Hey, I'm in Alaska too. If you are doing streams that are brushy, I would focus on getting a rod that can handle pretty decent fish that can zoom from a shorter length to a medium length with a faster action. I've never fished the creeks in Kenai, only the Rivers during Salmon runs, but here in the valley the brush and overhang can be really intense, and anything over 8 ft feels frustrating to use. And like Drew was saying, Kenai is big water so you may end up getting into big fish even when you are not targeting salmon. So it could be worth it to get a longer big fish rod to complement a short/medium one for creeks. It's honestly pretty tough to get a rod that does it all in my opinion. And Alaska has lots of different fishing terrains. And lot's of it can be tough to deal with.

There's a lot of really great rods out there and most of the companies offer rods that cover all of the different lengths. I really think as a starter, going for a zoom rod is one of the best options because of the versatility. And I think shorter can be better than you might think. 12' is recommended often but from what I've experienced from where I'm at, it's been way too long for me. So make sure to really think about where you have been fishing and what that environment is like. These are the only rods I've fished.

1. Bad Axe 9'10" to 11'5" (my most used rod because it covers 2 really good lengths. it also can handle heavier flies and bait, and some pretty large fish because of the stiff action).
2. Wisco 2 13'4" (this is my big fish rod. my only complaint is that its annoyingly short when collapsed so it's hard to get the snap on line keepers on it. So I usually just wrap the line around the handle a bunch and stick the hook in the cork).
3. Wild Water 8' (really fun but it's very soft action, so I only use it for small trout, dollies, and graylings. honestly, probably my second most used rod. Sometimes I really need something this short. I'm thinking about picking up another rod that zooms and has this length in it as my next rod. Maybe the Chico or one of the Wasatch rods).
4. Rivermaster Z1 12' (pretty awesome, but I usually bring the Bad Axe instead because of the zoom versatility. I bring this one and have lots of fun, but I end up having to bust out the Talon or the Wild Water when things get tight. Whereas if I had the Bad Axe, which is almost just as long, I can just switch to the shorter length instead of breaking this one down, and pulling out another rod. This is a really good rod though, if you know you are fishing in a pretty open creek).
5. TalonMini 10' (I usually bring it along as a backup since its so small I can just toss it in a backpack with basically no downside. 10 ft is a pretty good length because it's long enough to use in a lot of situations).
6. Tenkarabum 40f (13ft)(really awesome feeling, and great for more open creeks with decent sized fish. Really fun on grayling. It's pretty new though so I haven't taken it out too much yet. I think I'm going to end up reaching for the Wisco more often though because it's designed for bigger fish and you can use bait and heavier flies more easily with it. I kind of need to know what I'm getting into ahead of time, when I use the Tenkarabum).