Hotels in Kenai, Soldotna and Sterling
Rates at many hotels are on seasonal schedules with three, four, or even more levels linked to the salmon runs. I've listed the highest and lowest. One unique lodging choice, worth an exploratory visit if you don't stay, is the Historic Kenai Landing (www.kenailanding.com; tel. 907/335-2500), where a complex of cannery buildings dating from 1912 has been remodeled into simple rooms, a restaurant, and shops. The inexpensive but rather spartan lodgings appeal most to single-minded fishermen, but the restaurant is well equipped and has live music, and the buildings on a long river dock are interesting and atmospheric. This scenic spot is out of the way, on the opposite side of the river mouth from Kenai: After crossing the bridge, turn right on Kalifornsky Beach Road and right again on Cannery Road.
Camping
Soldotna's appealing Centennial Park Campground extends along a long section of the Kenai River bluff among thick spruce and birch trees with ramps down to fishing spots on the river, next door to the visitor center and close to stores. Turn right on Kalifornsky Beach Road just after the bridge on the Sterling Highway. Camping fees are $17 a night and day use is $6, payable at a staffed entrance booth (plus tax). The park is open May 1 to October 1. A dump station is usable for an $11 fee. Swiftwater Park is a similar city-operated riverside campground near a Fred Meyer grocery store and Taco Bell as you enter town from the north. For a quieter, oceanfront public campground, see Captain Cook State Recreation Area.
RV parks are scattered about. Beluga Lookout Lodge and RV Park, 929 Mission Ave. (www.belugalookout.com; tel. 907/283-5999), has the best location. It's in Kenai's Old Town, at bluff's edge over Cook Inlet at the mouth of the Kenai River. Full hookups are $35 to $60 a night. They offer bike rentals and charters for salmon and halibut fishing, and bear- or beluga-watching.
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6 Results
- Hotel
Aspen Hotel Soldotna
In a nondescript building off the highway, you'll find a similarly nondescript hotel that has (usually) fair prices and some nice amenities (like a pool and outdoor hot tub, plus small fridges and kitchenettes in each room). It does have some quirks, including the inability of guests…$$Soldotna
- Hotel
Beluga Lookout Lodge and RV Park
Park your RV with a fantastic view on the bluff (next to Old Town) or rent one of the tiny, but spick–and–span motel rooms here. The service is friendly, and the grounds well–maintained. Really our own complaints about the Beluga Lookout are the tight RV spaces (practice your…$$Old Town Kenai - Hotel
Centennial Park Campground
In Soldotna, the wooded Centennial Park Campground lies on the Kenai River bluff next to the visitor center and close to fishing and stores. It's run by the government and extremely well-maintained.$Sterling Hwy - Hotel
Great Alaska Adventure Lodge
Those coming to fish should consider staying at this full-service lodge, which has extensive Kenai River frontage, excellent guides, and many other outdoor activities (including "bear camp"—check out their website for more info on that unique adventure). The staff customizes your…$$$Sterling - Hotel
Izaak Walton Campground
Izaak Walton State Recreational Area is at the hot-fishing confluence of the Moose and Kenai rivers. Across the road, Alaska Canoe & Campground is a good choice for showers, laundry, and partly wooded sites.$Kenai River State Management Area - B&B
Log Cabin Inn
A family hosts this B&B in a huge log building (like a wilderness lodge) on wooded grounds south of the Kenai River. They offer comfortable if rustic rooms and cabins for bargain rates and often go well-beyond the call of duty to help their guests (like getting up at 3 am to…$$Kenai
