Tern Lake

Seward and Sterling Highway Junction.

Tern Lake is located at Milepost 37 of the Seward Highway where the road intersects with the Sterling Highway. This junction is important as a reference point in most all destinations on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. Watch for the wildlife viewing and interpretive site on the Sterling Highway or pull into Tern Lake Wayside for the salmon viewing platform and some quiet birding.

The easily accessible Tern Lake wildlife viewing area provides visitors to the Kenai Peninsula with an excellent opportunity to view a diversity of Alaska wetland animals. Located along the Seward Highway, the site features an accessible viewing platform and interpretive signs. The Tern Lake area hosts numerous animals, birds, fish and unique plants. Common loons, bald eagles, and arctic terns share the area with a variety of song birds and shorebirds like the northern water thrush, golden-crowned sparrow and the Pine Siskin. Beavers, otters, muskrats, salmon and dolly varden ply the gin clear, ice cold waters of Tern Lake. Keep a Moose, Dall's sheep and mountain goats can be seen on the surrounding mountains.

Tern Lake wildlife can be best viewed from the accessible viewing platform. Interpretive signs help visitors understand the area's wildlife. Throughout the summer, the platform is often staffed by a knowledgeable forest interpreter who can answer questions and help spot wildlife.

Tern Lake campground closed in the late 1990's during the big budget cuts. There is still a nice viewing area over the outlet of the lake and facilities like trash barrels and toilets are still available.

There is an emergency phone located one mile west of the junction of the Sterling Hwy and Seward Hwy.

RV Emergency Road Service from the Good Sam Club