KENAI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, AK

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KENAI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, AK
part ofKenai National Wildlife Refuge, Fish and Wildlife Service
Status: Open year round.
Season Dates:
http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Kenai_National_Wildlife_Refuge_Cabins/r/campsiteCalendar.do?page=calendar&search=site&contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72337&topTabIndex=CampingSpot

Overview

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge guarantees breathtaking scenery and an unforgettable experience for visitors staying in one of the 14 rustic cabins located in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Getting to the cabin can be a thrilling adventure in itself, as most of them require the use of boats, aircraft, hiking or skiing.

The grudging withdrawal of the Harding Ice Field has helped to make the lands of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge a "miniature Alaska." Today, the refuge includes examples of every major Alaska habitat type. The refuge is an Alaska in miniature in its diversity of wildlife, as well.

Natural Features:
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge spans 1.9 million acres along the western Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. The region includes the western slopes of the Kenai Mountains, forested lowlands along Cook Inlet, rivers, lakes and wetlands. To the east is Chugach National Forest and southeast is Kenai Fjords National Park.

Recreation:
Eager anglers can pursue chinook, sockeye, coho and pink salmon; as well as Dolly Varden char, rainbow trout, and arctic grayling. The refuge is also home to brown and black bears, caribou, Dall sheep, mountain goats, wolves, lynx, wolverines, eagles and thousands of shorebirds and waterfowl, not to mention the mighty Alaska-Yukon moose that the refuge was originally established (as the Kenai National Moose Range) to protect.

Facilities:
Ten of Kenai Refuge's 14 public use cabins are historic log cabins built around the turn of the 20th century. The others are 16x18 trapper-style log cabins. Each cabin includes a table with benches, plywood bunks (without mattresses) a wood heating stove and an outhouse.

Access to cabins varies. Some can be reached by hiking-in, while others require a boat. In winter, a snowmobile may be necessary.

Activities and Amenities Within Facility:
- Axe
- Broom & Dust Pan
- Campfire Rings
- Dining Area
- Fire Extinguisher
- Heating Stove
- Snow shovel
- Vault Toilets

Know Before You Go:

- No firewood provided; bring firewood or collect down or dead wood
Bring local maps, a compass, flashlight, waterproof matches, knife, first-aid kit, space blanket, flares, and personal protection such as a gun or bear repellent

- Cell phone coverage is unreliable

- Use extreme caution when accessing cabins by hiking or skiing across frozen
lakes; ensure ice is thick

- Leave an itinerary with friends before trip in case you do not return on time or need assistance

- Rain gear and warm clothing are essential; bring waterproof boots

- Poor weather may result in extended stays; be prepared with extra food and clothing

- Please bring garbage bags; these are "pack in-pack out" cabins

Getting There:
GPS Info. (Latitude, Longitude):
0.0, 0.0
0°0'0"N, 0°0'0"E

Some cabins are accessed by boat only. See access information for individual cabins.

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge: From Anchorage, take the Seward Highway south to the Sterling Highway; the eastern refuge boundary is at milepost 55 of the Sterling Highway. Another 5 miles from the boundary is a Visitor Contact Station (open from Memorial Day through Labor Day) and the west entrance to the Skilak Wildlife Recreation Area. Continuing on to Soldotna will bring you to the refuge visitor center and headquarters, which is found by taking a left onto Funny River Road, then turning right (before the building supply store) onto Ski Hill Road.

For a current list of charter operators permitted to transport customers into the refuge, please contact the refuge headquarters at (907) 262-7021.

Contact Information:
Mailing Address:
KENAI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE CABINS
Box 2139 1 Ski Hill Road
Soldotna AK 99669
Phone Number:
Information: (907) 262-7021

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