Just before reaching the small hamlet of Clam Gulch, at Mile 117.4 of the Sterling Highway, you find the junction of a two-mile gravel road. Just west on the road is Clam Gulch State Recreation Area that has covered picnic tables, outhouses and a 116-site campground on a steep bluff overlooking Cook Inlet. More importantly, the road provides access to the beaches below and the start of the area’s great clam digging. Of all the beaches, the Clam Gulch beach is generally thought to be the best by clammers due to its easy access, the nearby campground and gradual gradient that makes for wide beds.
Clam digging for razor clams on most of the sandy beaches of the western Kenai Peninsula from Kasilof to Anchor Point can be rewarding. Thousands of clams are dug each year at Clam Gulch. Digging requires a sportfishing license, available at most sporting goods stores and there is a bag limit. If you don’t want to buy your own shovel, you can rent one in the area. Panoramic views of Mount Redoubt, Mount Iliamna and Mount Spurr across Cook Inlet and the expanse of beach provide a beautiful backdrop. Local residents include moose, bald eagles and gulls and the area is noted for its wide variety of wild flowers.
For more information:
Alaska State Parks
Kenai Area Office
P.O. Box 1247
Soldotna, AK 99669
(907) 262-5581
http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/clamglch.htm