Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center Hiking Trails

We always lament how little hiking there is in the Kenai-Soldotna area, but one nice trail that can be run is the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center Hiking Trails. They just got a new visitor's center built that opened this year (maybe late 2015), and is always interesting seeing the latest in interpretive choices.

The trails at the KNWR Visitor's Center in Soldotna are a nice, comfortable to walk without significant elevation gain
There are several loops, some laid with wood chips, under 3 miles for the largest loop. I will say that the mosquitoes here were worse than anywhere else we have been this summer, and we've camped a lot. It was also one of the few times we did not put bug spray on, lulled by how few bugs there have been, and we were treated to swarms of the blood suckers. Every few seconds I would swipe my necks and kill another 3 or 4 of them. This was unusual, though, as I don't recall being driven insane on these trails before.

The biggest bummer about these trails, and the reason we don't hike on them more, is because the Visitor's Center parking lot is only open regular business hours, so if you're in the area after hours you would have to park along the road, and make sure you're not still on the trails when they close. We would come here more if it weren't for that.

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