The BEST Things to Do in Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Planning a road trip to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula? You’ve come to the right place. We spent three weeks traveling through this gorgeous area of south-central Alaska and have compiled a list of the must-see spots we visited along the way. Keep on reading for a complete Kenai Peninsula Road Trip Guide, where you’ll learn the best things to do, the best time to visit, the best places to camp, and more! Let’s jump in.

ℹ️ About the Kenai Peninsula

We spent three incredible weeks exploring the Kenai Peninsula, one of Alaska’s most cherished destinations. This region in south-central Alaska is famous for its stunning natural beauty, diverse wildlife, and temperate climate, making it the popular summer destination it is today.

Some of our favorite spots include the charming town of Homer, known for its vibrant arts scene and proximity to Kachemak Bay State Park. We also fell in love with Kenai Fjords National Park, where towering glaciers meet the sea and iconic Alaskan wildlife like orcas, sea otters, and puffins abound.

One of the best parts of this peninsula is that it’s easy to travel by car, and campgrounds are easy to come by—making it the perfect road trip destination. Keep on reading for a list of the best things to do on the Kenai Peninsula, organized by area, to make planning your next road trip a breeze!

🗺️ Kenai Peninsula Map

In this Kenai Peninsula map, we’ve pinned all the things to do, campgrounds, and useful services that are mentioned in this guide. We’ve also included the smaller, optional stops that we point out after the main itinerary. Feel free to save this map to refer back to during your road trip!

How to use this map: We have saved the locations from this guide on this map. You can save this map to your Google Maps by pressing the star icon. In your Google Maps, click the menu icon and then Saved Maps, where this map will appear.

🥾 The Best Things to Do in the Kenai Peninsula

Here are the top things to do in the Kenai Peninsula, grouped by location. Whether you’re planning an epic road trip to experience all of Kenai or looking to organize a short weekend getaway from Anchorage, this list features the best of the best of this gorgeous peninsula, organized in the order in which we travelled it ourselves!

1. Anchorage, Alaska

Most people start their Kenai Peninsula road trip from Anchorage, the largest city in the region, located right at the base of the peninsula. We drove in after completing the Alaska Highway and spent a few days here resting, re-provisioning at Costco, and prepping for the Kenai Peninsula.

Some of the top things to do in Anchorage include:

• Explore local parks: We walked with our dog, Ollie, in Earthquake Park and Kincaid Park, two scenic spots perfect for wildlife viewing and soaking in the beautiful Anchorage views.
• Explore local museums: The Anchorage Museum and Alaska Native Heritage Center are two popular museums in the city, where you can learn about the state’s history and Indigenous cultures.
• Potter Marsh Wildlife Viewing Boardwalk: This elevated boardwalk is an amazing place to see birds, animals, and possibly even salmon with views of the Chugach Mountains around you.
• Chugach State Park: Just outside the city, you’ll find this state park that offers tons of hiking trails and breathtaking mountain scenery. Three of the most popular trails here include Thunderbird Falls Trail (Easy), the Mount Baldy Loop (Moderate), and the Flattop Mountain Trail (Hard).

2. Homer, Alaska

Known as the ‘Halibut Capitol of the World,’ Homer was our first major stop on our Kenai Peninsula Road Trip. Just over a 4-hour drive away from Anchorage, Homer is lovingly known as “where the land ends and the sea begins,” and that’s really what it feels like.

