Russian River

Overview

Beginning Aug. 15, 2024, the Russian River Campground will be closed to the Public for construction.

Construction crews will rebuild and widen one mile of the access road, making it more stable and resistant to frost heaves. During the closure, all vehicle and pedestrian access will be restricted and campground reservations on Recreation.gov will be unavailable. The Forest Service anticipates the first day for reservation arrivals will be June 5, 2025.

Russian River Campground is perched between the Russian and Kenai Rivers in south-central Alaska. It lies within driving distance of two main population centers, 110 miles south of Anchorage and 40 miles east of Soldotna, surrounded by the Chugach National Forest and the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.

Each year, this area is visited by over 100,000 people who recreate at the Russian River Campground, Ferry Access Site, Sportsman's Boat Launch, Russian Lakes Trail and K'beq Site. Hiking, biking and fishing are popular pastimes.

Recreation

The Russian River is the most popular sockeye salmon stream in Alaska and a top-rated spot for rainbow trout. Retention of sockeye salmon is legal from June 11th to August 20th. Silver salmon can be retained from July 1st to September 30th. Trout can be retained from June 11th through April 30th. Anglers are required to have a State of Alaska Fishing license and obey all regulations and emergency orders.

Kenai Peninsula is also a hiker's paradise, boasting hundreds of miles of maintained trails. The following two trails are accessible from the campground.