For as many times as I’ve driven down to Seward and Homer, I have been making more and more of an effort to explore more of the Kenai Peninsula. It seems that with each trip I realize there are so many spots to stop and hike along the way, and there are many I haven’t explored! With that in mind, I started the summer of 2020 backpacking season off with a Memorial Day trip to check out Carter Lake.
Sunday started with a late breakfast and before hitting the road. It took about two hours to reach the Carter Lake trailhead, where we quickly found a parking spot and entered our names into the trailhead register. We grabbed our packs and headed off down the trail (well, up the trail, actually).
The hike starts with quite a climb. After tackling two miles of switchbacks and a few little stream crossings, the trail finally started to level out and open up into a valley. With mountains on either side and Carter Lake in front of us, we had passed a few fishermen on the way in who had reported great luck, and it was time to get a line in the water!
The views offered by the spring mountains surrounding the lake were incredible and in addition to the fish there were lots of ducks, loons, and swallows. (At least I think they were swallows judging by their wing shape- not an expert birder by any means, but that was what they looked like!) We were happy to discover that there were campsites nearby, set up our tent and settled in for dinner. We even managed some s’mores a la JetBoil!
Although I’m sure I’ll be back to make the full hike to Crescent Lake in the future, this trip was a great way to kick off the summer! I would definitely suggest Carter Lake for anybody interested in a quick weekend away from Anchorage, a simple outing to ease back into the summer adventuring lifestyle, or even someone looking to try backpacking for the first time. It’s a simple, short hike for such an amazing getaway. And stopping for lunch in Girdwood on the way back to Anchorage is obviously a must!
For more information on Carter or Crescent Lake hiking options, check out these Forest Service links:
Carter Lake Trail:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/chugach/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=6651&actid=51
Crescent Lake:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/chugach/recarea/?recid=11599
Happy adventuring!