This small seaside city sits on Kachemak Bay, surrounded by glaciers, mountains, and sweeping ocean views. Its gorgeous setting quickly made it one of our favorite places we visited in all of Alaska. Here are some of the best things to do:

• Explore the Homer Spit: A 4.5-mile stretch into Kachemak Bay featuring shops, restaurants, art galleries, and charter tours for fishing, kayaking, and wildlife viewing. Enjoy biking or walking the Homer Spit Trail with views of Kachemak Bay State Park just across the bay. You also have to stop by the iconic Salty Dawg Saloon, a dive bar loved by locals that is impressively open year-round.
• Visit Homer’s Farmers Market: Homer’s Farmers Market runs Wednesdays from 2–5 PM and Saturdays from 10 AM–3 PM from late May through the end of September. It’s exactly the kind of market we love—plenty of variety, but still centered around the local farmers and artisans.
• Walk the Beluga Slough Trail: The Beluga Slough Trail is an easy 1-mile (1.6 km) loop near Homer’s Bishop’s Beach Park. We joined one of the free guided nature walks from the Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuge Center and learned about the area’s unique flora and fauna. Side note: they have a Jr. Ranger Program, which is great if you have kids!
• Wynn Nature Center: For an easy dose of Alaskan wilderness just minutes from town, head to the Wynn Nature Center. This 140-acre preserve offers about 5 miles of trails, ranging from a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk to longer forest loops.
• Try the local restaurants: We were really surprised by how good the Homer food scene was! Our favorite restaurant was Swell Taco—we ended up eating the best tacos we’ve ever had! For the best baked goods in town, you can’t miss Two Sisters Bakery! We went back twice.

3. Kachemak Bay State Park

Just across the bay from Homer sits Kachemak Bay State Park, Alaska’s first state park and one of its most stunning. Accessible by water taxi or plane, it’s known for its rugged mountains, glaciers, and pristine coastline, making it the perfect spot to go hiking, camping, or even kayaking.

We decided to go on our first backpacking trip here, crossing the bay with Ashore Water Taxi at 9 a.m., and returning the following day at 11 a.m. This gave us the perfect window to hike the Grewingk Lake, Grewingk Tram, and Saddle Trails (trail map below) and camp overnight by a glacier! Round-trip, this taxi costs $85 per person and includes the park entrance fee.

Once at Grewingk Glacier, you’re rewarded with sweeping views of one of the many glaciers flowing from the Harding Icefield in Kenai Fjords National Park. You can complete this half-day hike in just one day, but we figured, as we’d invested the money in the water taxi, we wanted to camp for one night at least.

If you’d like to read about all the details of our backpacking trip to Grewingk Glacier, as well as other things to do in this state park, hop over to our related article: The BEST WAY to See Grewingk Glacier in Alaska’s Kachemak Bay State Park!

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4. Seward, Alaska

After Homer and Kachemak Bay State Park, we headed to Seward, a small port town, a 3-hour drive back up the peninsula. Although this quiet town is known for being the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park, that’s not the only thing to see while visiting.

Below, we’ve listed some of our favorite things we did in Seward, Alaska, other than seeing Kenai Fjords National Park (up next). For a full list of the 21 best things to do in Seward, you can hop over to this blog post.

• Stroll the Sea Otter Trail: The Seward Waterfront Shore Path (also known as the Sea Otter Trail) is an easy, family-friendly 1.9-mile (3.1-km) walk in downtown Seward. You have a good chance to see sea lions, sea otters, seals, and, if you’re lucky, the occasional whale!
• Go Kayaking on Resurrection Bay: We went kayaking with Sunny Cove Kayaking on their 1/2 Day Resurrection Bay Tour, and we can’t recommend it enough! Expect to have some wildlife encounters—sea otters, puffins, and even whales call these waters home. This ended up being one of our favorite experiences in all of Alaska!
• Hike Mount Marathon: If you’re up for a challenge, consider hiking the steep slope up to Mount Marathon. Every July 4th since 1915, racers from all over have participated in a famous footrace up to the boulder at Race Point and back, creating one of Alaska’s oldest traditions.
• Visit the Alaska SeaLife Center: The Alaska SeaLife Center is a public aquarium and research center specializing in Alaska’s marine life. They are the only entity in Alaska to conduct marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, so funds raised from tickets go to a much-needed cause!

5. Kenai Fjords National Park

Accessible from Seward, Kenai Fjords National Park quickly made its way into our top 5 favorite US National Parks ever! This park houses nearly 40 glaciers that flow from the massive Harding Icefield, making it feel like you’ve traveled back to the ice age. Even better? This park is completely free to visit!

Kenai Fjords is also called home by some of the best of Alaska’s wildlife—moose, sea otters, humpback whales, sea lions, puffins, and more! One of the best ways to see them is by taking a wildlife cruise, although that’s not the only thing to do in the park.

• Stop by the Park’s Visitor Centers: The Kenai Fjords Visitor Center (downtown Seward) and Exit Glacier Nature Center (Exit Glacier Road) are the park’s two centers. Here, you can watch the park film, visit the bookstore, get your park stamp, and chat with park rangers.
• Take a Wildlife Cruise: Half-day and full-day wildlife cruises are one of the best ways to explore the remote coast, get close to glaciers, and spot marine life. Refer to our Kenai Fjords Boat Tour article to pick which tour is right for you!
• Go Hiking: There are two main hikes that visitors tackle in Kenai Fjords: the relatively easy Exit Glacier View Trail or the challenging all-day hike on the Harding Icefield Trail. The Harding Icefield Trial in particular became our favorite hike we’d ever done!

6. Whittier, Alaska

After visiting Kenai Fjords National Park, we drove just shy of two hours up towards Whittier, Alaska. One of the coolest parts about Whittier is having to pass through the Whittier Tunnel, the longest combined vehicle-railroad tunnel in North America! We paid $13 for a round-trip ticket to take our van through this tunnel.

Once we made it through the mountain, we spent just a few hours enjoying the idyllic port town of Whittier. With stunning views of Prince William Sound, even just strolling by the water is an amazing activity in and of itself. Here are all the things to do in town:

• Take a Glacier Cruise: Take advantage of Whittier’s prime location on the Prince William Sound by going on a cruise with a local company like Phillips Cruises. Their half-day cruises range from $170 to $220 per person and leave right from Whittier’s port.
• Kayak in Prince William Sound: Another way to experience the sound is by kayaking on it yourself! Local companies like Lazy Otter Charters lead guided kayaking adventures on this calm body of water.
• Visit a local museum: We were surprised to find out that, during the off-season, the entire population in Whittier lives inside just one building, the Begich Towers! There’s a museum on the first floor which you can visit, as well as another museum in town, the Prince William Sound Museum.
• Take the ferry to Valdez: Instead of driving 6-7 hours, you can take a 6-hour ferry from Whittier all the way to Valdez via the Alaska Marine Highway. Our friends went and paid around $128 for the two of them and $137 to bring along their small RV. Book your ferry ticket here.

🧊 More (Smaller) Stops on the Kenai Peninsula

All the places listed above are what we would consider to be the “must-see” spots on the Kenai Peninsula, and are where we personally visited. That being said, we don’t want you to miss out on any smaller towns that might be of interest to you. Below, we’ve listed some smaller stops that you can pick and choose if you have an extra day to fill. All of their locations are pinned on the Map of the Kenai Peninsula.

1. Bore Tide Viewing Spot: Just after Anchorage, there is this pullout where you can see the bore tide roll in.
2. Girdwood, Alaska: Stop in this small town, just before the bore tide viewing spot, to visit The Girdwood Brewing Company, The Bake Shop, and take the Alyeska Aerial Tram to Mount Alyeska Summit (or hike up).
3. Valdez, Alaska: Whether you choose to take the ferry from Whittier or drive to Valdez, once there, a popular thing to do is an all-day wildlife and glacier cruise. There is also the Valdez Museum in town, a handful of tasty restaurants and cute shops, and even a few short hiking trails like the Dock Point Trail.
4. Goldpanning in Cooper Landing: You can stop by Cooper Landing on the way down to Homer or back up towards Seward. Our friends stopped here to go on the 2-hour mining trip with Prospector John’s, a local tour company. They took them out onto Kenai Lake and taught them how to pan for gold. Our friends were even able to keep what they found!
5. Fishing on the Russian River: Near Cooper Landing, you’ve got the Russian River, a popular fishing spot. You can fish with a local charter like Fish Em LLC.
6. Sixmile Creek Hanging Bridge: Just before turning off if you were to go to Hope, Alaska, there’s a short hike to a hanging bridge right off of Alaska 1 (pinned on the map). This is a great spot to stretch your legs!

