Roadtrip with RVshare Anchorage to Pasagshak State Recreation Site

Taking an Anchorage to Pasagshak State Recreation Site RV road trip is a beautiful way to explore the northwest section of the Gulf of Alaska. There are exciting towns to visit like Whittier, Homer, and Kodiak. While you can start the trip by taking the highway from Anchorage to Homer, you will need to take the Port Lions Ferry to finish your road trip before following beautiful coastal highways on Kodiak Island to arrive at Passagshak State Recreation Site. While this park is a fantastic place to go sport fishing and see the salmon run, you may also see brown bears, whales, seals, dolphins, sea bird colonies, and eagles when you visit this site. 

Nearby National Parks

Kenai Fjords National Park  

One of the most popular ways to explore Kenai Fjords National Park is on a boat tour. You may want to go on a half-day tour that stays close to land, allowing you to see many marine birds and mammals, or a full-day tour heading to the tidewater glaciers. Hiking the 8.2-mile round trip, Harding Icefield Trai enables you to see the views of the ice from this park’s summit. If you cannot squeeze enough time into your road trip itinerary from Anchorage to Pasagshak State Recreation Site, join park rangers at Exit Glacier for a 90-minute walk. The pavilion at Exit Glacier is a great place to join rangers to learn about this park’s animals through informative presentations. Many choose to go on a flightseeing adventure so that they can see more remote areas. Bear Glacier Lagoon, a proglacial lagoon, is an exciting place to go on a kayaking adventure. 

Lake Clark National Park  

You will either need a boat or hire a charter plane to visit Lake Clark National Park. There are several coastal places, like Chinitna Bay, Shelter Creek, and Tuxedni Bay along Cook’s Inlet, that are fantastic places to view bears. Consider taking a ride on the ice in the late winter on a fat-tire bike with studded tires. From May to September, anglers often catch their limit of sockeye salmon. The only maintained hiking trails at this park start at Port Alsworth, but you can make hiking paths anywhere in this national park. 

Nearby State Parks

Wood-Tikchik State Park  

Approximately 15% of all state parkland in the United States is in Wood-Tikchik State Park, and there are 12 lakes larger than 1,000 acres here. Paddle your way from Dillingham down the streams to visit these interconnected lakes. Each of the lakes is between seven and 14 miles long, and you will often encounter whitecap conditions. Because it is difficult to reach this park, most people take a flight from Anchorage. Anglers will want to bring their fishing equipment to this remote location because it is home to all five species of Pacific salmon. Others come to this isolated park to see the bears because they are common here. 

Shuyak Island State Park  

The only way to reach Shuyak Island State Park is in a floatplane. This is an excellent place for a wilderness adventure since there are no roads to this park or within its boundaries. The conditions at this park are often frigid, with large swells, rough seas, high winds, and heavy surf that can change rapidly. Yet if you are brave enough to go to this state park, you can see a fantastic variety of birds including puffins, black oystercatchers, cormorants, common and red-throated loons, mergansers, harlequin ducks, and bald eagles. The coastline can be a great place to see whales, harbor seals, sea lions, and Dall porpoises. There are no trails, but you can make your own. You may see Kodiak brown bear and Sitka black-tailed deer as you hike through the thick forest. 

Afognak Island State Park  

Afognak Island State Park is accessible by plane or boat. Once you are inside this 124,804-acre state park, you can go hiking on the old lumber roads. You may see Kodiak brown bear, Sitka black-tailed deer, and Roosevelt elk on your hikes. Seasonal hunting is allowed at this state park. It is also a great place to go on a kayaking adventure. The river leaving from Discoverer Bay can be a fantastic place to go red and silver salmon and steelhead trout fishing. While there are no developed trails at this location, there are old logging roads that you can walk along. 

Along the Way

McHugh Creek Recreation Area  

Head out from Anchorage on the Steward Highway, and just after the Potter Weigh Station, you will see a turnout to McHugh Creek Recreation Area. A short hike takes you to a gorgeous 20-foot waterfall. Numerous trails lead from the waterfall to beautiful views of Turnagain Arm and North and South Suicide Peaks before converging again at McHugh Lake, so it is easy to create a loop trail of about five miles at this location. 

Skilak Lake Road  

The Skilak Lake Road is an 18-mile loop road around Skilak Lake on Kenai Peninsula. This is a beautiful road to drive when it is dry, and you can often see black bears during the first seven miles of this road. Numerous hiking trails leave from this road, and you can often see lynx from these trails. 

Glacier Discovery Train  

Consider taking the Alaska Railway’s round-trip Glacier Discovery Train. This train leaves Anchorage each morning for Whittier and returns in the afternoon. Instead of getting off in Whittier, you can opt to stay on the train and take the ride out to see Spencer Glacier. It is also a convenient way to see the Alaskan countryside and to arrive in Whittier in time to take a day cruise to Vancouver. The route runs by the most extensive tidal range in the United States, and you can see the second-longest highway tunnel in North America from the train as it nears Whittier. 

Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park  

Follow the trails past bunkers and relics from WWII outposts when you visit Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park. You can often attend nature programs on the beach at this location given by local experts. In addition, there are many hiking trails at this 182-acre site that offer beautiful views of the bay and the heavily wooded mainland. 

Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge  

If you want to be almost guaranteed to see a Kodiak brown bear, head to Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. This 1.9-million-acre refuge offers outstanding opportunities to see the bears in their natural habitat. The sanctuary covers about 66% of Kodiak Island, all of Ban and Uganik Islands, and a small section of Afognak Island. In addition to seeing the bears, experts estimate that about 600 breeding pairs of bald eagles visit this refuge during the early summer months. This refuge is also a great place to go fishing for salmon, and hunting is allowed seasonally. 

Main Cities You Will Pass Through

Ninilchik, Alaska  

Ninilchik is a great place in which to spend time on the Alaska coast. Consider Ninilchik campgrounds, which include the Ninilchik River Campground with its great creek-side hiking trails, or the Ninilchik View Campground where you'll likely spot bald eagles. Ninilchik RV dump stations are available at Scenic View RV Park and Alaskan Angler RV Resort. 

Kenai, Alaska

Kenai RV offers sites near the Kenai River while RJC RV Park is near the city dock. These are just two of the Kenai campgrounds that you may want to consider on your Anchorage to Pasagshak State Recreation Site road trip. There are Kenai RV dump stations at 260 Tesoro and Diamond M Ranch Resort. 

Homer, Alaska

If you want to feel like you are surrounded by water on two sides while on your road trip from Anchorage to Pasagshak State Recreation Site, consider Homer campgrounds along Homer Spit Road. These include Homer Spit Campground, Fishing Hole Campground, and Heritage RV Park. There are RV dump stations in Homer at Homer/Baycrest KOA and the Chevron. 

Find Adventure from Anchorage to Pasagshak State Recreation Site

Find your One-Way Rental

When you follow this road trip itinerary from Anchorage to Pasagshak State Recreation Site, you will enjoy historic locations and beautiful scenery along the way. If you want to travel in comfort and style, consider an RV rental from RVshare. From large motorhomes to compact campervans, there is a rig that will meet your travel and budget needs. Once you hit the road, you are protected by our renter guarantee and 24/7 roadside assistance. Find the perfect vehicle for your travel needs in Anchorage or Pasagshak State Recreation Site.