Kayaking Port Dick and Lower Nuka Passage

"excerpts from Exploring Alaska's Kenai Fjords:
Chapter 22 Port Dick and Lower Nuka Passage"

Port Dick is a large embayment at the remote southern end of the Kenai Peninsula. The Port Dick area is part of the Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park and one of the least visited areas in the Kenai Fjords.

• Gore Point

"Isthmus Beach with its eastern exposure is less than one-half mile in length. Mountainous piles of driftwood lie scattered along the shore, driven to the top of the beach berm by storm waves. Unfortunately, the relentless swell and pounding surf limit beach landings to only a precious few times a year. Isthmus Beach is accessible to beach combing by hiking over the Gore Peninsula isthmus from Ranger Beach on the east shore of Port Dick. A treasure-trove of Pacific Rim flotsam awaits the visitor. Literally hundreds of hard plastic trawl buoys litter the shore. You never know what you may find hidden in this maelstrom of drift."

• Takoma Cove

"Several excellent haulout beaches and potential camping sites lie along the northern shore. Most of these landing beaches include a freshwater stream. Takoma Cove offers a better choice of beaches and camp sites than Sunday Harbor."

• Taylor Bay

"The secluded head is likely to be the calmest location in Taylor Bay. An excellent landing beach and campsite, with a narrow tidal zone, lies adjacent to the head’s northern shore. A hillside stream flows nearby. The view from the beach reaches down the length of Taylor Bay. Extensive tidal flats in the upper basin make exploring the shoreline difficult, especially during low water. High water is the best time to explore the beaches by kayak."

• West Arm

"A convenient beach haulout and camping area (weather permitting) rests just inside the north entrance point of the West Arm. Here, a short pocket beach sits on the west side of the rocky headland point. The beach is only partially protected from the gulf swell. A conspicuous waterfall tumbles down a cliff just to the west of this inviting camp spot."

"Twin Cove lies 1.9 nm northwest of the north entrance point of the West Arm. Two islands sit in the mouth of this southeast-facing cove, and two tidal inlets form the cove’s head. The west tidal inlet is clogged with mud. The east inlet is shallow and is mostly dry at low water. The wooded upland area surrounding Twin Cove presents the best hiking terrain along the northern shore of the West Arm. Several small lakes lie in the valley behind the east inlet. The east inlet also has a wooded islet obstructing the mouth. East of the islet sits a small pocket beach which is a good haulout and camping area. A waterfall marks the location."