On the Sterling Hwy 1, 12 miles south of the town of Kenai, on the eastern shore of Cook Inlet. There is a state owned gravel airstrip and a boat launch at the Kasilof River. Population: 500
Prehistoric peoples populated the Kenai peninsula for at least 8000 years prior to the arrival of Russian fur traders in the late 1700s. Kasilof is located where the Kenaitze tribe of Dena’ina Athabaskan natives established an agricultural and fishing village around a Russian stockade built by the Lebedef-Lastochkin Company, a forebear of the Russian-American Company. Excavations in 1937 uncovered 31 well-preserved houses from the original settlement.
Kasilof offers fine fishing, camping and sightseeing opportunities as well as lodging facilities and RV parks. Popular camping spots include Crooked Creek State Recreation Site off North Coho Road and Johnson Lake State Recreation Area on Tustumena Road.
Held every January since 1984, the exciting Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race starts and ends in Kasilof. Spectators can view the dogs and mushers at the Tustumena Lodge Mile 111 and the Clam Shell Lodge Mile 118 as they ply the trail eastward to Caribou Lake, north of Kachemak Bay and back.
Salmon fishing is a mainstay of the area. Fishing is a more serene experience here than in many other locales, as motorized boats are not allowed on the Kasilof River. The legendary king salmon is a big draw when it starts to arrive in Kenai Peninsula bays and rivers in late May, followed by red and silver salmon. Halibut fishing runs from April through October and rainbow trout, steelhead and Dolly Varden are plentiful throughout the season.
Kasilof RV Park has modern, clean facilities in a park-like setting close to the major salmon fishing rivers, making it a favorite on the Kenai for avoiding parking-lot style parks and combat fishing campgrounds.
