Tustumena Lake ( Dena'ina: ''Dusdu Bena'') is a lake on the west side of the

Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan trib ...

southcentral Alaska Southcentral Alaska (russian: Юго-Центральная Аляска) is the portion of the U.S. state of Alaska consisting of the shorelines and uplands of the central Gulf of Alaska. Most of the population of the state lives in this regio ...

, within Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and near the town of Kasilof. Access is only via the

Kasilof River The Kasilof River ( ) or ''Ggasilatnu'' in the Dena'ina language is a river on the western Kenai Peninsula in southern Alaska. The name is an anglicization of ''Reka Kasilova'', the name given to the river by early Russian settlers in the area. It ...

, as there are no roads that lead directly to the lake.

Overview

At 73,437 acres Tustumena Lake is Alaska's eighth largest lake and the largest lake on the Kenai Peninsula. With a maximum depth of 950 feet, Tustumena Lake is exceptionally deep; it is deeper than

Cook Inlet Cook Inlet ( tfn, Tikahtnu; Sugpiaq: ''Cungaaciq'') stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage. On its sou ...

. The lake is long and up to wide and receives drainage from Tustumena Glacier, and several creeks., The outlet forms the headwaters of the

. The lake and the area around it are known for game

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

, and for the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race. Most of the land surrounding the lake is in the

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife habitat preserve located on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, United States. It is adjacent to Kenai Fjords National Park. This refuge was created in 1941 as the Kenai National Moose Range, but in 198 ...

. This lake has a reputation for being very dangerous to small boats due to the high winds that regularly blow off of Tustumena Glacier.

History

Early Russian explorers wrongly believed that this lake and

Skilak Lake Skilak Lake ( Dena'ina: ''Q'es Dudilen Bena'') is a large lake on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. The lake is part of the Kenai River system but also contains glacial runoff, being fed by meltwater from Skilak Glacier. The water is exceptionally c ...

were a single body of water. Early trophy hunters from the 1890s and later took world record moose from the north shore, and the first hunting guide to obtain a license to guide hunters in the State of Alaska called this area home.

References

Lakes of Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska Lakes of Alaska {{KenaiPeninsulaAK-geo-stub