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About

Where are we?
Drifters Lodge is located in the small town of Cooper Landing, about 2 hours south of Anchorage.

About Us / Our Mission
Drifters Lodge is a small, locally owned and operated fishing lodge with a long history of repeat guests and satisfied anglers.

Meet Our Guides
Here at Drifters, we all share a love of the outdoors and respect for the incredible wilderness at our fingertips.

Testimonials
Some kind words from our guests.
Packages

Our Fishing Packages
Three Package Levels. Options from single day to weeklong packages. Fully customizable to meet your needs.

Pricing
Explore individual rates for each of our package tiers.

ACTIVITY SUBSTITUTIONS
Mix up your fishing itinerary with a non-fishing adventure.
Guided Fishing

Explore Species & Fisheries
Dive into an unforgettable adventure with a guided fishing trip for rainbow trout or Alaskan salmon.

Fishing By The Month
When planning your Alaska fishing experience, our professional fishing charters provide everything needed for a successful day on the water.

Rainbow Trout Trips
This four-hour fishing trip on the Upper-Upper Kenai is excellent for all ages and experience levels.

Sockeye Salmon Trips
Fishing the Russian for sockeye salmon is an adventure you’ll never forget.

Silver Salmon Trips
Drifters Scenic Floats are the perfect way to get you off the road and onto the water

King Salmon Trips
The Kenai River is home to the world record King Salmon weighing in at 97.4 pounds and measuring in at over 5 ft in length! On average these beasts weigh between 15-25lbs with fish over 30lbs hitting the nets regularly.

Fly-In Fishing Trips
For this trip, Drifters partners with a local float plane charter to drop you off at one of several high alpine lakes in the Chugach National Forest with one of our private guides.
Rafting
Accommodations

CABINS
Drifters Lodge is a small, locally-owned and operated lodge in Cooper Landing, Alaska.

The River House
The River House has a large front porch with an amazing view of the Upper Kenai River.

Amenities
Enjoy a range of amenities designed for your comfort and convenience.

Inquire About Availability
Have questions or ready to get started? Reach out to us today to check availability and secure your spot.
Trip Planning

FAQs
Everything You Need to Know About Drifters Lodge.

Where To Start
Not sure where to begin? Start here to plan your perfect Alaskan adventure at Drifters Lodge.

Large Group
Planning a trip for a large group? Drifters Lodge offers tailored accommodations and activities to ensure your group has an unforgettable Alaskan experience together.

Driving Directions
Getting to Drifters Lodge is easy! Follow our detailed driving directions to ensure a smooth journey.

Kenai Peninsula Hiking

Experience Hiking on The Kenai Peninsula

The Kenai Peninsula hiking trail are a hiker’s dream come true. Drifters Lodge is located in the heart of the Chugach Mountains and borders the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. There are a wide variety of hikes easily accessible from Drifters Lodge. If you are willing to take a few steps off the road, you’ll experience true wilderness. The farther you’re willing to go; the more spectacular sights await you. Our local trails are the perfect way to enjoy photography, wildlife and panoramic views.

Depending on which hike you choose, you will enjoy spectacular perspectives on Kenai Lake, the Cooper Landing Valley, Russian River, Russian Lakes, Skilak Lake, Chugach Mountains, Crescent Lake, Cooper Lake, etc. We think that in order to fully enjoy Alaska, at least one backcountry hike should be part of your Alaskan vacation.

Guided Hikes Are Availble

Our guides are great company on a hike and can give you a safe, enhanced experience, so you come away not only awed by spectacular views, but also a little more knowledgeable about the area you hiked in.

A Note On Saftey

The hikes in Alaska are bigger, better and wilder, which means you have to be prepared. Especially if you are planning to hike without a guide, you need to do your research. Preparation can mean the difference between a rewarding day in the wilderness and dangerous situations. If you are concerned about bears, we are happy to talk to you about our safety precautions. There are many steps we take to minimize risk. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources provides excellent safety information for hikers, including bear safety.

Leave No Trace

On all hikes, we practice the 7 principles of Leave No Trace: Plan Ahead and Prepare, Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces, Dispose of Waste Properly, Leave What You Find, Minimize Campfire Impacts, Respect Wildlife, and Be Considerate of Others. Learn more about how these principles reduce user impact on the trails we love.

Easy Hikes

Rainbow Lakes

Available as a guided trip

This is a meandering, easy trail to the shore of an alpine lake. Surrounded by hemlocks, Rainbow Lakes has an enchanted feel. The trail offers beautiful views, great opportunities for photography, birding, berries, mushrooms and the occasional Trumpeter Swan when the season is right. This location is ideal for experiencing the quiet of the mountains without a physically demanding hike.

Ptarmigan Creek

Available as a guided trip

If you enjoy contemplative forest walks, you will love this trail through cottonwoods, spruce, and hemlock alongside silty Ptarmigan Creek.  Catch a glimpse of a salmon fighting its way upstream and consult your guidebook to identify the colorful mushrooms and fungi which thrive in the lush understory. The trail follows the creek for a while before climbing high above to the shores of Ptarmigan Lake.  This slender lake, surrounded by jagged mountain peaks, makes this a picturesque and peaceful destination. Loons and goldeneye patrol the lake.

Gull Rock

Available as a guided trip

Watch the beauty and power of the ocean as the tides rush in and out of Turnagain Arm. This trail leads to a great spot to watch for Beluga Whales and soak in the view of mountains rising thousands of feet out of the ocean. There is no real elevation gain, as you are following the contour of Turnagain Arm, so you can simply walk as far as you like along this trail and enjoy the regular viewpoints over the water. Turnagain Arm is home to a famous bore tide that has a cult appreciation among surfers.

