Cooper Landing

A dozen miles west of the Seward Highway junction is Cooper Landing (www.cooperlandingchamber.com [1]), with a scattering of businesses—motels, restaurants, gas stations, and tackle shops—on both sides of the Sterling Highway. A visitors cabin (unstaffed) next to the boat launch on the south side of the Kenai River bridge is open daily in the summer.

The little Cooper Landing Museum (907/595-3500, www.cooperlandingmuseum.com [2]) at Mile 49 houses the articulated skeleton of a brown bear, historical items, and other items in two old cabins.

Getting to Cooper Landing

Homer Stage Line (907/235-2252, www.homerstageline.com [3]) runs to Anchorage [4], Homer [5], and Seward [6]. Service is daily to Anchorage [4] in the summer, twice weekly in winter. Seward [6] runs are daily in summer, three times a week the rest of the year.

At Mile 48, Wildman’s (907/595-1456 or 866/595-1456, www.wildmans.org [7]) has a laundry with showers, and offers a shuttle service. Gwin’s Lodge also has a shuttle service for folks floating the river.