Turn Lake on the Kenai Peninsula — At the intersection of the Seward Highway and Sterling Highways where two popular roads lead to exceptional destinations and unparalleled adventures. Folks, this is Alaska's Playground.
Alaska's Camping Guide is going through an exhaustive update to insure the information on this site is accurate and correct for the coming camping season. Please contact us if any discrepancies, errors or omissions are noted.
Turn Lake on the Kenai Peninsula — At the intersection of the Seward Highway and Sterling Highways where two popular roads lead to exceptional destinations and unparalleled adventures. Folks, this is Alaska's Playground.
Tern Lake is located at Milepost 37 of the Seward Highway at the point where the road intersects with the Sterling Highway. This junction is important as a reference point in most all destinations on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. Watch for the wildlife viewing and interpretive site on the Sterling Highway or pull into Tern Lake Wayside for the salmon viewing platform and some quiet birding.
The easily accessible Tern Lake wildlife viewing area provides visitors to the Kenai
Peninsula with an excellent opportunity to view a diversity of Alaska wetland animals. Located
along the Seward Highway, the site features an accessible viewing
platform and interpretive signs. The Tern Lake area hosts numerous animals, birds, fish and unique
plants. Common loons, bald eagles, and arctic terns share the area with a variety of song birds
and shorebirds like the northern water thrush, golden-crowned sparrow and the Pine Siskin. Beavers,
otters, muskrats, salmon and dolly varden ply the gin clear, ice cold waters of Tern Lake. Keep
a Moose, Dall's sheep and mountain goats can be seen on the surrounding mountains.
Tern Lake wildlife can be best viewed from the accessible viewing platform. Interpretive signs help visitors understand the area's wildlife. Throughout the summer, the platform is often staffed by a knowledgeable forest interpreter who can answer questions and help spot wildlife.
Tern Lake campground closed in the late 1990's during the big budget cuts. There
is still a nice viewing area over the outlet of the lake and facilities like trash barrels and toilets
are still available.
Via Seward Highway - Northbound. | |
---|---|
Point of Interest | Miles from Turn Lake |
Tenderfoot Creek Campground, Summit Lake Lodge | 9.0 |
Hope Junction - Hope Highway Turnoff | 20.0 |
Bird Creek Campground | 64.0 |
Girdwood / Alyeska - the city of. | 49.0 |
Portage Glacier Turnoff | 39.0 |
Anchorage Alaska - the city of. | 89.0 |
Via Seward Highway - Southbound. | |
Point of Interest | Miles from Turn Lake |
Trail Lakes Fish Hatchery | 5.0 |
Moose Pass Alaska and Trail Lake Lodge. | 7.5 |
Trail River Campground | 13.5 |
Ptarmigan Creek Campground | 14 |
Exit Glacier Turnoff | 34 |
Seward Alaska | 37 |
Via Sterling Highway South. | |
Point of Interest | Miles from Turn Lake |
Kenai Lake | 8.0 |
Quartz Creek Campground | 9.0 |
Cooper Landing | 11.5 |
Cooper Creek Campground | 14.0 |
Russian River Campground | 17.0 |
Russian River Ferry | 18.0 |
Upper Skilak Lake Road - East Entrance | 21.0 |
Kelly Lake & Peterson Lake Campgrounds Turnoff | 32.0 |
Kelly Lake Campground | 33.0 |
Peterson Lake Campground | 33.0 |
Lower Skilak Lake Road - West Entrance | 38.5 |
Sterling Alaska | 47.0 |
Moose River Campground - By the Tesoro Gas Station. | 47.5 |
Issak Walton Campground, Mouth of the Moose River. | 48.0 |
Soldotna Alaska | 57.0 |
Kasilof River and the community of Kasilof. | 71.0 |
Ninilchik River - the Community of Ninilchik Alaska. | 98.0 |
Deep Creek Campgrounds - Community of Deep Creek | 100.0 |
Anchor Point, Alaska | 119.0 |
Anchor River Campground | 120.0 |
Homer Alaska, Alaska | 135.0 |
Homer Spit, Alaska | 138.0 |
There is an emergency phone located one mile west of the junction of the Sterling Highway and Seward Highway.
Photo of Turn Lake on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska.