Despite the horrific fire damage resulting from the 2019 Swann Lake Fire, Skilak Lake recreational…read morearea remains one of our family's favorite places to recharge. It's remote enough to unplug from the world (no cell.service in about 80% of this huge park) but close enough to basic services like toilet paper, gas and a latte if you REALLY need it that you won't freak out. There's an enormous variety of activities in the wonderful park, and the fire opened up huge fields of wild flowers and fungi that were previously much harder to access. In some places the fire damage is very very disturbing and sad, but if you like being alone, like me, and enjoy rebirth and photography, coming here can be a very beautiful and centering experience.

Stayed at the Kenai Riverside Campground / Bed & Breakfast in July 2014…read more The facilities were good, the rooms clean and the staff very friendly. All in all we were very happy with the accommodations. Every room had 2 beds - 1 queen and 1 twin with a shared bathroom, living space and dining area. The staff made breakfast each morning which consisted of muffins, bagels, toast, fruit, coffee, tea and juice. Certainly not elaborate but satisfactory for the $60 per night for 3. The campground has RV, Tent and Bed&Breakfast rooms. Its also located on the Kenai river and is about 5 minutes drive from the Russian/Kenai confluence. Considering your options in Cooper Landing. Kenai Riverside Campground is pretty nice and the staff go out of their way to help make your stay a good one.

Made reservations to stay at a tent site here last week. When we showed up it looked like there…read morewere a bunch of vehicles that had been parked there for a very long time... almost as if they were using some of their land as a vehicle storage lot. However, we were staying at the tent sites near the river, so we figured we'd be far enough away that it wouldn't matter. We checked in and the staff was very friendly. They told us which spot we'd be staying in, gave us a map, and made sure we knew where we were going. When we went to our assigned spot, there was nowhere to put a tent without sleeping tree roots or very rocky ground. It was also RIGHT next to a very dusty road. There were some other open tent spots, so we went back to the office to see if we could get a spot that was a little further from the dusty road and had a grassy area to pitch a tent. The staff offered their apologies but said that all the spots were reserved. We ended up going to the state run campground and lucked out finding a spot available there. Much nicer and even a few bucks cheaper than this place. The staff was nice and it is nice to be so close to the river, but I wouldn't recommend this place for tent campers. Might be alright for someone who is in an rv, but if you're looking for tent camping I would really recommend going someplace else.

Honestly, when we first pulled in I was bummed. I thought we'd hit a bad spot. Until we ventured in…read moreand realized the camp sites here back up to cooper creek, just a short jaunt from the sites. Super private, gorgeous, very Alaska. We loved it so much we went to our next stay and came back the following day to stay at the river side of the campground (warning - that side is first come, first serve so arrive before 11!). Bonus points - the host is amazing and no one cares if your dog is off leash.

There are several campgrounds located in Cooper Landing and the immediate vicinity. Apart from…read moreSkilak Lake Recreation Area, Cooper Creek Campground is my personal favorite because some of the spots overlook the water. It's sort of a strange set up because the campground is bisected in half by the main road that runs through Cooper Landing (hence the confusion regarding the North and South campgrounds.) They are ONE campground with one host. The sites on the South side overlook Cooper Creek and the sites on the North Side overlook the beautiful aquamarine shores of the Kenai River. Can you guess which side I prefer? Sites have picnic tables and fire pits. There's a total of 26 sites. Most of them can accommodate an RV, but this is an older campground with some erosion issues, so you need to be a good parker to stick the landing. Lol. I don't recall seeing any pull through sites. There's a dumpster, bear boxes, pit toilets, hand pump water and firewood for sale. You can not fish or launch a boat from any part of this campground. River access is very nearby in either direction. Bears are a real consideration, so one needs to plan accordingly. Reservations are absolutely necessary during fishing season.

A beautiful stay right on the river. Comfortable cabins and outstanding staff. Our guides Jon and…read moreAaron were amazing. Caught some beauties. Can't wait to go back!!

Amazing spot!!! Awesome customer service, very clean facilities and welcoming staff. They also have…read morea sauna, a common firepit area with lots of firewood. There are lots of marshmallows for the kids, they have breakfast as well. The cabin was cozy and clean. The views are AMAZING! You can do fishing trips from there as well as drafting. I cannot recommend this place enough! The cabin was right on the river with incredible views!!

Stopped in here to check it out with the thought of taking the ferry across to go fishing. The…read moreother side of the river didn't have much of a beach to speak of and we were a bit concerned about bears, so decided against it. The ferry was neat, but it seemed expensive.

Excellent service and friendly staff! It's a simple service, but consistent, comfortable, and they…read morelook to make the experience positive and meaningful.

Such an amazing group of people! From Katie who helped us plan with tons of emails, phone calls and…read moremuch patience, to all the staff, guides and drivers at both the Riverside Lodge and Glacier Lodge. We had a wonderful time at both lodges. The meals were awesome and the properties were impeccable.

