Kenai Peninsula Adventures: Fishing, Rafting, Hiking, Biking, Kayaking, SeaLife Center…and more!

Smart travelers use the Alaska TourSaver® book to get two-for-one discounts on Kenai Peninsula's top attractions and activities. This includes fishing, rafting, hiking, kayaking…and more. Once you order and receive the book (or download the APP), you’ll find clear instructions on how to redeem your coupons and make your reservations. Scroll down the page for a complete list of buy-one-get-one tours and attractions on the Kenai Peninsula, included when you purchase the Alaska TourSaver®.

One of Alaskans’ favorite “outdoor playgrounds” is the Kenai Peninsula. It’s so close to Anchorage—you can be there in just a couple of hours. Your first stop should be Seward—it’s where the Alaska Railroad starts and the town is the gateway for Kenai Fjords National Park.

Learn about the park, its wildlife and sealife at the Alaska Sealife Center. This is a “must see” attraction in Seward, especially for families. Get up close with “touch pools” where you can see tidal critters like anemones and invertebrates. See the rehabilitation facilities for marine mammals like sea lions and sea otters. Check out the fish, the crabs—and even a giant Pacific octopus. There’s a special aviary section where you can get up close to puffins, murres and other seabirds (don’t touch!).

After visiting the Alaska Sealife Center, you’ll want to go on one of the glacier and wildlife cruises of Kenai Fjords with Major Marine.

Take a look at the small boat harbor and you’ll see plenty of fishing boats. Whether you’re looking for salmon, halibut, rock fish or cod, the folks at Ninilchik Charters can “hook you up” on one of the full-day deep sea fishing charters. They even offer a “multi-species” charter where you can catch more than one kind of fish!

Be sure and visit Exit Glacier when you’re in Seward—it’s the only land access to Kenai Fjords National Park!

On this stretch of the Upper Kenai River, go fishing with Drifter’s Lodge, or take a scenic float with Alaska River Adventures or Alaska Wildland Adventures.

The Kenai River is divided in two: the Upper Kenai flows from Kenai Lake to Skilak Lake. Then the Lower Kenai River flows from Skilak Lake to the mouth, where the river flows into Cook Inlet.

From the shores of Skilak Lake, take a boating and hiking adventure with Kenai Backcountry Adventures. Motor across the lake and climb up above the treeline on the other side. It’s a great hike with some stunning views from inside the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.

On the Lower Kenai River, anglers can choose from two charter companies: RW’s Fishing and Ninilchik Charters. Both companies will help you land a king salmon or a silver salmon, depending on the season. Plus, you can use a TourSaver coupon to get a 50 percent discount for overnight accommodations at RW’s lodge!

At the end of the road (the Sterling Highway) lies the beautiful town of Homer. Here are three of my favorite places to eat in this harbor town. We don’t have any coupons in the TourSaver® for these restaurants…but you will NOT go away hungry:

1. Two Sisters Bakery. Breads, sweets and treats top the menu, but you also can get a nice quiche.
2. Fat Olive’s. Great Mediterranean cuisine, including delicious pizza. At the bar, you can choose from several wines by-the-glass (under $10).
3. La Baleine Cafe. Located on the Homer Spit, I had the best turkey sandwich here. The best IN MY LIFE. You can count on my friend Kirsten Dixon and her daughter Mandy to dish up some lovely breakfast and lunch specials—including some “to go” boxes…like the turkey sandwich! Yum!

Once you’ve made it to the Homer Spit…which stretches into Kachemak Bay for about five miles, you can choose from three adventures:

Guided Natural History Tour with the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies. Peterson Bay is just to the west of Grewingk Glacier, where your guide will help you explore the coastal forest ecosystem of the area. Your tour includes a visit to the Field Station, where researchers study the plant and sealife of the inter-tidal region.

You can’t go wrong exploring the Kenai Peninsula with your Alaska TourSaver® book or TourSaver App. You’ll see more, do more and spend less!  The SouthCentral TourSaver® App contains all the coupons listed below for Kenai Peninsula activities and more for Anchorage, Fairbanks and Interior Alaska. The print edition of the Alaska TourSaver® contains over 90 2-for-1 and discount coupons for the entire state of Alaska.

Hi, my name is Scott McMurren, the co-publisher of the Alaska TourSaver®. I’ve been traveling around Alaska for 38 years—and writing about it for 35 years. When we put the Alaska TourSaver book together each year, we choose the best travel companies to show you our Alaska. Most of the folks are personal friends of mine…and I’ve taken their trip. Plus, I’ve recommended them to my friends and family. Many of the companies are family-owned, most of the folks live year-round in the state. So they know the state—and I know them. 

You’re going to have a g-r-e-a-t trip with the Alaska TourSaver!