Anchor River is on the Kenai Peninsula, flowing west for about 30 miles (48 km) from Bald Mountain to a lagoon at Anchor Point on Cook Inlet’s eastern shore, about 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Homer, Alaska. The river’s middle section passes through the Anchor River and Fritz Creek Critical Habitat Area, designated to protect fish and wildlife. The lower section intersects North Fork Road and the Sterling Highway before reaching the community of Anchor Point and the Anchor River State Recreation Area near the northern entrance to Kachemak Bay. Anchor Point lacks a harbor; instead, a beach service uses tractors to launch and recover boats from Cook Inlet.

Anchor Point is a spit named by Captain James Cook of the Royal Navy, who lost an anchor off a point while exploring the area in 1778. However, this name may have originally referred to a point of land farther north. The area saw gold mining activity in the 1890s. Settlers began homesteading in the early 1900s, arriving from Homer, Kenai, and Ninilchik. They survived by hunting, fishing, and farming, and many of their descendants still reside there. Wildlife around the Anchor River includes moose, beaver, mink, bald eagles, and various ducks. In Cook Inlet, harbor seals, sea otters, and beluga whales are common. Today, the Anchor Point economy heavily relies on tourism, with the Anchor River being a popular destination for steelhead and salmon fishing. The wide, sandy beaches attract visitors for razor clamming. Notably, Anchor Point is the westernmost community on the U.S. highway system.

There are two Alaska State Parks in the area: the Anchor River State Recreation Area and the Stariski State Recreation Site. The Anchor River State Recreation Area stretches along both banks of the lower river to the beach. It is a popular spot for camping and fishing during the summer months, particularly during salmon runs, and for catch-and-release steelhead fishing. The beach offers spectacular views of the Aleutian Range, including the volcanoes Mount Augustine, Mount Iliamna, and Mount Redoubt. The Stariski State Recreation Site is located five miles (8 km) north of Anchor Point. Read more here and here. Explore more of the Anchor River and Anchor Point here: