Mt. Iliamna View Point from Kenai Peninsula - Happy Valley, AK, USA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 59° 57.263 W 151° 43.891
5V E 570847 N 6647009
Relatively quiet Mt. Iliamna is directly across the Cook Inlet, and Mt. Redoubt is visible to the right of Iliamna, from this scenic view along the Sterling Highway on the Kenai Peninsula.
Waymark Code: WM9Z51
Location: Alaska, United States
Date Posted: 10/20/2010
Views: 7
In Happy Valley, at a scenic lookout along the Sterling Highway, which connects the western settlements of the Kenai Peninsula with the Seward Highway to Anchorage, there is a grassy scenic outlook that has the best view of Mt. Iliamna across the Cook Inlet and also has a good vantage point of Mt. Redoubt to the north of Iliamna.
The turnout is a smallish pulloff that has space for parking. There is a wide mowed grass field which allows a view of the volcanoes from the road and parking lot. From the fence at the parking lot, there is a path that leads approximately 200 feet to the edge of the bluff, where you can get a panoramic view of the inlet and the mountain range that frame the volcanoes. WARNING: the bluff slope is fairly steep. Be careful not to be too near the edge.
On the day that I was there (second pass - on the way down to Homer it was raining), the atmospheric conditions were near perfect. The snow-capped mountains were easily visible. Mt. Iliamna was relatively featureless and dark, while Redoubt showed more features. Both volcanoes towered over their neighboring peaks. No evidence of activity was seen on that day.
Mt. Iliamna is a 2,740 m (8,990 ft) high stratovolcano near the northern end of the Aleutian Mountain Range. It is located within the Lake Clark National Park. It is located about 140 miles southwest of Anchorage, and is about 40 miles west of this scenic location. A preliminary hazard assessment report on the Alaska Volcano Observatory indicates that there is uncertainty on when the volcano has erupted. The report states that the last erupted about 300 years ago, and possibly 90-140 years ago. However, steam and gas venting has been observed from time to time. A few small settlements are located near its base, but, in general, the volcano poses no threat to property or lives. Volcanic ash, however, can be thrown high in the sky and threaten the Kenai Peninsula and metropolitan Anchorage. The selections in the fields below are for this volcano.
Mt. Redoubt, to the right, is the more active volcano, having erupted last in 2009, and has had several other eruptions in the 20th century, along. This volcano is also a stratovolcano, standing 10,197 ft (3,108 m) high, which is the third highest in the mountain range. From this vantage point, the volcano is further away, compared to Iliamna, and there is a low mountain range between it a the Cook Inlet. It, too has a cone shape and some snow was visible on the slope.
But from your location, if you see an explosion from either volcano, you are safe enough to see before driving to avoid the ash!
Sources:
Alaska Volcano Observatory
(Mt. Iliamna):
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visit link)
(Mt. Redoubt):
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visit link)
Wikipedia
(Mt. Iliamna):
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visit link)
(Mt. Redoubt):
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visit link)