Anchor River
The Anchor River is a stream on the Kenai Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska.[1] Beginning near Bald Mountain on the eastern side of the lower peninsula, if flows generally west for 30 miles (48 km)[1] into Cook Inlet near Anchor Point on the western side of the peninsula.[3] The river mouth is 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Homer.[1]
| Anchor River | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location of the mouth of the Anchor River in Alaska | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | Kenai Peninsula |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Kenai Peninsula |
| • coordinates | 59°48′19″N 151°10′27″W[1] |
| • elevation | 1,424 ft (434 m)[2] |
| Mouth | Cook Inlet |
• location | Anchor Point, 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Homer |
• coordinates | 59°46′58″N 151°51′38″W[1] |
• elevation | 16 ft (4.9 m)[1] |
| Length | 30 mi (48 km)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Twitter Creek |
| • right | Chakok River (north fork) |
The middle reaches of the river pass through the Anchor River and Fritz Creek Critical Habitat Area, meant to protect fish and wildlife, especially moose.[4] The lower river intersects North Fork Road and then the Sterling Highway before reaching Anchor and the Anchor River State Recreation Area (SRA) at the coast.[3]
Recreation Area
The Anchor River State Recreation Area is a popular spot for camping and fishing in the summer months, when there are salmon runs, and catch-and-release steelhead fishing. Anchor Point, the site of the SRA, is the most westerly point in the U.S. highway system.[5] From the beach at the recreation area you can see the distant peaks of the Aleutian Range, including the volcanoes Mount Augustine Mount Iliamna and Mount Redoubt[6] The area was also the site of gold mining activities in the 1890s.[7]
Anchor Point does not have a harbor, but it has a boat-launch service at the beach that uses tractors to launch and recover boats from shore to deeper water.[8]
See also
References
- "Anchor River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. March 31, 1981. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
- Derived by entering source coordinates in Google Earth.
- Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2010. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-89933-289-5.
- "Anchor River/Fritz Creek — Critical Habitat Area". Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
- "Anchor River State Recreation Area and Stariski State Recreation Site". Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
- Anchor River SRA Alaska Department of Natural Resources
- The Milepost 2018 edition, page 562,ISBN 9781892154378
- Jackinsky, McKibben (May 10, 2007). "New Owners Launch Business, Fishing Season at AP Beach". Homer News. Homer, Alaska. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2013.