.

A 12ga shotgun with slugs would be excellent.

Bear spray. An upwind bear is more likely to be surprised by you then a downwind bear. And guess which way the bear spray is going when you are trying to spray upwind. You guessed it. And its rumored that some bears around here like spicy humans, especially ones with dinner bells. Besides any pilot with any sense will not allow you to have bear spray inside a plane, which of course means it shouldn't be inside a car, or truck, or bus, or... well you get the idea.

Last year we had more attacks from black bears then brown bears. Seems with some of the attacks the black bears were actually hunting the humans.

Best to just make lots of noise in bear country.

And be careful around moose. They look slow but they aren't. And they can be very protective of their young.

Sorry I can't really help with the camping info as I live here so have never camped here.

While you are in Seward definitely take a cruise to Aialik Glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park. On the way you might see some whales, and once at the glacier you'll get to watch it calve, especially if the sun is out. Staggeringly beautiful area. Seward has a decent aquarium also. Whittier is well, Whittier. An interesting side trip. Probably find yourself trying to find a secret WWII submarine base.

A drive to Homer is worth it. Go all the way out on the spit. Might even see Time Bandit if its in port.

June, July & August is what I call "Road Whale Season". Tons of motorhomes and campers. Watch out for moose. Hitting one of them with a vehicle is a little more interesting then hitting a deer. It is also combat fishing season. If you want to stay somewhere you'd better book now, as in today. A lot of places are already booked.

I haven't founds bugs to be much of a problem unless I go into the trees. Bullfrog Sunscreen/Mosquito repellent is what I use, but bring it with you cause you probably won't find it up here. I carry a full body bug suit in my plane just in case, but I don't go into the trees so have never needed it.

There is a gold pan tour out of Sterling where all the canoes are, but I don't know how good it is. I think there might be one out of Hope as well, but I'm not sure.

I've never clammed but we've got about 60 miles of sandy/muddy beach on the Kenai side and a lot of folks clam. Don't know the season so be sure and check that.

Lots of hiking trails all over the Peninsula. I don't hike because I fly a bush plane so I can't help you there.

The Kenai Peninsula is a beautiful place, I know you'll love your stay.

Download TheAlaskaApp

 

[wildcat33]

Barnstormer,
All the info is much appreciated.

 

[Bigtmiller]

No problem bringing a gun. I go every year and have had no issues. Remember in Alaska, if you are stopped by a police officer, you must immediately declare that you have a firearm in the car or on you. If you do not, and they find out you have one, you could be arrested. The kenai peninsula is a awesome place. You will love it.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I've RV camped on the Kenai Peninsula the past 9 years. Camping Spots with electricity can be harder to find than primitive sites. Some of the good public fishing spots also can be difficult to get a spot especially on the weekends. But really finding a site is not that hard.

It's awesome. You'll love it.

I bring a 44 Magnum with a chest holster. Because going up that many years in a row I did not want to buy bear spray every time as I can't fly with it. But if I was only going once I would probably leave the 40 caliber at home and just buy a can of bear spray. In my opinion a 40 caliber is just not big enough. A 44 magnum minimum.
DA

 

[AK Shane]

Skip the pistol, you'll be fine without it. I wouldn't worry much about bear spray either unless you plan on getting off the beaten path.

Campgrounds will be packed on the weekends so on Fridays make sur your there early in the afternoon to get a spot. Mid week you shouldn't have any trouble.

Whittier was built by the military at it's location partly because its weather was constantly clouded in hiding it from enemy aircraft. That should give you a good idea what to expect from Whittier weather. 5 miles away the weather may be blue bird. If the weather is good you can go through the tunnel and hike the Portage Pass trail for a good view of the glacier.

The last week of July or first of August the Russian River will be loading up with salmon. The upper Kenai River will be better fishing than the lower. Rainbow fishing should be good everywhere. If you want to try some fishing that most visitors miss try for grayling at Fuller, Carter or Crescent Lakes.

Watch for Beluga whales when driving along Turnagain Arm. Also sheep. When you're driving through the mountains on the upper Kenai and stop for pictures, pull out the binos, you're bound to find a couple black bear.

 

[AK Shane]

Check out recreation.gov and search Kenai. You can reserve spots at a lot of the Kenai campgrounds if you want reserve a spot for a weekend.

 

[wildcat33]

Advocate,
Copy that. Im not under any delusions that 40sw is proper bear medicine. Whether I bring a pistol or not will probably just come down to how heavy my bag is when Im getting ready. Weight to spare, pistol comes. I'm also thinking about bringing a spotter, soo... that plus waders, fishing gear, tent, etc etc. Im used to having a full truck of all the gear I could want, it will be hard to pare it down.

Campgrounds will be packed on the weekends so on Fridays make sur your there early in the afternoon to get a spot. Mid week you shouldn't have any trouble.

Whittier was built by the military at it's location partly because its weather was constantly clouded in hiding it from enemy aircraft. That should give you a good idea what to expect from Whittier weather. 5 miles away the weather may be blue bird. If the weather is good you can go through the tunnel and hike the Portage Pass trail for a good view of the glacier.

The last week of July or first of August the Russian River will be loading up with salmon. The upper Kenai River will be better fishing than the lower. Rainbow fishing should be good everywhere. If you want to try some fishing that most visitors miss try for grayling at Fuller, Carter or Crescent Lakes.

Watch for Beluga whales when driving along Turnagain Arm. Also sheep. When you're driving through the mountains on the upper Kenai and stop for pictures, pull out the binos, you're bound to find a couple black bear.

Thanks for the tips dude. We fly in on thursday so we'll take that advice and post up somewhere for the weekend. I like to avoid the kind of places that have power and RVs, so we may just look for a sandy beach or wildcamp somewhere. Also, fishing tips much appreciated. Would be great to get into some salmon.