Planning Your 2011 Alaskan Vacation - Which Month is Best? (Part 3 - JUNE)

June is the month where Alaska explodes in green.  The cow moose have had their babies, and the little calves are always a treat to spot, hiding behind mother's legs, tripping along beside her as she walks, often with a twin brother or sister for company. 

Bear peeking his head up, just below Diamond M Ranch Resort

This bear (and his two brothers) came to visit the Kenai River estuary, just below our Viewing Deck, last May and early June.  The bears wake up hungry after a winter's sleep.  Omniverous animals, they often don't really mind what they eat, as long as they eat.  Sometimes the handiest meal available, especially before the salmon come in, is the newborn moose calf, many of which succumb to the bear shortly after their birth.

  Bears are usually not a problem for human beings, preferring to keep to themselves.  As the saying goes, "they are more afraid of us than we are of them."  It is always a treat to get to watch one of these amazing creatures moving, in that slow ambling way that bears do, through their natural environment.

In June, King Salmon begin heading up the rivers, many fishing enthusiasts delighting in the hunt for the "big one," barbeques sizzling with sumptuous the first fresh salmon steaks of the year.  Out in the bountiful waters of the Cook Inlet, halibut guides aid their clients as they pull in the large flat fish, the ocean and the surrounding mountains looking on.  And fishing for trout in a local lake or stream can almost be a magical experience during the month of June, the canoe floating silently along next to loons, lilly pads, and dragonflies, perhaps startling a family of ducks just around the bend.  The water everywhere is teeming with life, the surrouding forests as well, and it all combines to produce a feeling of wonder and awe. 

Kenai River, just below Diamond M Ranch Resort

Visiting Alaska during the month of June is a treat for the senses.  Whether you love to hike, fish, explore or take in the scenery, the wonders of the Far North are everywhere.   

Feel free to leave comments, thoughts, tips and suggestions in the comments box below.  Tell us what you know about visiting Alaska in June!  We look forward to hearing from you.

So Much To Do on the Kenai Peninsula! (Work Camper Adventures at the Diamond M Ranch Resort)

Helping to run the Diamond M Ranch Resort campground is not a job for the faint of heart. Somewhat similar to juggling plates, a good work camper has to be able to multi-task. Here at the Diamond M Ranch, that means the ability to go on dog sled rides with Ididaride Sled Dog Tours...

 

Raft glacier-fed rivers with the Alaska Rivers Company...

Haul in a big catch with Chihuly Charters...

Or go flying with High Adventure Air (awesome!), and even enjoy a glacier cruise with Major Marine Tours, and so much more!

A big thank you to all of the above companies, for offering our work campers these opportunities to experience Alaska. As they say, the best advertisement is a happy customer, and our work campers certainly had a ball with all of you!

We have the most amazing Work Campers, year after year, and words can't express how much we appreciate them. Each one always has a unique skill, whether it's in answering phones, organizing office areas, helping with new construction, landscaping and gardening, building fences, working security, helping with ranch animals, having a friendly smile to greet guests, hosting fish fry socials---and even making beautiful signs* placed all around the resort, named after each one of our family members!

Summer at the Diamond M Ranch Resort flies by quickly, always so much going on---so many things to see and do, as well as so many wonderful guests to help have a wonderful stay. We appreciate our Work Campers so much. Their energy, smiles, and helping hands truly enable us take our business to the next level!

*Thank you, Jim Diggs, for the beautiful signs and for the great pictures above that you shared with us!

RVing in Alaska: July Dipnetting Season Is Upon Us!

It's the middle of July, and for those of us with lodging accommodations next to the Kenai River, that means only one thing  Lots and lots of motor homes!  It seems like everybody and their brother (and mother and uncles and cousins, for that matter) are down from the Anchorage, hoping to get their nets in the water and load up on a winter freezer's worth of salmon.  We're glad to be of service and enjoy the energy that all these guests bring to our busy campground.   

Schools of salmon are making their last pilgrimage, leaving the cold ocean waters and making for the streams of their birth.  My kids and I were at a beach a couple days ago, young faces squealing with delight as we watched salmon make their way past a well-fed seal and up into the fresh water creek where we stood, slippery scales passing between our bare legs, thrashings tails leaving a brief wake of foaming white water before disappearing around the bend.          

Setting Up Your Alaskan Fishing Adventure on the Kenai

Fishing the world famous Kenai River is a highlight for most everyone's trip to the Kenai Peninsula. Rated as the #1 Fishing Hotspot in North America by Field & Stream Magazine in May of 2004, the Kenai River holds the world record for the largest Chinook (King) Salmon caught on a pole, weighing in at 97 pounds 4 ounces in 1988 by Les Anderson.

For best success at catching one of these record breaking King Salmon, we can outfit you with our favorite professional local fishing guides, who will take you on a 1/2 day King Salmon charter that will surely live long in your memory! Plan well ahead as the prime dates for the season will surely be booked well in advance.  

 

If you prefer to do-it-alone and catch salmon from the shore, we can point you in the direction of excellent local tackle shops and public access points on the Kenai River. 

There, you can have great success at catching the smaller, but also delicious and plentiful Sockeye (Red), Coho (Silver), and Pink Salmon which run throughout the summer and fall from June-September. Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden are also caught in record sizes in the Kenai River, and the best fishing for them coincides with the salmon fishery, running from May-September.

Soldotna is a great place to launch your fly for fishing adventures too! Whether you prefer fishing the remote lakes of the Kenai Peninsula for trout or the bountiful streams across Cook Inlet for Salmon, we can help you arrange a fly out trip with a safe, reputable local air charter service.

Give us a call soon to help set up your Alaskan Fishing Adventure!