
TRAIL RIVER
campground Map
Save this location for offline use before your trip. For best results, create/open a trip from this page and download the same area.
Nearby Trails
Moose Pass Trail
Vagt Lake Trail
Ptarmigan Creek Cutoff Trail
Moose Pass Trail
Falls Creek ORV Trail
Crown Point ATV Trail
About this site
Overview Trail River Campground, set between the Trail River and Kenai Lake, provides lake, river and snow-capped mountain scenery among the hemlock and spruce forests of the Chugach National Forest. It lies within driving distance of two main tourism destinations; 24 miles north of Seward and 40 miles east of Cooper Landing, AK. Miles of hiking and biking trails weave throughout the area.
Moose, brown and black bear, sheep and goats can be found across a large parts of the forest. Kenai Lake marks the headwaters of the Kenai River. The campground is situated on the Eastern Kenai Peninsula at elevation 450 feet.
Recreation The Day Use Site at Trail River Campground provides beach access to Kenai Lake. Many people enjoy fishing, collecting driftwood, skipping rocks and walking along the beach. The view of the mountains surrounding Kenai Lake is gorgeous.
Snow is present in the high peaks and avalanche chutes until the end of August. Trout fishing can be very productive from the beach at Trail River Campground as well as at many nearby streams. The lake is home to Dolly Varden, rainbow trout and lake trout.
Although trout fishing is open year-round in Kenai Lake, special restrictions apply within 1/4 mile of inlet streams. Kenai Lake is not open to salmon fishing. Anglers are required to have a State of Alaska Fishing license and obey all regulations.
Within a one-mile radius of the campground entrance, are five trails: Falls Creek Trail, Crown Point Mine Road, Ptarmigan Creek Trail and Vagt Lake Trail. All of these trails run roughly east-west and provide access to the Iditarod National Historic Trail (INHT) which runs north-south. The INHT is an ongoing project to build a '"southern trek" connecting Seward (Mile 0 of the Iditarod Trail) to Eagle River (north of Anchorage).
Currently, sections of this trail are still under construction, and several bridges are missing.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
Reviews and photos are added by members after completing a trip here. Plan a trip to be the first!
Campground data provided by Recreation.gov ยท Updated Apr 2026
Reserve at Recreation.gov โ