This was hands down an excellent vacation! Every guide we had for hiking, rafting and fishing at…read moreKenai Riverside was excellent. Our group ranged in age from 18-84 and each guide kept us captivated and wanting to know more. The 18 year olds were reciting things they had learned throughout the remainder of our trip in Alaska. Rob was an amazing fishing guide for 3 days for the other part of our group. The most amazing part (for me) was the amazing food, especially the dinners. Everything was creative and so delicious. The cabins are comfortable with black out curtains. Sitting on the deck above river and relaxing was the perfect way to spend every evening. The only disappointment was that the sauna was broken during our visit. Guess we'll have to come back when it is repaired!

Two words come to mind when describing our experience: STRANDED and COMMUNICATION--or, more…read moreaccurately, the lack of it. My 14-year-old grandson and I had carefully planned and greatly anticipated this fishing trip. We arrived at the Cooper Landing office area two hours early, believing that was where our trip would begin. While waiting, we watched several groups meet guides, get into vans, and leave for their fishing destinations. Our email stated that we would be fishing "on the Kasilof River, about an hour from Cooper Landing." I understood that to mean we would be transported there--especially after watching other groups leave from the office in vans. At no point did I understand that we were expected to drive ourselves to an unspecified meeting location an hour away. The office was unlocked but unattended. When our departure time came and went, I called and spoke with someone I believe was named Dave. Rather than calmly addressing what was clearly a communication problem, he became defensive and scolded me, repeatedly insisting that I had received an email telling me where to meet. I tried several times to move the conversation away from assigning blame and toward finding a solution. Eventually, arrangements were made for us to drive to a specified location and join the trip. Once on the river, things improved considerably. Our guide was fairly inexperienced in the area, but very good. He worked extremely hard, and everyone in our boat caught their limit. He deserves considerable credit for turning a very disappointing beginning into an enjoyable fishing experience. Unfortunately, the disorganization returned at the end of the day. After reaching the takeout point, we expected transportation to be waiting. Instead, we stood in the cold rain for nearly two hours waiting for the truck to arrive. There was clearly a serious breakdown in communication and coordination. Our two fellow guests were also extremely unhappy and said they were considering canceling their trip scheduled for the following day. Bottom line: The fishing was excellent, and our guide was fairly inexperienced in the area, but very good. The communication, organization, and customer service were not. Mistakes and misunderstandings happen. What matters is how a business handles them. Customers should not be scolded when there is an obvious communication breakdown, nor should they be left standing in the cold rain for nearly two hours because transportation was poorly coordinated. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend this operation. There are other fishing guide services in the Cooper Landing and Kenai Peninsula area, and I would strongly encourage travelers to explore those alternatives. What should have been one of the highlights of an Alaska trip with my grandson was unnecessarily diminished by poor communication, disorganization, and disrespectful customer service.

Dave, the owner/operator of Cooper Landing Fishing Guide was the greatest find of our entire trip…read more We hired him for three days of fishing with our group and rented his amazing Main Cabin at Alaska Heavenly Lodge. My family had the trip of a lifetime! The cabin and property is gorgeous, well appointed, comfortable, affordable, quiet, quaint and in the perfect location. The days on the water fishing with Dave were INCREDIBLE! He is patient, kind, funny, engaging and has an amazing amount of institutional knowledge about fishing the Kenai Peninsula area. We were originally planning to fish for two days on the Kasilof River for Silver Salmon and then one day on the Kenai River fly fishing for trout. When the conditions were not up to his standards, he pivoted and changed the plan to make sure everyone in our group had the best experience possible. I will most definitely be back to fish with Dave again and stay at Alaska Heavenly Lodge and I highly recommend him for either your fishing adventure and/or lodging while in the Kenai Peninsula area.

I've been camping at Skilak for years and foolishly have always ignored this beautiful trail…read more Kenai River Trail is a little wonky because it has two Trail heads two miles apart, so depending on how you approach it, it can be an in an out hike or a loop. It's a bit confusing to explain, so check a map. There's been two fires that have wiped out the trees in 1991 and 2019, but make no mistake, The trail is extremely overgrown in some places and there's ALOT of bear activity due to its proximity to the salmon rich Kenai River. We hiked on a rainy cool day from the TH at .7 of Skilak Road in early August. The silvers were running so we took a detour to watch the fishermen for a while. There's prime views from this side of the river. There's tons of damage from the 2019 Swan Lake Fire, and the floral and fungal growth is really beautiful if you're into that sort of thing, I enjoy micro photography and contrasts and this trail is a gorgeous playground of colors. It runs along the Kenai River canyon- the aquamarine color is stunning from the height the trail is at. The trail is nicely sloped and not a difficult hike, but on wet slippery, rocky trail, there were a few places my partner and I were very glad we had our poles. When the trail started to get overgrown we turned around. Interesting, as soon as we did, we found fresh bear scat on the trail that wasn't there on our hike in. We high tailed it outta there. I definitely would like to hike this trail again in the fall maybe after we get a light dusting of snow and I'd like to try the other TH.