Kenai Peninsula Day Tours
Kenai Peninsula Tours Starting in Anchorage
Detailed Description:
This full-day tour will take us through some of the most scenic country Alaska has to offer. You’ll travel along the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, where you’ll likely see Dall sheep, mountain goats, and Beluga whales if the season is right.
The journey will take us through Turnagain Pass and eventually alongside the famously picturesque Kenai River.
The highlight, however, will be on or near the rivers of the Kenai Peninsula. Here, if the timing is right, you’re likely to see brown or black bears and salmon swimming upriver to their spawning grounds.
This trip is the most diverse of our packages, where as many as five big game species can often be seen, including birds, fish, and various smaller animals.
Photographers will have ample opportunity to capture that perfect shot on this trip of a lifetime.
Itinerary
An Alaska Adventure guide will pick your group up at your hotel by 7am the day of your tour.
We’ll travel to the Kenai Peninsula, making stops along the way as we find various scenery and wildlife viewing opportunities.
Expect a hike of about one to two hours and a shorter hike of about 30 minutes on improved trails while on the peninsula. Bring your lunch, or we’ll stop at a restaurant in the Cooper Landing area for a meal (cost not included in tour price).
You can expect to be back at your hotel around 7pm.
Kenai Peninsula Day Trip Notes
- To maximize the potential for wildlife viewing, we like to be near the Kenai River, which is our furthest point from Anchorage early morning or late evening. An evening trip can be arranged if desired. Please contact us when you book if you need a specific tour time.
- Weather conditions can vary greatly from day to day. Dress in preparation for staying comfortable in the prevailing weather conditions. We will be in the van the majority of the time, but at times will get out for short walks or hikes depending on guests’ preferences.
- Dress in layers. When the weather turns out a little different than forecast, the sun comes out, or wind picks up, the ability to adjust to the conditions can make your time out much more enjoyable.
- Bring a small backpack or other means of carrying the few things you may want to keep available while we’re out, a hat, sunglasses, water bottle and your preferred bug spray and sunscreen for example.
- We’ll have bottled water, bug spray and sunscreen in the van. You’re welcome to bring your preferred variety.
- This activity is rated as moderate. Guests with medical conditions or concerns, please contact us in advance to explore options and accommodations for this trip.
Feel free to give us a call if you have additional questions or concerns.
Includes & Excludes
- Round Trip Transportation from Anchorage area hotels
- Bottled drinking water
- Lunch – You’re welcome to bring snacks, no food is included in this tour. We will arrange a meal stop. Meal is not included in the tour cost.
- Footwear – no clothing items, jackets, or boots are provided
Kenai Peninsula Day Tour FAQs
The scenery on this tour is second to none. We’ll travel along the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, alongside the Chugach Mountains, through Turnagain Pass, the Kenai Mountains, and onto the Kenai Peninsula. Different times of year are better for seeing different types of animals. Moose are often seen on the Kenai tours.
We can see bears between May and November, with the highest likelihood being while salmon are in the streams, July through September.
Dahl sheep are often visible in the mountains throughout the drive. December is prime time for viewing big rams, as they often come down lower in the mountains for mating season.
Beluga whales can be found along Turnagain Arm, especially in early and late summer. Eagles are found year-round but peak during the hooligan (smelt fish) run in Turnagain arm in early spring.
We’ve often counted over 100 bald eagles and several golden eagles gorging on these little fish.
Mountain goats, somewhat similar to Doll sheep, are often seen in the Chugach Mountains, a little further from Anchorage than the sheep often are, and they usually stay up in higher elevations.
Other animals are frequently seen but can be less predictable than previously mentioned. If you’re looking for something not discussed here, please feel free to reach out for information and start planning your trip!
While lunch is not provided at the cost of the tour, we can stop for lunch at a local restaurant or pick up snacks at a convenience store. It’s your choice. Alternatively, if the group has arranged to bring food, we can skip the sit-down meal, giving us more time to explore!