Adventure - 4-Wheeling with Alaska Wilderness 4-Wheeler Tours - Riding On the Beach at Homer

Sea and Sky on the Beach

Stats

Difficulty: Easy                                                                                       Time:  Half-Day +

Summary

Dan Eidem runs Alaska Wilderness 4-Wheeler Tours, an tour on ATVs, for small to medium groups.  He usually tours the Homer backcountry, but when we joined him on 26 May 2013, the backcountry was still deep in snow and mud.  So he took us to his alternate site, the beach starting at Bishop’s Beach.

Opinion

This trip was a blast!  We were hoping to see

Hiking - Walking The Spit Starting at Mariner’s Park

Stats

Distance:  Up to you                       Difficulty: Easy                              Time:  Up to you

Summary

The Spit is a Homer landmark.  It is exactly what its name says, a spit of land reaching into Kachemak Bay.  The spit is best know for the fishing charters, shopping, and fish packing, but is also a popular place for beach strolls and clamming.  We took a hike on the west side of the Spit starting at Mariner’s Park on 9 Jul 2013.

Opinion

This is one of our favorite hikes when we are in the mood for an easy stroll on the beach.  The common sites include Bald Eagles, gulls of several varieties,

Adventure - Boat Tour of the Portage Glacier on the MV Ptarmigan

Portage Glacier Cruise

Portage Glacier from the MV Ptarmigan

Stats

Difficulty: very calm water                                                                     Time:  approximately 1 hr

Summary

We chose took the Portage Glacier Cruise on the MV Ptarmigan on 29 Jul 2013 (Portage Glacier Cruises).  This is the only motorized boat authorized on Portage Glacier Lake.  The boat cruises the short distance from the docks to the glacier for a spectacular, close-up view of the Portage Glacier.  A Chugach National Park ranger narrates the trip.

Opinion

This is a great trip.  The price is surprisingly reasonable and

Hiking - Homestead Trail: Lower Trail (Roger's Loop to Rucksack Rd)

Stats 

Distance:  5.9 miles                   Difficulty: Moderate                                 Time:  3.5 hrs

Summary

On 14 Jul 2013 we decided to return to the Homestead Trail.  Homestead Trail isn’t really just one trail: it has several branches and paths.  In the winter some of the branches are used for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.  This time we picked the main Homestead Trail, then branched off to Rucksack Rd.  The Homestead trail hikes are inland trails.  The main Homestead Trail starts in the Homer swampland and climbs steadily into mountain meadows.  The link to the official web site is http://www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/recreation/homestead.  This is limited site that lists a few of the hikes in the Homer area.  

Opinion

This is a nice hike, but not the best hike in the Homer area.  However, the trail should be amazing when the Fireweed blooms.  Large parts of the trail wander

Hiking - Grewingk Glacier Lake and Saddle Trail (Summer)

Grewingk Glacier and Lake

Stats

Distance:  4.5 miles                   Difficulty: Easy / Moderate                                 Time:  5 hrs

Summary

On 8 Jun 2013, the Kachemak Bay State Park had its annual “Trails Day”.  The purpose of trails day is to clean and repair the many managed trails in the park.  In addition to the maintenance hike, the state park also sponsors a guided family hike to Grewingk Glacier.  The hike started with a boat ride to the beach to take the Glacier Lake Trail to the glacier, the returned to the bay via the Saddle Trail.  

Since the start and end points are not the same, this particular route requires someone with a boat to drop you off and pick you up; if you don’t have a convenient friend with a boat, you can take one of the Water Taxis operated out of Homer.  This particular hike, as part of Trails Day, was sponsored and supported by Mako Water Taxi.

We did this hike before we started this blog, so we don’t have GPS maps of the route we took.  You can find good trail maps at the web site above.  We will upload a GPS track of the route the next time we take this hike.

Opinion

This is one of our favorite full day hikes; it is well worth the water taxi fee.  We also recommend planning a nice picnic lunch at the glacier.  The Glacier Lake Trail

Hiking - Exit Glacier

Stats

Distance:  3.0 miles                                  Difficulty: Easy                                          Time:  1.5 hrs

                                                                         Summary 

Exit Glacier

It was 12 Jun 2013 when we decided to try the Exit Glacier hike near Seward, AK. This hike is in the Kenai Fjords National Park Alaska. The link to the official web site is http://www.nps.gov/kefj/planyourvisit/exit-glacier.htm. This is a useful site that provides directions to the site, a description of the hiking options, and park alerts.

There are four hikes from only a mile to over eight miles that can be taken from the trailhead: Glacier View, the Toe of the Glacier, the Edge of the Glacier, and the Harding Ice Field. The trails are clearly marked and the distances for each are shown on each trail sign.  We hiked to Glacier View through the Cottonwood forest and from there to the Edge of the Glacier. 

Opinion

This is an easy, short, and very pleasant hike. It has good views of