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Across the Kenai Peninsula: a still from my film

Kenai Peninsula, Alaska · May 2020 · Solo

Across the Kenai Peninsula

123.7 KM · 5 DAYS · 1,980 M

5 days alone from Hope to Seward, Alaska.

Watch the film 20:58 · 2.1M views

At a glance

Where
Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Distance
123.7 km (76.9 miles)
Days
5 walking days: 3 nights in my tent, 1 in a public use cabin
Climbing
About 6,500 ft (1,980 m) up on the 4 recorded days, plus the climb to Resurrection Pass on Day 2
Season
June to September. Snow can lie in the pass into early June
Difficulty
Easy to moderate on the Resurrection Pass and Russian Lakes trails; hard on the Resurrection River Trail: brush, lost trail, unbridged fords
Route
Hope to Resurrection River trailhead on Exit Glacier Road
Highest point
Resurrection Pass, about 2,600 ft (official figure), Day 2
When I went
May 23 to 27, 2020, solo
Relief map of the Resurrection Pass route: 4 days drawn in red with numbered day starts, labelled Hope, Exit Glacier Road, Mt Ascension and Russian River Falls.
Day 1Day 3Day 4Day 5Highest 1,640 ft (501 m)

Elevation, start to finish: highest 1,640 ft (501 m), lowest 50 ft (14 m).

My GPS recording on a relief map. The numbers are where each day starts. The GPX files come with the guide.

Everything I made about it

The film

Photos

  • The Resurrection Creek valley on Day 1.
    The Resurrection Creek valley on Day 1.
  • The valley just south of Resurrection Pass, Day 2.
    The valley just south of Resurrection Pass, Day 2.
  • Snowy peaks above the Resurrection River Trail, Day 4.
    Snowy peaks above the Resurrection River Trail, Day 4.
  • Exit Glacier from above, near the end of Day 5.
    Exit Glacier from above, near the end of Day 5.
Walking the snowy valley just south of Resurrection Pass, Day 2.
Walking the snowy valley just south of Resurrection Pass, Day 2.

The guide · 59-page PDF + GPX files · 2027 season edition

Do it yourself

5 days alone from Hope to Seward, Alaska.

  • All five days
  • My GPX files
  • The cabins and camping
  • The Resurrection River Trail
  • Getting there and home

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Look inside the guide

Free sample

Try Day 3 free

The whole Day 3, West Swan Lake to Russian River Falls page from the guide as a PDF, plus my camping packing list: the 42 things I carry, with a note on each. Both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.

Gear on this trip

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What I carried in 2020

  • Shoestrail running shoes and thin socksI hiked the shoes into oblivion on this trip. With the sun out they dry off super quickly after a river; no boot keeps you dry when the river is over the top of it.
  • Pantszip-off pants
  • Clothesrain gear and warm layersAll of the clothing I needed for any kind of temperature or weather. My mentality is clothing and shoes that dry quickly.
  • Tentmy tent
  • Sleeping matan inflatable sleeping matBlowing it up gives me a head rush every time.
  • StoveJetboil mini stoveSimilar now: Jetboil Stash
  • Watera half-liter water bottleThat was more than enough: there was plenty of running water, and I was boiling so much for meals.
  • Bear spraybear sprayI carried it the whole way.

Filming kit

What I'd take now

My current kit

Everything I use, in Tools

The Americas and New Zealand bundle

This guide is in The Americas and New Zealand Hiking Guide Pack: 36 guides for $39. Or all 62 guides for $59.

Short answers

How many days does the Resurrection Pass Trail take?
I walked Hope to Seward, about 90 miles, in five long days. The Resurrection Pass Trail by itself is 38.4 miles, usually 3 to 4 days. For the whole way to Seward, a week is comfortable.
When is the best time to hike Resurrection Pass?
June to September. The Forest Service says there's heavy snow in the pass into early June. I went May 23 to 27, 2020, and the snow was patchy enough to walk through.
Where do you sleep on the Resurrection Pass Trail?
In public use cabins or at designated campsites. There are eight cabins on the Resurrection Pass Trail, booked on recreation.gov up to 180 days ahead, and cabins on these trails were $60 to $75 a night in 2026. I camped 3 nights and stayed 1 in West Swan Lake Cabin.
Do you need a permit for the Resurrection Pass Trail?
The Forest Service trail pages list no hiking permit. You need a reservation for any public use cabin, and you can't camp within 300 feet of a cabin you haven't booked.
How do you get to the Resurrection Pass trailhead?
Hope is about 88 road miles from Anchorage. The north trailhead is at Hope Highway mile 15, then 4 miles down Resurrection Creek Road. The research for this guide found no scheduled bus to Hope, so plan a car, a ride or a drop-off.

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