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A quiet hike through a spruce and birch forest leads
to a quiet isolated lake with loons.
Dark-eyed Junco
Dragonflies
NOTABLE SPECIES
Black bear
Moose
Red squirrel
Common loon
Common raven
Chickadees
Varied thrush
Warblers
Dark-eyed junco
Sparrows
Dragonflies
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 FIELD NOTES
A lush
well-established lowland forest casts a dim greenish light over
meandering, well-maintained trails. Forest birds such as thrushes,
sparrows and chickadees skitter and sing from the trees, while
darkeyed juncos dart beneath devil’s club and willow. The trails,
also used for crosscountry skiing in winter, lead to a small lake
with breeding loons, whose cries often echo through the forest.
Moose find winter and summer food in the area, and black bears
have been seen on the trails. A floating bog surrounds the lake,
creating an edge between forest and lake that draws out animals.
Alaska’s common carnivorous plant, the sundew, can be found amid
the moss, lichens and willows near the shore. Watch for
black-billed magpies and ravens near the playing fields and the
Nikiski Pool.
HABITAT
A white spruce and paper birch
forest interspersed with openings and brush dominates the trail
system. Understory plants include devil’s club, willow and alder.
A wetland rims the lake with a floating bog close to the water and
black spruce along the edges The lake itself contains sufficient
fish to support a nesting pair of loons.
RECREATION CONNECTION
The North Peninsula
Recreation Area of the Kenai Peninsula Borough offers a family
friendly swimming pool with waterslide and warm wading area,
sports, picnicking, and a community recreation center for the
Nikiski community.
VIEWING TIP
Visit early and late
to see moose. Walk the trails slowly and listen for bird songs.
Spend time at the lake and the loons will appear.
HELPFUL HINTS
Be prepared for mosquitoes.
Bring rubber boots if you want to explore the lake edge, but be
careful not to damage wetland vegetation.
GETTING THERE
Take Kenai
Spur Highway/Road north to Nikiski, past the industrial
facilities, to milepost 22. Turn left on Poolside Avenue at
milepost 23.4 and park behind the Nikiski Pool.
CONTACT
North Peninsula
Recreation Area, 907-776-8800
www.borough.kenai.ak.us/NikiskiPool/ |
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