Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Swanson River Road

We packed our lunch and drove about 10 miles northeast of Soldotna to explore the Swanson River Road.  This road accesses the Kenai Canoe Trails which goes through several lakes with portages in between them.  We thought this road would give us an excellent opportunity to see moose and bear along the road during the day.  The most wildlife we saw were squirrels and a couple of grouse.  There are several parking areas along the roads, where cars can be left while canoeists portage to a nearby lake to start their travels.  There are many fishing and camping opportunities along the routes.  Driving along the road there are only a few spots where a motorized vehicle can get closer to a lake.  This is the first lake we were able to stop near to get a photo.

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We drove into the Rainbow Lake Campground which was set up with three campsites.  The third site had a picnic table by the lake and it made a great lunch stop.

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After lunch, we continued to the end of the road to Swanson River Landing.

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Going back a half mile, there is a junction where Swan Lake Road goes 12 miles to it’s end at Paddle Lake.

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We continued to the end of this road also, stopping at this walkway to a distant view of one of the lakes.

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We returned to Kenai via the K-Beach Road and this moose and her twins were grazing right next to the road and didn’t seem at all bothered by the traffic.

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We continued out toward the Cannery Road, where this moose watched us closely.  It wasn’t long before she took of at a run with her young calf following closely behind her (too fast to get a photo).

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After a delicious salmon dinner at Kimber and Gale’s house, we returned to the RV for the night.

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