Kenai River Trail

Not available as a guided trip

From the upper trailhead, this path follows the Kenai River as it descends through the Canyon and beyond, to Skilak Lake. The initial stretches are a very easy walk to a great canyon overlook. Then, a mild descent takes you down toward the lake. This hike traverses swaths of land burned in the 2019 Swan Lake Fire, and you can identify these burn areas and the subsequent regrowth in progress. You can access the river at numerous points along this trail. Early in the summer, look for harlequin ducks and goldeneye on the river. Spot bald eagle’s nests in the huge cottonwood trees lining the river.

Moderate Hikes

Palmer LakeS

Available as a guided hike

Palmer Lakes is one of those spots that really takes you off the beaten path. Even the drive up to the alpine trailhead is an adventure. High clearance and 4wd are recommended as the old mining access road takes you up the mountain into the pass. Watch for moose, caribou, black bears and raptors on the grassy mountain slopes on the way to the trailhead. The hike begins in the tundra and leads to the abandoned Hirshey Mine. Pass blueberries, wildflowers and waterfalls as you climb towards the end of the valley and two alpine lakes. Turn around to see a full view of the mountain pass.

Carter Lake

Available as a guided hike

The first mile of Carter Lake trail is a steep ascent through birch and hemlock forest, before leveling out in the valley between mountain peaks. Then, you’ll meander through meadows filled with wildflowers and berry bushes until you reach Carter Lake. Carter and Crescent Lakes are crystal clear snowmelt alpine lakes that are the perfect spot for lunch. The lakes hold grayling and rainbow trout. Watch bumble bees work the fireweed meadows and spot warblers and other songbirds near the water’s edge. The different stages of fireweed growth mark the seasons, from flowering purple to reddening leaves in fall.

Hope Point

Available as a guided trip

This is a challenging but magnificent hike offering views of the Kenai Mountains, Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm. Travel from birch forest to alpine tundra, to the rocky summit for a well-earned rest and view over the water. As a reward for your hike, you can get a cold drink at one of the local watering holes in the town of Hope at the end of your day.

Russian River Falls

Available as a guided trip

This leisurely hike is great for families and hikers of any activity level. The trail is a well-maintained gravel path with gentle elevation gains. Between mid-June and early August the falls offer a great opportunity to watch the salmon jump as they are making their journey upstream to spawn. If you are lucky you may even see a bear or two fishing in the salmon-filled pools at the base of the falls!

Hidden Creek

Not available as a guided trip

This trail is very diverse, weaving through the scars of the 1996 Hidden Creek Fire, past the wetlands of Hidden Creek and finally to the beautiful blue waters of Skilak Lake. The gravel beach is the perfect lunch spot, with plenty of skipping stones. The hike is ideal for birders and is a great place to see a Bald Eagle perched in a tree or a Double-crested Cormorant skimming over the lake. Have you ever tasted a watermelon berry? Here is your chance, as this trail is full of them.

Diffucult Hikes

Cecil Rhode Mountain

Available as a guided trip

This is the mountain we wake up to every morning at Drifters Lodge. An imposing peak with a sheer face of rock facing our office, most don’t realize it’s possible to climb! The trail takes you up the back side, and as soon as you rise above the treeline, you’ll have an expansive birds eye view of the Kenai River valley and Cooper Landing. You don’t have to make it all the way to the top for the amazing views, but if you do summit, peer over the edge of a three-thousand-foot rock face and spot Drifters Lodge below. You may see the resident mountain goats on the cliffs. For serious hikers, this is one of our absolute favorites.

Exit Glacier/Harding Icefield

Not available as a guided trip

Completing the Harding Icefield trail requires a full day commitment and strenuous hiking. The early stages of the hike are in the trees, before coming into the open at Marmot Meadows to see the first vistas over Exit Glacier. This is a turnaround point for many hikers, but continuing on will take you up into otherworldly terrain. The trail proceeds along sculpted rock where ice has retreated, and you’ll hike along the edge of the glacier, eventually coming to a view overlooking Harding Icefield.

Skyline

Not available as a guided trip

This is a rigorous hike, with initial steep climbs in the burn area of the 2019 Swan Lake Fire, but the reward is great. The top of the mountain is spectacularly windy with one heck of a view and a geo-cache. You can see the volcanoes across Cook Inlet climbing out of the ocean, and on a very clear day you can see the highest mountain peak in North America, Denali, hundreds of miles to the north. Skyline is for any hiker hungry for a challenge.

Slaughter Ridge

Not available as a guided trip

Slaughter is known around town for its quad and calf-burning climbs. Some of the steepest sections require both hands and feet to negotiate the jagged rock, but the payoff is almost immediate. After only 20-30 minutes of hiking, you’ll see your first bird’s eye views of Kenai Lake and surrounding mountains. The views continue to get better and better. This hike awakens all the senses as it is lined with a beautiful assortment of wildflowers, aspen and hemlock groves, a tucked-away lake, and then a thrilling ridgeline traverse up to the peak of Mt. Juneau, at over 3000 feet of elevation.

Hiking Fishing Trips

Combine the best of Alaska’s wilderness with the thrill of fishing on a hiking fishing trip. Trek through scenic trails to remote lakes and streams, where untouched waters are teeming with fish. These adventures offer a unique way to explore the beauty of Alaska while enjoying incredible fishing opportunities away from the crowds. Perfect for anglers who love the outdoors, hiking fishing trips provide breathtaking views, wildlife encounters, and the satisfaction of reaching hidden fishing spots on foot.