These days, Soldotna is a major destination for tourism, especially fishing. People come from all over the world and at the height of the fishing season, you can be standing looking at the cheese section and realize that most of the people around you are speaking German or French. Wilkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome to Soldotna. Now that you're here, slow down. If you can take the pedal off the medal, you'll find that there is more to Soldotna than the magnificent Kenai River, fish and fisherfolk. At the top of my list of places to visit in Soldotna, Alaska is the visitor center at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. It's a modest building, especially when you realize just how big the refuge is-1.92 million acres. Go on in the building and have a look around. I've taken my son, Tad, here ever since he was a little fry, and by now, he's named the two moose skulls in the corner, he's memorized the exhibits, and he knows most of the staff. As an added bonus, if it's raining, you can also see what movie the center is showing--topics usually relating to the refuge. This is really a family place, geared toward gentle hikes, so if the weather is nice, take the kids on a short hike on one of the well marked trails by the center.

Minnow's tip #1: The mosquitoes are big. The mosquitoes are hungry. Millions of mosquitoes are waiting for you. So, either cover up, or put on bug dope before you take that hike.

Minnow's tip #2: Leave your pet in the car. Yep. Fido may need a bathroom break, but this is not the place.

How to get there: take the Sterling Highway through the city of Soldotna. You'll go through four lights (one by Fred Meyer, one by River City Books, one by Safeway and one by Trustworthy Hardware). Cross the bridge over the Kenai River to the fifth light. You'll see the Soldotna Visitor's Center immediately to your right, but I want you to focus and get in the left hand lane. Turn left onto Funny River Road and take the first right onto a gravel road on the near side of SBS. Follow the road up the hill and on the crest of the hill, take a left into the Visitor's Center.

Cost: free-please support the refuge by dropping a couple of bucks in the donation box.

Questions: the people working behind the counter in the book area are knowledgeable and helpful. You can usually get maps here.

Contact information:

Kenai National Wildlife Center

Ski Hill Road

P.O. Box 2139

Soldotna, AK 99669

Phone Number: 907-262-7021

http://kenai.fws.gov/

Bitte, besuchen Sie unser "Kenai National Wildife Refuge Center." Hier können Sie einen Film über Natur sehen, eine Landkarte oder ein Buch kaufen, das kleine Museum besuchen und mit den Beamten sprechen. Sie können auch wandern. Es ist frei! Kostenlos! (Viellecht ein kleines Geldgeschenk?) Wilkommen!