🗓️ 7-Day Kenai Peninsula Itinerary

Here’s how we would structure a Kenai Peninsula Itinerary if we had just one week. Feel free to change the order of your stops, or add in any of the smaller stops we mention in the previous section.

Day 1: Arrive to Anchorage, provision for your trip, and drive down to Homer
Day 2: Spend the entire day exploring the Homer Spit or on a boat tour of Kachemak Bay
Day 3: Drive north and go fishing on the Russian River for salmon
Day 4: Drive up to Seward and hike a trail in Kenai Fjords
Day 5: Go on a wildlife cruise of Kenai Fjords National Park
Day 6: Drive to Whittier and explore the Prince William Sound
Day 7: Drive back to Anchorage, stopping in Girdwood for lunch and Bore Tide viewing on the Turnagain Arm.

☀️ Best Time to Visit the Kenai Peninsula

The best time to visit the Kenai Peninsula is during the summer months (June through August), when the weather is mild, wildlife is active, and nearly all local businesses, restaurants, and tours are open. While that’s when towns like Homer are at their busiest, it’s also when you’ll get to experience the peninsula at its most vibrant. Here’s a quick breakdown of what to expect by season:

• Summer (June–Aug): Peak season with the best weather, long daylight hours, and all tours and restaurants open. We visited this area in July, and the weather was perfect for hiking, camping, and general exploring.
• Shoulder Seasons (May & Sept): Fewer crowds and lower prices while still offering decent weather. Some tours and businesses may have limited hours, but it’s a peaceful time to visit.
• Winter (Oct–Apr): Quiet and cold, with limited services and shorter days. That said, you’ll get a true local experience and stunning snowy views if you don’t mind the solitude. Unless you’re an Alaskan local, we generally wouldn’t advise travelling during this season.

We visited the Kenai Peninsula in July and had exceptional weather of sunshine, moderate temperatures, and clear skies most days.

🚗 How to Get to the Kenai Peninsula

If you’re driving from Anchorage, you’re already on the Kenai Peninsula! For travelers coming from farther out, there are several great options to reach this area, flying, driving, or taking the ferry. We went with driving up through Canada as we live full-time in our van, and that was a gorgeous trip in and of itself!

• Fly to Anchorage: Flying to Anchorage is a popular, quick way to reach the Kenai Peninsula. From the Anchorage airport, you can easily rent a car to explore the rest of the peninsula at your own pace.
• Drive from the Lower 48: If you’re embarking on a road trip, driving north through Canada offers an epic adventure en route to the peninsula. Read our complete Driving to Alaska Guide for more info about how to do this!
• Take the Ferry from Washington State: If you want to skip the long drive but want to bring your vehicle, consider booking a ticket on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry which has a port in Washington. You can bring your own vehicle aboard, making it easy to explore once you arrive.

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🏕️ Kenai Peninsula Campgrounds

We’ve pinned a variety of campgrounds on our Kenai Peninsula Map. Just keep an eye out for the brown tent icon. Below, we’ve listed the three campgrounds we would stay at again if we had the chance. We pinned them on the map with a pink tent sign so they’re easier to spot.

1. Whiskey Gulch Campground: A gorgeous, free, and remote campground for tents and RVs right on the beach, 30 minutes away from downtown Homer.
2. Grewing Glacier Lake Campground: Free campground (once you’re there) right on the shore of a glacial lake in Kachemak Bay State Park near Homer.
3. Exit Glacier Riverbed: Free campground on an actual riverbed in Seward, Alaska! Best for sleeping in your vehicle.

