Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is a 1.92-million-acre refuge on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. Created in 1941 as the Kenai National Moose Range and given its present status by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980, it combines mountains, lakes, forests and wetlands within reach of Anchorage.[1]

Landscape

The terrain includes muskeg and other wetlands, alpine areas and taiga forest. Skilak Lake and Tustumena Lake are the two very large lakes, and the Kenai River flows through the refuge. It is adjacent to Kenai Fjords National Park and administered from Soldotna.[1]

Wildlife and fishing

Wolf packs, brown and black bears, Dall sheep, moose, Canadian lynx, caribou and thousands of bird species live there, and the refuge is a popular destination for salmon and trout fishing.[1]

Recreation

The Swan Lake Canoe Trail is about 60 miles long and the Swanson River Canoe Route, about 80 miles, is the longest. The refuge has more than 110 miles of trails, two developed campgrounds at Hidden Lake and Skilak Lake, and 16 public-use cabins available by reservation since 2005, some reached only by boat. Hunting is permitted with restrictions.[1]

Wildfire

The Shanta Creek fire in 2009 burned over 10,000 acres, the human-caused Funny River Fire that began on 19 May 2014 burned largely within the refuge, and the lightning-caused Swan Lake Fire in 2019 burned 167,164 acres without destroying structures or causing deaths.[1]

FAQs

When was the refuge created? In 1941, as the Kenai National Moose Range.

How big is it? About 1.92 million acres.

What canoe routes are there? The Swan Lake and Swanson River canoe routes.

Where are its offices? Soldotna.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 12, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue