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Mona Painter/Turnagain Times Visitors from Phoenix pose by the welcome sign in mid-Cooper Landing, below the school near Mile 48 on the Sterling Highway. |
By Mona Painter
Turnagain Times Cooper Landing Correspondent
Summer begins in Cooper Landing with the annual coed softball tournament at the community center on Bean Creek Road. Local teams battle it out for 10 days against each other and teams from Moose Pass and Summit Lake.
Cooper Landing Emergency Services runs the concessions in the community hall. Playoff day this year is Sunday, June 7. Visitors from Anchorage and around the peninsula join the fun and help fill the bleachers. Soon the men and woman playing ball will be working long hours in rafts and river boats and in the local lodges and stores since Cooper Landing is the destination of thousands of campers, hikers, and fishermen during the long, bright summer days.
Located about 100 miles south of Anchorage, Cooper Landing is spread along ten miles of the Sterling Highway adjacent to the west end of Kenai Lake and the first several miles of the Kenai River. This is the place for those who like to set up a tent or park a motor home at U. S. Forest Service Campgrounds or hike the Chugach National Forest trails. Most come to fish during the runs of red and silver salmon.
Local information is available at the Cooper Landing Chamber of Commerce log cabin visitors’ center next to Wildman daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the chamber website, and by email to info@cooperlanding chamber.com.
The Chamber is sponsoring a raffle to help raise funds to bring a health care clinic to Cooper Landing. Tickets for the four prize packages are three for $10 and the drawings will be held on June 20. Prize packages include guided fly-in fishing and bear viewing donated by Talon Air Service of Soldotna, fishing trips and lodging by Kenai Driver Drifters Lodge, horseback riding from Alaska Horsemen Trail Adventures, and a $100 dinner for two donated by Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge.
Boating, fishing and camping
Boating and fishing on Kenai Lake and Kenai River are easily accomplished by launching boats at the Alaska State Boat Launch next to the bridge at Mile 48 or by using the boat ramp at the USFS Quartz Creek Campground. Guided fishing and sightseeing raft trips are available on Kenai River from several local businesses. The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge concessionaire runs the Russian River Ferry and the campground at the west end of Cooper Landing. The ferry crosses the river near the confluence of the Russian and Kenai Rivers. Guided sea kayaking is offered by Mike and Leah Smith who also rent mountain bikes.
Horseback riding
Horseback trail riding is another popular way to see the area. A variety of rides are available through Alaska Horseman Trail Adventures. Near the horses, a gravel landing strip in the Quartz Creek area provides a landing for small planes.
Cooper Landing Community Library
The Cooper Landing Community Library at the community center on Bean Creek Road is open every day except Sunday. The hours are posted at the library. Internet access is available as well as books, DVD and video movies, and audio books. The Cooper Landing Community Hall is next to the library and used for local meetings as well as available for rental. Call Virginia Morgan at 595-3094 for information and to make reservations.
Church Services
Regular Sunday church services are held at Cooper Landing Baptist Church, St. John Neumann Catholic Church, Cooper Landing Community Church, and Wilderness Chapel.
Clubs and activities
The Pinochle and Games Club meets Friday nights at 7 p.m. at Eagles View Helen Gwin Commons at Senior Haven two miles up Snug Harbor Road. The Sew & Sew Quilters are usually at the community hall on Mondays. Cooper Landing Gun Club trap shoots take place Thursday afternoons and Sat. mornings at the Bean Creek Road rifle range adjacent to the cemetery.
Cooper Landing Senior Citizens Corp. Inc.’s annual flea market is June 12 and 13. Call 595-1810 to rent a table. Employees of Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge will perform their annual 4th of July parade for the amusement of all who come to watch them troop through the lodge property with great fanfare. Cooper Landing Historical Society and Museum’s garage sale is July 11 and 12 and this year volunteers will be serving hot dogs, ice cream and cake to celebrate Alaska’s 50th birthday.
Native Alaskan interpretive walks
Dena’ina Athabascans share their traditions and culture with visitors through interpretive walks at K’beq (Footprints) located on the Kenai River across from the entrance to the USFS Russian River Campground. I especially enjoyed the traditional plant use information the guide explained to us.
Berry picking
Picking raspberries, currents, cranberries, and several kinds of mushrooms while listening to bird songs and watching for moose and bear are summer opportunities to be enjoyed. During the summers he spent here in his old home town after retirement, Nick Lean would pick as much as 55 gallons of low bush cranberries. He also made spruce tip jelly, but that’s another story.
When visiting Cooper Landing, you’ll find many amenities including a taxi, laundries, a wide variety of lodging, and you can’t beat the scenery.