Winter Experience - Homer's Winter Carnival

A Homer-Made Chinese Dragon

2015 saw the 61^st annual Winter Carnival, a classic, small town celebration of winter with the theme "Warm Winter Hearts"  The carnival is held in February, the coldest

Winter Experience - Ice on the Homer Spit

Slabs of Ice on the East of Side of the Homer Spit

Every winter, when the temperatures drop below 20 degrees for more than a couple of days, ice starts to form on and around the Spit.  The ice makes a fascinating

Winter Adventure - Arctic Circle Tour with Ronn Murray Aurora Tours

Aurora around the moon

Stats

Difficulty: Moderate                                                                                   Time:  Full-Day

Summary

This is a “bucket list” trip of a lifetime!

Ronn Murray and his wife Marketa run Aurora Tours out of Fairbanks, AK.  We chose to go all out and took their Arctic Circle Tour on 10 Mar 2014; this was the next to last of these

Winter Hiking - Snowshoeing at Eveline State Recreation Site

Snowshoeing on Eveline Trail

Stats 

Distance:  1.4 miles         Difficulty: Easy           Time:  1 hr 10 min

Summary

On 17 Jan 2014 we finally got some much overdue snow and headed to the Eveline State Recreation Site for snowshoeing.  Eveline has trails that are used in both summer and winter.  We tried the trail in summer (Hiking at Eveline State Recreation Site outside Homer); it was time to check it out in winter.  We took the Alpine Meadows Loop. In summer, this loop has excellent views of the Portlock and Dixon Glaciers.  The views are even better in winter.  The Alaska Department of Resources web site for the recreation area is Eveline State Recreation Site.

Opinion

This is a very nice snowshoe. 

Winter Hiking - Snowshoeing at the Carl E. Wynn Nature Center or Walking With Moose

Shadows and light

Distance:  0.3 miles                    Difficulty: Easy                            Time:  Up to you

Summary

The Carl E. Wynn Nature Center is a popular area for both hiking and snowshoeing.  The snow was just deep enough for snowshoes on 10 Jan 2014 and we took a short walk.

Opinion

In winter, the Wynn Center offers fabulous views of snow-covered spruce and open meadows.  You also have a very real chance of seeing a moose.  This area is definitely worth a visit. 

Winter Experience - Potter Marsh

Cattails in the frozen marsh

One place worth a stop in any season is Potter's marsh.

Winter Experience - Turnagain Arm Ice Flow

Here's a quick clip of the tide running out in Turnagain Arm Alaska; it's filled with ice chunks.  This is early December and it hasn't been cold for very long, yet.  The ice pieces are too small to call icebergs but it's still a great show of mother nature's power.

Winter Hiking - Spitting in the Winter (Hiking the Homer Spit)

Ice flow on the east side of the Spit

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.  In summer, the spit is best know for the fishing charters, shopping, and fish packing.  In the winter, the spit belongs to strollers, photographers, and dog walkers.

Opinion

In winter, this is still one of our favorite hikes.  

Winter Experience - Ice Falls on Turnagain Arm

Ice Falls

Each year, as the cold sets in, the landscape in Alaska shifts from green to white.  One of the most dramatic shits occur when the seeps and small waterfalls freeze.  

Winter Experience - Watching Beautiful Sunrises in Homer Alaska

Sunrise Over the Kachemak Bay

In winter, Homer has some of the best sunrises in the world.  

Experience - View from Skyline Overlook

If you’re in Homer and have 20 minutes to spare or can afford a short detour on the way out of town, the scenic overlook on Skyline is a great choice.

A quick five-minute drive from town and three steps out of the car will bring you to one the best views in Homer.  Head up either East Hill or West Hill road until they merge with Skyline.  If you chose West Hill Rd, turn right; if you chose East Hill Rd turn left.  About a quarter mile from the intersection of Skyline Dr and East Hill Rd you'll find a pull off on the south side of the road (next a small antenna farm).  That pullout gives the best high-altitude view in Homer.  From this spot you have a fabulous 180-degree view of Kachemak Bay, the Homer Spit, and the Chugach Range.

We especially like the days where Homer is socked in with low clouds and the pullout is clear.  The entire valley and bay are covered in white cotton balls--often with peekaboo views of the spit, the coast, or the ocean--and the mountains across the bay stick up pass the clouds.  They have the feel of untouched wildness.

If you’re leaving town, you can follow Skyline Dr west along several miles until it intersects with Diamond Ridge Rd.  Diamond Ridge Rd intersects with Sterling Highway and it's a right turn to Soldotna, Seward, and Anchorage.  This route bypasses Homer proper and follows the ridgeline for several miles.

Adventure - Fishing with Dan Donich Charter – Full-Day Halibut Trip

Chris' 35 lb halibut ready to break the surface.

Stats

Difficulty: Easy - Moderate                                                                      Time:  Full-Day

Summary

I love halibut, but we don’t own a boat.   We decided to go on a fishing charter on 11 Sep on the hope of filling the freezer.  This time we chose Dan Donich (Daniel's Personalized Guide Service).  He was recommended by an acquaintance.  This was our second charter in 2013.  We went out on the Irish in late Aug (see Halibut Fishing with North Country Charters) and came home with 15.8 lbs of halibut filets, but we wanted more.

Opinion

Great trip!  My husband and I caught our limit (so did everyone else on the boat) and came home with 54.1 lbs of halibut filets