Hiking the Russian River & Lakes Alaska
The Russian River and Russian Lakes are located on the Kenai Peninsula right outside the town of Coppers Landing and in the Chugach National Forest. The Russian River Campground is about a two hour drive from Anchorage, Alaska. The drive is very scenic with lots of places to stop and take in the views or explore if you have the time. The hiking, camping, fishing, and adventuring potential in the area is almost endless. It is hard to pick one thing to do, but in terms of beauty, ease of getting to, and not too hard of a hike this is a great option.
Make the drive to the Russian River Campground, it is a large campground that has 83 spots. The sites are large and well spread out, so it does not feel super crowded. When I have been there the campground has not been full, but it can be on weekends and holidays in the summer. The campground works on a reservation system, so be sure to make a booking before you get there on recreation.gov here. Scope out the map and find a good place. I recommend one along the river side because there are usually small paths so you can walk down to the river's edge from your campsite. Be sure you store your food properly and utilize the bear proof garbage cans. You don’t want any unwanted visitors at your camp site.
Close to the campground you can hike to Lower Russian Lake on the start of the Russian Lakes Trail. The whole trail is actually over 23 miles, but you can stop and cut down to Lower Russian lake at the access point to the Barber cabin around mile three. Even if you don’t have a reservation for the cabin, the lake is still a beautiful destination to hang out for a little while before following the trail back. You can also take the offshoot towards the Russian River Falls on the way back to check out the falls and a great chance at seeing bears fishing in the creek. This out and back version is a little over six miles in total and relatively flat.
From the campground you can also walk the Anglers trail and fish or just explore along the river. Do make sure you are bear aware even just on short walks around the campground, there are usually bears in the area especially when the salmon are returning to the river and they come down to the river to feed. You can also sometimes spot them fishing along the river.
If you have more time the campground is close to many other hiking trails in the Chugach National Forest including the Resurrection Pass trailhead just right across the river, which is 38 mile point to point hike that can be backpacked or if skilled hiked or mountain biked in one long day. Most people do it from Hope and ending in Coopers Landing, there are camping spots along the way. The day hiking and backpacking opportunities around this area are basically endless. If you have the time, spend the three night maximum at the campground and do as much hiking as you can. Check out Alltrails for a list and map of nearby hiking, as well as mileage and terrain information, and maps here.
Coopers Landing the nearby town does have services for helping restock supplies and a gas station. There is a Princess Lodge right along the river, which has a restaurant and great deck for sitting outside and enjoying a non camping meal and drink. If camping isn’t your style consider staying at the lodge or other rental.
