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Kenai Peninsula hiking (10-12-2005)
Trails get walkers and bikers into the backcountry
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Carter Lake Trail is 3.3-mile one-way hike with an elevation gain of 955 feet. This is a good trail for day hiking, and after the first 1.5 steep miles, is level for the remainder in sub-alpine and alpine country hosting a multitude of wildflowers.
Johnson Pass trail is 23 miles with an elevation gain of 1,000 feet. According to the Chugach Forest Service, this is an excellent trail for hikers seeking more privacy and spectacular scenery with few extreme elevation changes. A good day hike would be five miles up and back along Bench Creek, starting from the north end of the trail at Mile 64 of the Seward Highway.
Primrose Trail is a more difficult eight-mile, one-way hike with an elevation gain of 1,500 feet (the trail also connects with Lost Lake Trail, giving hikers the option of a longer 15 mile hike, rejoining the Seward Highway at Mile 6). A good day hike along this trail would be to view the Porcupine Creek Falls at Mile 3 of the trail. The trail follows an old mining road, and an active mine can be seen at Mile 3.75. The last two to three miles of the trail are at timberline, with dramatic views of mountains and lakes. Mount Ascension (5,710 feet) forms the west border of Lost Lake.
In Hope, the five-mile Gull Rock hike has a 620-foot elevation gain. This well-maintained trail through forest and wildflowers offers incredible views of Turnagain Arm and the surrounding mountains. Several primitive camping sites at Gull Rock overlook the Arm and the beaches below. Side trails lead down to these beaches for beachcombing and seclusion. Turnagain Arm is notorious for its drastic tide changes and mud.
Whatever your destination on the trails of the Kenai Peninsula, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge suggests day hikers carry the following items: water and high calorie food, a map and compass, first aid kit, sturdy shoes, rain gear, different layers of clothing such as wool or polar fleece, waterproof matches, a whistle, pocketknife, bug repellent, sunglasses, sunscreen, a camera and binoculars.
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