The best family-friendly hikes and walks in Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

The Russian Lakes Trail is a 22-mile-long trail. This section takes you Russian River Falls, a beautiful waterfall along Russian River.

The hike to Russian River Falls on the Kenai Peninsula takes you through Alaska's impressive nature on a well-developed and mostly flat path. The approximately 2-mile trail starts at the Russian River Campground and runs through dense forests that offer you a view of the native flora and fauna. The hike is relatively easy, making it ideal for relaxed exploration. At the end of the trail, two observation platforms await you, perfectly placed to experience the impressive waterfalls up close. This place comes alive especially during salmon season in summer. Thousands of salmon fight their way upstream here, and with a little luck you can even watch bears fishing - a unique spectacle of nature that will stay with you for a long time. Other wildlife, such as eagles and the occasional fox, also take advantage of the abundance of fish and make the scenery even more impressive. The chance of seeing animals is particularly high early in the morning or towards the evening. The Russian River Falls Trail is more than just a hike; It gives you the feeling of diving deep into Alaska's wild nature and offers an unforgettable experience for nature lovers and adventurers.

This loop takes you around the circumference of Centennial Park Campground. All told it offers about a mile of frontage along the beautiful, blue-green waters of the Kenai River, including fishing and fish-cleaning stations.

The lake not far from Soldotna is not very big with a length of 1.45km. But the calm he radiates is fabulous. Many rare birds can be seen on the observation deck. Very important: take binoculars.

The Keen-Eye Nature Trail starting from the headquarters of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge near Soldotna, is 0.75 miles long through a wooded area with a side trail leading down to Headquarters Lake. There are three basic options on these refuge trails. First and easiest is the 0.3 mile (one way), "accessible with assistance," portion of Keen-Eye Nature Trail, an easy trail and boardwalk leading to a viewing deck on the shoreline of Headquarters Lake. Second, you can hike the 0.8 mile Keen-Eye loop, and third, there's the 2 mile Centennial Trail Loop through a wooded area with further opportunity to view wildlife in the area. All the trails together add up to an about 3 miles loop. Trail and nature information is available at the refuge visitor center.

Small peaceful lake in the forest near the headquarters of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge near Soldotna. To access this lake walk a .75 mile roundtrip along the Keen-Eye Nature trail which starts near the headquarters for the refuge. A monocular on the viewing platform gives a good view of waterfowl on the lake and other birds including eagles perched on the trees surrounding the lake.

The 100m long gravel path leads the fastest from the Visitor Center to the Keen-Eye Natural Trail and thus to the lake.

In a few hairpin bends leads this 250m long way down to the lake through a wooded area, which ends in a kind of marsh and moorland. About wooden walkways to reach the observation deck, where well sprayed with mosquito repellent, which can observe native and migratory birds.