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Peninsula hamlets: From Hope to Anchor Point, small towns are worth a stop

By JANET SHAPLEY
Daily News correspondent

Published: April 21st, 2005
Last Modified: November 8th, 2005 at 07:54 AM

The communities of Hope, Moose Pass, Kasilof, Ninilchik, Anchor Point and Nikiski have their own unique charm for visitors. Some of their annual events attract folks from Anchorage, the Valley and points beyond.

Hope is a tiny mining community on the shores of Turnagain Arm that dates back to the turn of the century. The Chugach National Forest Service's 38-mile Resurrection Trail ends in Hope, so many hikers and mountain bikers either start or end their trips there. Gull Rock Trail and Palmer Creek trails offer other hiking and camping opportunities.

Hope has a mining museum that traces the history of the town for the last 100 years. The museum houses mining equipment used over the years. You can still see people mining for gold along the creeks and rivers in the area.

Several gift shops are open during the summer months, and three restaurants serve hungry visitors. People fish for pink salmon at the mouth of Resurrection Creek in Hope, Linda Graham said. "They can catch them after the Fourth of July, and for two weeks they are decent to catch," she said.

The Wagon Trail Run draws people from all over central Alaska. Held the third Sunday in July, the 5-K run is a great reason to visit Hope.

"A lot of people do it just for fun," Graham said. "There's a $20 entry fee, and they get a T-shirt. The trail goes through the woods and down a mining road.

"We don't advertise, but we get 200 runners by word of mouth."

The town hosts a bazaar with handcrafted goods and concession stands and a dance the night before, she said.

Moose Pass hosts an annual Summer Solstice Festival around the third weekend in June. Hundreds of people flock to this lakeside community for food, games, live music and auctions that benefit the library and fire department.

"We built a new timber-frame pavilion, and we have beer and chicken dinners and hamburgers and hot dogs in there and live bands for two days," said Moose Pass resident Judy Odhner. "Vendors come from all over with pottery and stained glass and silks, and we have a bake sale."

Odhner said the community has a contest for the best festival design, and the winning design is put on T-shirts and beer mugs. All the proceeds from the T-shirts and mugs go to the community. Last year they sold more than 500 T-shirts.

The scenic views of the surrounding Kenai Mountains are breathtaking, and camping, hiking and fishing opportunities abound. The Trail Lakes Hatchery offers tours for summer visitors as well.

As you get closer to Cook Inlet, check out the 100-year-old photographs of Kasilof that hang in the Kasilof Mercantile and Cafe. Kenai Peninsula College anthropologist Alan Boraas put the photographic exhibit together for display at the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center.

Mary Lambe, owner of the store, said she had seen the photos several years ago while on a field trip with her daughter's class at the visitors center. When exhibits were changed, the photos "disappeared for a while," Lambe said. She asked Boraas about the photos, and he offered to put them on display in her store.

A relocated trapper cabin is open to the public at the Kasilof Historical Society Museum, staffed by local homesteaders and community volunteers. The museum contains items donated by local homesteaders, reflecting what life was like when they first settled on the Kenai Peninsula.

Commercial fishing is a major industry here, and visitors can view setnet sites in operation from the bluffs above Cook Inlet. Public access goes right to the beach at the Clam Gulch wayside. The mouth of the Kasilof River is accessible from North Coho Loop and Kasilof River Beach Access Road on Kalifornsky Beach Road.

Lambe said people can fish in Fish and Game-stocked Johnson Lake, at the headwaters of Tustumena Lake, and at Crooked Creek when it is open for fishing. The Crooked Creek Hatchery offers good views of spawning salmon in late summer.

Beachcombers and fishermen can enjoy more Cook Inlet beaches at Ninilchik and Anchor Point. The old village of Ninilchik gives a glimpse of the rich Russian history of the town, and the Russian Orthodox church on the hill can be reached by a short hiking path from the village center.

Families gather for one last social event before school starts at the Ninilchik Fair the third weekend in August. The fair hosts a rodeo and 4-H livestock auction, live music, arts and crafts and food vendors.

In Nikiski, the annual Family Fun in the Sun celebration happens each year near Father's Day, this year June 18.

"The community gets together at the Nikiski Pool for events, games, concessions and live music," said Nikiski Chamber of Commerce president Judene Van Cleave.

The Nikiski Pool, with the Peninsula's only water slide, is part of the North Peninsula Recreation Area. A trail system and ball fields are adjacent to the pool.

Captain Cook State Park is well worth the drive to the end of the road. The park offers camping, fishing and recreation opportunities along the Swanson River, Stormy Lake, Bishop's Creek and the beaches of Cook Inlet. Beachcombers will appreciate the agates found on North Kenai beaches.

The smaller communities on the Kenai Peninsula are well worth the stop. They may be one of your favorite Alaska experiences.

Nikiski resident Tom Rohn has created a Peninsula travel guide at his Web site www.tsunamifactor.com. The idea for the travel guide came when Rohn was contacted by a friend in Europe who wanted to plan a trip.

Freelance writer Janet Shapley lives in Soldotna.