Clam Gulch ( Dena'ina: ''Qałnigi D’nazludt'') is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in

Kenai Peninsula Borough Kenai Peninsula Borough is a borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,799, up from 55,400 in 2010. The borough seat is Soldotna, the largest city is Kenai, and the most populated community is the censu ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. At the 2020 census, the population was 207.

Geography

Clam Gulch is located 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 tribe ...

at (60.227786, -151.393907) on the shores of

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

. It is bordered to the north by Cohoe and to the south by

Ninilchik Ninilchik ( Dena'ina: ''Niqnalchint'', , Alaskan Russian: ''N'in'íl'chik'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 883, up from 772 in 2000. It is considered ...

. The only road access is via the

Sterling Highway The Sterling Highway is a state highway in the south-central region of the U.S. state of Alaska, leading from the Seward Highway at Tern Lake Junction, south of Anchorage, to Homer. To assist in agricultural transport and also open area ...

(Alaska Route 1), which leads northeast to

Soldotna Soldotna is a city in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2010 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 4,342, up from 4,163 in 2010. It is the seat of the Kenai Peninsula ...

and south to

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.06%, are water.

Demographics

Clam Gulch first appeared as an unincorporated village on the 1970 U.S. Census. It was made a census-designated place (CDP) in 1980. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 173 people, 67 households, and 42 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 115 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.49%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.89% Native American, 1.16% Asian, and 3.47% from two or more races. There were 67 households, out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.21. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 31.8% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65–84 years of age. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.0 males. For every 100 females age 16 and over, there were 103.4 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $37,500, and the median income for a family was $44,375. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $27,083 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $17,983. About 7.0% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 10.2% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over. In 2017, the famous Alaskan author, Matt Snader, moved to Clam Gulch. Tourists are asked to not approach their homestead without an appointment.

Activities

Clam Gulch is visited by tourists who would participate in

clam digging Clam digging is a North American term for a common way to harvest clams (edible infaunal bivalve mollusks) from below the surface of the tidal sand flats or mud flats where they live. It is done both recreationally (for enjoyment or as a ...

on the beach during low tides; however, due to a population crash this fishery has been closed since 2015. In the winter there are many "

poker run A poker run is an organized event in which participants, usually using motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, boats, snowmobiles, horses, on foot or other means of transportation, must visit five to seven checkpoints, drawing a playing card at each one ...

s" by snow-machine enthusiasts, and in the past Clam Gulch has been the half-way point for the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race. Clam Gulch State Recreation Area is a park on the bluffs on Cook Inlet. It has over 100 campsites, a rough beach access road, and a staircase down the bluff to the beach. The bluff features views of the

Aleutian Range The Aleutian Range is a major mountain range located in southwest Alaska. It extends from Chakachamna Lake (80 miles/130 km southwest of Anchorage) to Unimak Island, which is at the tip of the Alaska Peninsula. It includes all of the mountain ...

, including the volcanoes

Mount Iliamna Iliamna Volcano, or Mount Iliamna ( Dena'ina: ''Ch’naqał’in''; Sugpiaq: ''Puyulek''), is a glacier-covered stratovolcano in the largely volcanic Aleutian Range in southwest Alaska. Located in the Chigmit Mountain subrange in Lake ...

Mount Redoubt Redoubt Volcano, or Mount Redoubt ( Dena'ina: ''Bentuggezh K’enulgheli''), is an active stratovolcano in the largely volcanic Aleutian Range of the U.S. state of Alaska. Located at the head of the Chigmit Mountains subrange in Lake C ...

, and

Mount Spurr Mount Spurr ( Dena'ina: ''K'idazq'eni'') is a stratovolcano in the Aleutian Arc of Alaska, named after United States Geological Survey geologist and explorer Josiah Edward Spurr, who led an expedition to the area in 1898. The Alaska Volcano ...

The Milepost ''The Milepost'' is an extensive guide book covering Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and British Columbia. It was first published in 1949 as a guide about traveling along the Alaska Highway, often locally referred to as "The ALCAN" ...

2018 edition page 557

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Alaska Census-designated places in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska Populated coastal places in Alaska on the Pacific Ocean