The City of Kenai offers wonderful scenery, abundant wildlife, and the traditions of indigenous and Russian history and cultures. Visitors will find world-class King Salmon fishing and access to the famous Kenai Fjords National Park. Visitors reach the Port of Kenai by sea and by air.
The Port of Kenai enjoys a moderate maritime climate with temperatures that range from an average high of about 12°C (55°F) in July and August to an average low of -11°C (12°F) in December and January. Precipitation is heaviest in August and September, with an average of over three inches.
The Kenai Peninsula offers more than 9.6 million acres of outdoor adventure that gives it the name "Alaska's Playground." Visitors will enjoy water sports like canoeing and kayaking, rafting, ocean kayaking, and cruises to observe magnificent wildlife and glaciers. On the land surrounding the Port of Kenai, outdoor lovers can camp, golf, hike, bike, ride horseback, and take airborne sightseeing trips.
About 94 kilometers (58 miles) to the southeast of the Port of Kenai is the breathtaking Kenai Fjords National Park. Glaciers carved valleys that have since been inundated with seawater, leaving a magical land where small ships provide views of wonderful wilderness scenery and abundant wildlife. The adjoining Maritime National Wildlife Refuge supports sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals, puffins, kittiwakes, oyster catchers, and humpback and orca whales. Glaciers still flow from the ice fields, and visitors can witness the calving of great chunks of ice as they continue to shape the Kenai Fjords.
Across Cook Inlet to the north, four active volcanoes (Mount Spurr, Mount Redoubt, Mount Illiamna, and Saint Augustine) create a breathtaking view from the Port of Kenai.
The Kenai and Russian Rivers offer many opportunities for exciting fishing. From the US Forest Service's Russian River Campground or by ferry, anglers will find many red salmon on the Russian River and at the meeting of the Russian and Kenai Rivers. There are many private businesses and public access sites on the Kenai River that offer bank angling during the salmon runs. Many of these sites are "habitat friendly" with elevated walkways, stairways, and other practices that protect the vital fish habitat.
The Port of Kenai is in the heart of prime salmon-fishing country. Four species of salmon inhabit the bays, rivers, and lakes on the Kenai Peninsula. Summer is salmon-fishing season, and Kings of almost 100 pounds have been hooked there. Other seacoast towns offer charters for halibut and popular saltwater species.
One of the most popular Kenai River locations for shore-fishing of king salmon is at Crooked Creek and the Kasilof River, where anglers can catch Kings from 20 to 40 pounds. Bank angling along Deep Creek, the Ninilchik River, and Anchor River are popular during the springtime, although regulations designate the weekends when these areas are open for fishing. Sports fishers can also charter trips for rainbow and salmon fishing on the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers.
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