Anchor River
Anchor River is located in Alaska
Anchor River
Location of the mouth of the Anchor River in Alaska
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughKenai Peninsula
Physical characteristics
SourceKenai Peninsula
 • coordinates59°48′19″N 151°10′27″W / 59.80528°N 151.17417°W / 59.80528; -151.17417[1]
 • elevation1,424 ft (434 m)[2]
MouthCook Inlet
 • location
Anchor Point, 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Homer
 • coordinates
59°46′58″N 151°51′38″W / 59.78278°N 151.86056°W / 59.78278; -151.86056[1]
 • elevation
16 ft (4.9 m)[1]
Length30 mi (48 km)[1]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftTwitter Creek
 • rightChakok River (north fork)

The Anchor River is a stream on the Kenai Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska.[1] Beginning near Bald Mountain on the eastern side of the lower peninsula, if flows generally west for 30 miles (48 km)[1] into Cook Inlet near Anchor Point on the western side of the peninsula.[3] The river mouth is 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Homer.[1]

The middle reaches of the river pass through the Anchor River and Fritz Creek Critical Habitat Area, meant to protect fish and wildlife, especially moose.[4] The lower river intersects North Fork Road and then the Sterling Highway before reaching Anchor and the Anchor River State Recreation Area (SRA) at the coast.[3]

Recreation Area

Tractor-launching a boat

The Anchor River State Recreation Area is a popular spot for camping and fishing in the summer months, when there are salmon runs, and catch-and-release steelhead fishing. Anchor Point, the site of the SRA, is the most westerly point in the U.S. highway system.[5] From the beach at the recreation area you can see the distant peaks of the Aleutian Range, including the volcanoes Mount Augustine Mount Iliamna and Mount Redoubt[6] The area was also the site of gold mining activities in the 1890s.[7]

Anchor Point does not have a harbor, but it has a boat-launch service at the beach that uses tractors to launch and recover boats from shore to deeper water.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Anchor River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. March 31, 1981. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  2. ^ Derived by entering source coordinates in Google Earth.
  3. ^ a b Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2010. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-89933-289-5.
  4. ^ "Anchor River/Fritz Creek — Critical Habitat Area". Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  5. ^ "Anchor River State Recreation Area and Stariski State Recreation Site". Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  6. ^ Anchor River SRA Alaska Department of Natural Resources
  7. ^ The Milepost 2018 edition, page 562,ISBN 9781892154378
  8. ^ Jackinsky, McKibben (May 10, 2007). "New Owners Launch Business, Fishing Season at AP Beach". Homer News. Homer, Alaska. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2013.



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