Soldotna
Soldotna (pronounced soul-daht-nah) is the commercial and medical center of the Kenai Peninsula. Located three hours from Anchorage (Alaska’s largest city), Soldotna has a population of fewer than 5,000 residents but is growing quickly. The local population swells annually during the summer when visitors from around the world flock to the Peninsula for world-class salmon and halibut fishing and outdoor adventuring.
Soldotna and its neighboring city, Kenai, are home to two active community theater groups; a community orchestra; a performing arts society; an independent bookstore; numerous art and gift shops; a 13.5-acre community park (known by locals as "Soldotna's living room) with a pavilion, playground, and boardwalk along the Kenai River; teams from the North American Hockey League and the Alaska Baseball League; weekly trivia nights; and many wonderful locally owned and operated restaurants and food trucks encompassing a variety of cuisines and dining experiences.
Favorites include:
- Lucy’s Market
- The Goods
- Addie Camp
- Brew@602
- Fresh365
- Odie's Cafe
- Fine Thyme Cafe
- Siam Noodles
- Acapulco
- Everything Bagel
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Local & Regional Activities
The Tsalteshi trail system
A world-class, multi-use trail system for mountain biking, running, snowshoeing, fat tire biking, and nordic skiing. Available all-year round and located just outside of Soldotna with groomed nordic ski trails in winter (illuminated for an after-work ski).
The Kenai River
The Kenai River flows through Soldotna from its source high in the Kenai Mountains. Whether it is salmon fishing, rafting, beach walking/combing, or exploring by boat, kayak, or foot, the Kenai River offers miles of scenery.
The Kenai Wildlife Refuge
The refuge encompasses a large swath of the western Kenai Peninsula (2 million acres) including the western slopes of the Kenai Mountains, forested lowlands and many rivers, wetlands and lakes. Home to moose, brown and black bears, lynx, wolves, trumpeter swans, and more, this is a wonderful place to fish, ski, hike, hunt, canoe, and camp.
Alyeska Ski Resort
Overlooking Turnagain Arm, this low-elevation ski resort rises 2,500 feet for North America’s longest double black diamond run (along with 76 other trails for skiers of all levels). Next door is the brand new 50,000-sq ft Nordic Spa with outdoor springs and multiple saunas for year-round rejuvenation.
Alaska SeaLife Center
Located at "Mile 0" of the scenic Seward Highway on the shores of Resurrection Bay, the SeaLife Center is the only facility in Alaska that combines a public aquarium with marine research, education, and wildlife response. Visitors have close encounters with puffins, octopus, harbor seals, sea lions, and other Alaska marine life while learning about the Center’s efforts to promote understanding and stewardship of Alaska’s marine ecosystems.
Charter flights
Small plane travel is alive and well in Alaska, and licensed charters will take you bear viewing, fishing, glacier viewing, and more.
Kenai Fjords
Home to nearly 40 glaciers, cruises, kayaking, dog sledding, hiking trails, and more, witness a legacy of the last Ice Age.
Anchorage & Beyond
Anchorage is Alaska’s metropolitan hub. While there, you can dabble in international food, access modern comforts (i.e. that requisite Costco or Target trip), attend an off-Broadway play, or enjoy a night on the town. Anchorage offers an array of city-based activities and serves as a great springboard for adventures in other parts of Alaska, such as whale watching in Prince Williams Sound, observing the world’s largest grizzly bears on Kodiak Island, exploring Denali National Park, or chasing the Aurora in Fairbanks.
Even the journey from Anchorage to Soldotna, along the Seward Highway, is jaw-dropping and was named among the 50 ultimate road trips by National Geographic. The bookends of this highway, which is the sole thoroughfare, are Seward and Homer, both beautiful small towns with plenty of personality and local charm.
