Kenai Lake is the colour of a glacier-fed swimming pool, and it takes a moment to believe it. The water is a pale, milky turquoise, tinted by finely ground rock called glacial flour that streams in from the glaciers high in the Kenai Mountains, and on a sunny day it glows. The lake is long and narrow, around twenty-four miles, curling between steep, snow-capped ridges, with spruce and birch forest along the shore and the sound of water moving everywhere.
The Seward Highway runs beside it for several miles, and this is one of the loveliest stretches of the road. The highway hugs the shore, then climbs a little to give a view down the lake to the mountains beyond, with pull-outs where you can stop and look. In summer the air smells of spruce and fresh water, and in September the cottonwoods and birches turn yellow. The Kenai River, famous for its salmon runs, leaves the lake at its western end, and in July sockeye salmon fill the river, drawing anglers from all over the world. Bears also come to fish, so be aware.
The road is a good one for riding, with smooth tarmac, easy bends and spectacular scenery, but it carries a lot of summer traffic, including RVs, fishing parties and tour vehicles, and speeds are modest. Wind can blow up the lake, and weather changes quickly, with rain common and snow possible in the high country early or late in the season. Wildlife such as moose, bears and eagles may be near the road, so stay alert, particularly at dawn and dusk. The best months are June to September, with long daylight hours in midsummer.
The small communities of Cooper Landing and Moose Pass, at either end of the lake, offer the basics: fuel, a few cafés and lodgings, fishing guides and small shops, and a roadhouse or two. Seward, about thirty miles south on Resurrection Bay, is the main town with a wider choice, so fill the tank when you can, since distances between stations are long. Bring a waterproof layer and insect repellent, as mosquitoes are a feature of the Alaskan summer.
Stop at a pull-out and just look at the water. The colour changes with the light and the clouds, and it is hard to tire of.