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.

Fishing at the confluence of the Kenai and Russian Rivers for sockeye is one of the hot spots for…read morefishing on the peninsula. Just about a 2 to 2.5 hour drive from Anchorage will get you here to the ferry and campgrounds, just a little bit past Cooper Landing and Kenai Lake. Day-use parking has an $11 fee and overnight RV parking is $18 last I checked. If you get there early for the 6am opening, there's a lot just before the campground turnoff where it's free. The ferry is suspended from a long cable and operated by staff. Round trip price per person is $9.50. You don't have to fish on that side of the river, but your luck will increase if you do. You can take over food, beverages, chairs, and such, but you need to make sure you keep all your belongings with you and your fish right next to you. I had a great time fishing here, and hope I do it again soon before the season's out!

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.

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.

It doesn't get any better than this. If you want a memorable, fun experience while also learning to…read moreimprove your skills this is the place to go. We took our family on a guide down the Kenai with this company. We required three guides due to the size of our group. We were lucky to get to know Mike, Mike and Jeff. I specifically was in the boat with Mike (Evans perhaps is his last name?). He has such a magnetic personality and kept the trip so enjoyable. He also knew the river well and so many fishing tips. He gave us such positive criticism and truly wanted us to be successful. You cannot go wrong by booking with this group. They made this the highlight of our trip -- and we did a lot of things while in Alaska! It makes me want to stay in touch. We kind of bonded! Thanks so much guys!!!

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.

If you're looking for an amazing fishing experience in Alaska look no further. Five dogs fishing…read moreexceeded our fishing expectations and created such an amazing experience for us. They provided high quality waders and boots (Simms and Patagonia) to make sure we would be comfortable on the river. They really do more than "put you in boat", with high level knowledge of the area we left early to get to a good fishing spot where the salmon were running. Dallin was our guide and he was amazing! With super high energy, zest for life, and a passion for fishing, he made our day so enjoyable. Our favorite part was when we all caught salmon and he was sprinting up and down the river with nets helping us bring in fish. It was so much fun. Book with them!!!

Adam was Awesome! Put us on some fish and helped with any questions we had. Kept us entertained the…read morewhole time highly recommend!!

Rented leg waders for a couple of days. They were great instead of buying them…read more They processed and froze our salmon at a reasonable price. Helpful staff

Brought in approx 9lbs of sockeye salmon for Salmon Run to prep, freeze and ship back east. Staff…read morewas friendly enough. Shipping was overnight via FedEx and that went as planned and fish arrived on time. However, when it arrived it was cold, but NOT frozen. So either it was not properly frozen before shipping, OR the shipment packing was insufficient. I have had other fish shipped from AK, including a shipment that was a whole day late in 90 degree temps and that fish still arrived frozen! I suspect that using a thermal pack/wrap would have made a difference (think space blanket meets bubble wrap). Plus the refreezable ice pack included in the box was woefully undersized. Given the high price I paid, I would have expected the fish to arrive frozen. Actually, I also expected them to de-bone the filets, but that did not happen either. Not sure if that was included, but again if you are prepping the fish, why not do that? When I wrote to tell them about my experience I received a long explanation from Jayden who explained that shipping MORE fish stayed frozen longer. He also said that the ice pack was a "courtesy" item for the shipment. Really? Seems like it is a requirement. It also seems like they used the minimal amount of ice pack to keep the weight down and their margin up. Jayden shared that more ice packs would have bumped me into the next tier of shipping which would have costed more. I would have appreciated that option. "Ship like this and it will arrive cold, not frozen, still good to go. Or, ship like this and it will cost you $X and it will arrive frozen solid." I was not given a choice nor any additional information in the matter but my expectations were frozen fish upon arrival, regardless of the amount. The shipper has to figure out what works best and adjust accordingly or CLEARLY tell the customer what to expect. By the way, the thermal wrap I mentioned earlier weighs next to nothing, so that IS something they should consider adding to their shipments. I think it would have made a difference. Others use it. Why not Salmon Run? In the end, the fish was fine, I tossed it in the freezer and I debone each filet myself. However, if I use Salmon Run in the future I'll reset my expectations and maybe even ask about options.

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!