Located near downtown Soldotna, The Soldotna River Walk offers all Alaska river species – but most visitors come to this park for the sockeye. So that means the river walk can get crowded during peak sockeye season, but it’s also a great place to learn how to fish and catch sockeye: the hard-packed gravel, the easy accessibility, and the shallow-grade mix.

 

Good Handicap Access

The Soldotna River Walk’s fishing area comprises extensive boardwalks with wooden stairwells leading to the lake. Thanks to its long, winding ramp, The Soldotna River Walk is very handicap-accessible, and it even has a couple of boardwalk sections designed for mobility-impaired fishing. Otherwise, most fishing on this lake is done in the water, making chest waders or hip boots necessary. You won’t need to wade out far as the water is usually at or below knee height.

 

Cool Night Fishing

This river walk is also a popular spot for night fishing (when changes in regulations allow it). Night fishing is often described as a surreal experience: For one thing, sockeye tend to swim closer to the shore, so you don’t need to be standing in water any deeper than 1 ft. The technique is mostly the same, except that you target the area closer to your feet and, in some cases, parallel to yourself.