Russian River Falls is a series of cascades on the Kenai Peninsula with a viewing platform popular for watching sockeye salmon and brown bears, reached by an easy hike of roughly 4.8 miles round trip from the Russian Lakes trailhead near Cooper Landing. The trail begins off the Russian River Campground access road near milepost 52 of the Sterling Highway.
Its water comes from Russian River. It lies in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska. The site is on public land managed by Chugach National Forest (USFS).
This is a moderate hike waterfall: a longer day hike, roughly one to several miles each way. Reaching it takes a moderate walk, so budget time and pack water before you set out. The walk to the main viewpoint runs about 4.8 miles round trip. The nearest town is Cooper Landing.
When to go: summer. Flow usually peaks after snowmelt and heavy rain and tapers through late summer — a quick look at recent streamflow and the managing agency's conditions page can save a wasted trip.
