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Sterling Alaska Map

Explore Sterling, Alaska, with this interactive street and satellite map.

This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.

Interactive Map of Sterling, Alaska

How to Use This Sterling, Alaska Map

This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Sterling, Alaska. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of Alaska or beyond.

Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).

TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Sterling.

Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.

Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.

City	Sterling
State	Alaska (AK)
County	Kenai Peninsula
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Alaska Time (America/Anchorage)

Latitude	60.540148
Longitude	-150.80526
Population	5,918
Density	29.4 /km²
Incorporated	N/A
ZIP Code	99672
Area Code	907
School District	Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

🌦 Goto Sterling Weather Page: Sterling, Alaska — Weather Warnings, Forecast, Radar, Satellite & Current Conditions

About Sterling, Alaska

Sterling is a locality in Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, United States. It has a population of approximately 5,918. The population density is 29.4 people per km². Sterling is located at 60.5401°N, 150.8053°W. It observes the Alaska Time (America/Anchorage) timezone. ZIP code: 99672.

Sterling emerges from the deep, shadowed woodland as a quiet crossroads defined by the persistent, cold pulse of the Moose River. It lies 55.3 miles south-southwest of Anchorage, AK (from Anchorage, AK: bearing 212°T), and is situated 19.7 miles east-northeast of Kalifornsky. The landscape surrounding Sterling is dominated by vast, dense forests that stretch toward the distant, jagged silhouette of the Kenai Mountains on the horizon. Only two miles from the quiet, reflective waters of Scout Lake, the land remains rugged and shaped by the slow, deliberate work of seasonal shifts. Winter light here possesses a thin, metallic quality that turns the birch and spruce into silhouettes against a pale sky. This inland terrain offers a stark, open expanse that demands a certain resilience from those who choose to live among its towering timber.

Sterling maintains a history deeply tethered to the slow expansion of the interior, drawing its strength from the raw resources of the land. Local industry centers on the rhythms of forestry and the practical demands of life in a wilderness corridor, where the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge serves as a neighbor and a steward of the surrounding wild. The economy reflects a deliberate, small-scale approach, favoring individual enterprise and the steady labor required to sustain a life in such a solitary environment. Residents often work in trades that support the movement of goods or the maintenance of the infrastructure that keeps this inland outpost connected to the broader region. The persistent hum of commerce here is never loud, but it remains as constant as the current in the nearby riverbeds.

Sterling fosters a cultural character defined by independence and a deep, observant respect for the natural world that encroaches upon every backyard. Life moves at a pace dictated by the arrival of the first heavy frosts, creating a quiet atmosphere where the passage of time is measured in the changing colors of the taiga. Landmarks are rarely man-made, as the sprawling reach of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge provides more significance to the local identity than any static structure. Community gatherings often center on seasonal transitions, where the focus remains on simple connection rather than grand, manufactured spectacle. While Sterling does not claim fame through the presence of nationally recognized figures, it possesses a quiet, enduring dignity that defines the lives of those who call these woods home.

Nearby Outdoor Places

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (National Wildlife Refuge) — 1.9 mi, 045° NE · 3.9M acres
Dave Spencer Wilderness Area (Wilderness Area) — 4.6 mi, 017° N · 186k acres
Andrew Simons Wilderness Area (Wilderness Area) — 4.6 mi, 175° S · 1.1M acres
Kenai Administrative Site (National Wildlife Refuge) — 4.8 mi, 160° S · 20 acres
Beaver Creek Unit (Resource Management Area) — 9.7 mi, 321° NW
Unknown Park (Local Park) — 9.8 mi, 249° W
Ciechanski Day Use Area (State Recreation Area) — 10.7 mi, 261° W
Swanson River Unit (Resource Management Area) — 11.0 mi, 350° N
Kenai Historical Society (Museum) — 15.5 mi, 274° W
Captain Cook State Recreation Area (State Recreation Area) — 17.9 mi, 336° NW
Clam Gulch Critical Habitat Area (State Conservation Area) — 22.4 mi, 239° SW
Chugach National Forest (National Forest) — 27.2 mi, 090° E · 5.4M acres
Russian River Rendezvous (Historic Ruins) — 28.5 mi, 102° E
1969 Russian River Fire and Mark Westover (Monument) — 28.8 mi, 100° E
Alaska Wildland Adventures (Attraction) — 31.9 mi, 096° E
Alaskans at Cooper Landing (Attraction) — 31.9 mi, 096° E
Alaska Rivers Company (Attraction) — 32.1 mi, 096° E
Kenai Fjords National Park (National Park) — 37.5 mi, 143° SE · 601k acres
Tern Lake Overlook (Viewpoint) — 42.7 mi, 090° E
Mt McGhan Monument (Monument) — 43.1 mi, 099° E
Boat Launch (Attraction) — 45.1 mi, 222° SW
Canyon Creek Bunkhouse (Historic Ruins) — 47.2 mi, 056° NE
Hope and Sunrise Historical Society (Museum) — 47.2 mi, 056° NE
Indigenous Placename Marker (Public Artwork) — 49.2 mi, 030° NE
Regal Dimond Center 9 Cinemas (Cinema) — 52.3 mi, 037° NE
Nothern Air Cargo DC-6 (Monument) — 52.4 mi, 033° NE
Fine Art Gallery (Gallery) — 54.2 mi, 034° NE
Dos Manos (Gallery) — 54.4 mi, 033° NE
West High Theatre (Theatre) — 54.6 mi, 033° NE
Liberty Theater (Cinema) — 55.6 mi, 122° SE

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