From Cooper Landing to Homer, Homer, Alaska

After a day of crummy salmon fishing in Cooper Landing (try trout fishing on the upper Kenaiinstead), I planned a leisurely day of driving from Cooper Landing to Homer with scenic stops along the way. Very close to Cooper Landing is the East entrance to Skilak Lake Road, an 18-mile gravel road which travels through Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.

Several trailheads initiate off this road including Skilak Lookout Trail. The path was a short four-miles and came recommended, so I decided to try it out on a welcomed sunny day. I should have paid closer attention to the wooden walking sticks and shoe scraper at the trailhead sign as this was a precursor to how my next two hours would be.

I followed the path through a moist forest home to many mushrooms. It didn’t take long before I was dodging mud puddles as I engaged in balancing acts while stepping from log to log. Trying to escape the mud turned into an exercise in futility as I slid along the trail whose steepness increased significantly as I approached the summit. I truly wished I had my hiking pole with me as I grabbed hold of chest high grasses for support. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).