A few places we pinned in the map at the beginning of this post are actually entire roads that have a lot of great boondocking (free camping) spots. We recommend using a site like iOverlander to look for specific spot locations if you’re interested in camping on such a road.

🎪 Kenai Peninsula Festivals

The Kenai Peninsula comes alive each summer with a variety of festivals that celebrate the warm weather in community. We love attending local festivals when they line up with our travel plans, as they’re a great way to get a true sense of a place. Below, we’ve listed a few of the most popular.

• Salmonfest: Salmonfest is a 3-day celebration of all-things-salmon held in Ninilchik, Alaska, a 45-minute drive back up Alaska 1 from Homer. This festival usually takes place the last weekend in July every year and features music, food, and on-site camping!
• Kenai Peninsula Fair: In mid-August every year, the Kenai Peninsula Fair brings families together to enjoy music, special events, pig races, and more in Ninilchik as well!
• Mount Marathon Race: Runners race to the top of Mount Marathon and back every July 4th, an annual mountain race held in Seward, Alaska. 4th of July in general is also a huge celebration in Seward, with the city population swelling to about 40,000 instead of its usual 2,500.
• Six Mile Creek Whitewater & Bluegrass Festival: Every July in Hope, Alaska, this lively one-day festival combines whitewater paddling with live bluegrass music. Set by Six Mile Creek, it features camping, food, prizes, and a fire show.
• Alaska State Fair: Just an hour north of Anchorage in Palmer, Alaska, Alaska’s State Fair is held for roughly 2 weeks from late August to early September. Enjoy concerts from big-name artists, dig into delicious food from Alaska’s best, vote on the largest vegetables, and more, while Alaska celebrates its last weeks of summer.

🥾9 Essentials to Pack for the Kenai Peninsula

Below, we’ve listed all the things you might not initially think of when packing for a trip to Kenai Peninsula. Most of these are vehicle-focused, although we’ve thrown in a few miscellaneous items you might not initially think of. This list does not include any general clothing, camping, or hiking gear.

1. Window covers: Window covers are a must-have for privacy if you plan on sleeping in your van during your road trip. We use this 8-piece window cover set for our sprinter van.
2. Leveling blocks: Leveling blocks really come in handy if you’re also traveling in a van, as they provide a comfortable base on uneven ground (common with free campgrounds). Without them, you might find yourself sleeping on a slant, food sliding off your stoves, or improper drainage in your sinks and showers.
3. Bug screens: Another layer of protection on van windows is bug screens. The mosquitoes in Alaska and Canada are known to be intense during the summer, so these really helped us stay comfortable.
4. Bug repellent: For your time outside of the van, we recommend bringing along some heavy-duty bug spray, as well as possibly investing in a Thermacell bug shield when sitting outside of your van.
5. Sleeping masks: Alaska is known to be very bright during the summer months, so a sleeping mask will come in handy when it’s still light out at 11 pm.
6. Rainjacket: A waterproof layer is essential, as Alaskan weather is known to change several times throughout a day. This is Elliot’s favorite rain jacket and Jen’s favorite rain jacket.
7. Bear Spray: You can purchase bear spray and bring it across the border or rent it in major cities like Anchorage. Canada and Alaska are the center of bear country, so it’s a necessary safety precaution. Note: you can’t bring bear spray on a plane.
8. Water Filter: A water filter came in handy for us when we wanted to filter any lake water while camping in Alaska.
9. Starlink: Starlink comes in super handy if you need a reliable internet connection from your RV or van. For more information about how to pick the best Starlink model, check out our related article, The Best Starlink for Van Life! We also invested in an Airalo eSIM during our time in Canada for cell service.

Read Next:

The BEST WAY to See Grewingk Glacier in Alaska’s Kachemak Bay State Park

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