Activities in Homer
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Bishop Creek Trail
- Homer, USA
- Activities › Hiking
This hike is a 7-mile waterfront trek from north of Homer back into town (you could do it in reverse, but you're likely to miss the turnoff to the highway). The views of Kachemak Bay and the Kenai Mountains are superb, while the marine life that scurries along the sand at low tide is fascinating.
The trailhead is opposite Diamond Ridge Rd, 5 miles north along the Sterling Hwy. The trail begins by descending along Diamond Creek, then hits the beach. Check a tide book, and leave before low tide and return before high tide. High tides cover most of the sand, forcing you to scramble onto the base of the nearby cliffs. Within 4 miles you'll pass a sea-otter rookery a few hundr…
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A
Homestead Trail
- Homer, USA
- Activities › Hiking
This 6.7-mile trek from Rogers Loop Rd to the City Reservoir, just off Skyline Dr on Crossman Ridge Rd, is a 2½-mile walk to Rucksack Dr, which crosses Diamond Ridge Rd. Along the way you pass through open meadows with panoramic views of Kachemak Bay and Mt Iliamna and Mt Redoubt on the other side of Cook Inlet. The trek continues another 4.2 miles, following Rucksack Dr and Crossman Ridge Rd to the reservoir. Cars are banned from both dirt roads.
To reach the trail, head out of town on the Sterling Hwy and turn right on Rogers Loop Rd across from the Bay View Inn. The trailhead is a half-mile farther, on your right.
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Rainbow Tours
Whenever you're out in the bay there's a chance of spotting whales - sometimes you can even spot orca from the tip of the Spit. Rainbow Tours runs a dedicated whale-watching tour. The comfortable 65ft vessel, MV Rainbow Connection, leaves Homer at 09:00, cruises to Seldovia, and then spends six-plus hours seeking out humpbacks, orcas, minkes, finbacks and gray whales in Kachemak Bay and Kennedy Entrance. The price includes lunch. Be sure to bundle up and bring your binocs.
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B
Carl E Wynn Nature Center
- Homer, USA
- Activities › Hiking
Located on the bluffs above Homer, this is highly recommended for families and anyone interested in the area's ethnobotany. With a few short interpretive nature trails, one of them boardwalked and wheelchair accessible, this is a grand place to learn which plants can be used to heal a cut, condition your hair or munch for lunch. Naturalist-led hikes leave at 10:00 and 14:00 daily in summer. It also has a slate of lectures and other programs; call the center for a schedule.
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C
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies
- Homer, USA
- Activities › Hiking
This nonprofit organization devoted to promoting appreciation of Kachemak Bay's ecosystem, runs the Carl E Wynn Nature Center and the Peterson Bay Field Station, both of which offer guided hikes and educational programs throughout the summer. Drop by to learn more about their offerings, and to get maps and info about Kachemak Bay State Park. It also operates the Yurt on the Spit, which does a daily 'Creatures of the Dock' tour.
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Bald Mountain Air
Bald Mountain Air runs trips to the Katmai National Park headquarters at Brooks Camp, where countless bears converge to snag salmon ascending Brooks River - and where countless tourists converge to watch them. Once-in-a-lifetime photos are pretty much certain.
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D
Yurt on the Spit
Yurt on the Spit is run by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies whose mission is to promote appreciation of Kachemak Bay's ecosystem. Right behind Mako's Water-Taxi, Yurt on the Spit does a daily 'Creatures of the Dock' tour at 11:00 and 14:00.
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E
Emerald Air Service
Emerald Air Service is run by respected naturalists and offers a far more wilderness-oriented experience, bypassing Brooks Camp and seeking out bears along isolated Katmai beaches and lakeshores.
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