Occupying the Sterling Highway and Kenai Spur Highway intersection on the Kenai Peninsula and born when both roads were completed in the 1940s, Soldotna would be just another service center to tourists with the exception of one thing; the Kenai River runs through it. Thanks to its close proximity to Anchorage, ease of access and the amazing size of its king salmon, the Kenai River is without a doubt Alaska’s best-known sport fishery.
The proof is hanging on the wall of the Soldotna Visitor Information Center; a 97.2-pound trophy that is the world's largest sport-caught king salmon. The fish was hooked nearby in 1985 by local resident Les Anderson, who battled for more than an hour and then discovered his net was too small to land it. He ended up beaching his boat and wrestling the giant fish to shore. Biologists believe genetics and the fact that Kenai River salmon often spend an extra year at sea account for their gargantuan size. A trophy salmon elsewhere in Alaska is a 50-pound fish, while here, anglers don't get too excited until a king salmon tops 75 pounds.
All this makes Soldotna the most fish-crazy place in Alaska during the summer and the fastest growing city on the peninsula with a population of 4,061. Soldotna is a full-service community and well set up for the wave of anglers who flock here from mid-May through September for the runs of red, silver and especially the king salmon in the lower Kenai River. Numerous charter guides are located in the area and use drift boats to float their clients over the best holes and runs in the Kenai River while everything a visitor needs to catch a king can be found in the sport and tackle shops in town. Soldotna has even constructed several public fish walks at Centennial Park Campground, Swiftwater Park Campground, Soldotna Creek Park and behind the visitor information center to make the river more accessible to bank anglers. All of Soldotna’s boardwalks have public access and are free for your enjoyment.
For those not into big salmon, Soldotna also offers many other attractions including the Soldotna Homestead Museum with a wonderful collection of homesteaders' cabins spread through six wooded acres in Centennial Park, access to nearby hiking trails and Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center nearby. The refuge center is a family-friendly attraction with displays on the lifecycles of salmon, wildlife films shown in its theater, and naturalist-led outdoor programs in the refuge on the weekends.