Experience - The Town of Seldovia

Eclectic Carvings Abound

Summary

While you are on the Kenai Peninsula, don’t miss the chance to visit Seldovia.   

Hiking - Hidden Creek Trail

Hidden Creek

Stats

Distance:  2.6 miles                     Difficulty: Easy to Moderate                            Time:  2 hrs

Summary

The best part of the Hidden Creek Trail is when it meets up with the marshlands

Hiking - Cottonwood Trail

View From the Cottonwood Trail

Stats

Distance:  0.25 miles                        Difficulty: Easy                                 Time:  20 minutes

Summary

The Cottonwood Trail is a short hike to a fabulous view of the Grewingk Glacier, Homer Spit and the Kachemak Bay.

Adventure - Grandview Tour on the Alaska Railroad.

Glacier View from the Grandview Tour

Stats

Difficulty: Easy                                                                                                   Time:  Half-day

Summary

Carol's parents visited us in Alaska in June.  Her father can't really walk much anymore so we went looking for cool activities that don't require much walking.  Not surprisingly, there aren't that many in Alaska, but we found a winner in the Grandview Tour on the Alaska Railroad.  The Grandview Tour is pure sightseeing into area of Alaska that cannot be reached in any way other than by train.

Opinion

This is a fun trip, even for those who have no trouble

Hiking - Watermelon Trail (the 1.5 hr version)

Seeping vistas from Watermelon Trail

Stats

Distance:  14.3 miles (one way)                       Difficulty: Easy-Moderate

Summary

Watermelon trail was recommended to us by some friends.  So on a beautiful day in early July we decided to try out the trail.  Watermelon trail is really an ATV trail (which is why it's so long), but we were the only ones on the trail the day we hiked it.

Opinion

This trail has some great views.  This hike will probably be amazing

Adventure - Sightseeing on the 26 Glacier Cruise

Blackstone Glacier

Stats

Difficulty: Easy                                                                                               Time:  5+ hours

Summary

If you want a day packed with glaciers, wildlife, and flat seas, Phillips Cruises 26 Glacier Cruise out of Whittier on the M/V Klondike Express is right up your alley.  The cruise includes the 26 glaciers including a nice close-up view of 2 of them; a good chance (but no guarantee) of seals, sea lions, otters, dolphins, and whales; and a kittiwake nesting area.

Opinion

This trip is good for tourists or locals, photographers, sightseers, kids and adults.  Over the course of the five-hour, we took over 3,000 pictures!  We were actually beginning to worry about maxing out our 64 GB camera memory cards.  The company does a good job of 

Hiking - Skilak Lookout Trail

View from the top of the trail

Stats

Distance:  4 miles                              Difficulty: Moderate                                     Time:  4 hrs

Summary

The Skilak Lookout Trail ends at a truly spectacular view of the mountains and Skilak lake.  Best of all, it has beautiful views all along the trail and, at least in June, there were wildflowers everywhere.  The hike itself wasn't too bad most of the time.  We considered it moderate because of occasional steep spots and muddy patches.  It also has a steady low incline to the top of the mountain for a total elevation change of 790 feet.

Opinion

This is is very pleasant hike with truly spectacular views.  The high angle view of Skilak Lake is beautiful; Skilak Lake has that beautiful milky blue color unique to glacier lakes.  In addition, there was a wide variety of spring flowers all along the trail.

Trail Advice

Sweat resistant mosquito repellent is a must.  The bugs were out in force.

If the temperature is acceptable before you start, a jacket is probably not necessary.  You will produce enough heat on the trail to keep you warm.  

In the spring (June in Alaska) the trail can be muddy in spots.  Wear hiking shoes you don't mind getting muddy.

Suitability

This trail is suitable for adults and children.  But the trail is a total of 4 miles with some climbing so be sure you and your kids are up for it.

Trailhead

Trailhead from the road

Warnings

To find the Skilak Lookout Trail take Skilak Lake Rd from the Sterling Hwy.  Skilak Lake Rd is a loop of sorts that starts and ends at Sterling Hwy.  There is an East entrance just outside Cooper Landing and a West entrance a few miles outside Sterling.  You can take either entrance.  The trailhead is a mile 5.4 on Skilak Lake Rd.  The parking area is on the north side of the road and the trail is on the south side.  It is well labeled.

The Hike

This trail is one of many in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.  The maps for these trails can be found on the Kenai Refuge Map website.  We chose this trail because the 2014 Funny River Wildfire was still burning and we wanted to see of we could see the fire or fire damage from the overlook.  

Boardwalk near the trailhead

The trail starts through a dense spruce forest along side a creak, but quickly opens into meadows filled with alpine wildflowers.  Many of the trails in this section of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge are in an area that burned in 1996 and this is one of those trails.  At first it can be difficult to tell the area burned, but then you realize the large open meadows along the trail were once spruce forest.  The area is quickly being reclaimed by birch, cottonwood, and alder.  In a few more years the trees will be tall enough to overtake the meadows and the character of the walk will change again.  

Early view of Skilak Lake

You can also still see some dead, burned standing trees and more fallen spruce can be seen on either side of the trail.  The fallen trees have opened up the view and as a result you get frequent terrific views of Skilak Lake and the surrounding mountains.  

Eidelweiss

June is early spring on the Kenai Peninsula and the trail was lined with a huge variety of wildflowers.  Most common on the lower trail was Edelweiss, but there was also Lupine, wild Rose, wild Geranium and many more.  The flowers made the trail a delight to walk.

Wild Rose

The trail is pretty much a shallow constant grade with occasional steep spots and some muddy area.  The steep spots all have good switchbacks making the trail easy to walk most of the time.  We listed it as moderate because of the few steep areas and the muddy patches.  This trail has been hiked a lot and, as a result, the trail has sunk 2 or 3 inches into the peat that makes up the soil of the area and is rather narrow, so the footing can be tricky sometimes.

A view from the top

When you get to the top the view makes this hike very much worth it.  There is a 270 degree of the Wildlife Refuge.  Interestingly, there was no view of either the Funny River fire or the areas it had burned.  The good news is the way down is just a beautiful as the way up and is easier going.

Another view from the top

(Closed due to massive undercutting of trail) Hiking - Diamond Creek Trail to Kachemak Bay Beach

Young Eagle on the Beach

Closed due massive undercutting of the trail
-- We'll update this post when it gets opened again.
-----------------------------------
Stats

Distance:  0.5 miles +           Difficulty: Easy / Moderate           Time:  30 min +

Summary

This hike is in Homer, AK.  The first time we walked this trail was 16 Jun 2013.  It was a beautiful day, so we decided to go for a walk on the beach.  We hiked the trail again a couple of weeks later.  It is close and easy, so we'll be doing this hike often.

The link to the official web site is http://www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/recreation/diamond-creek-trail.  This is limited site that lists a few of the hikes in the Homer area.



Opinion

We love this hike for an easy day hike.  We prefer this hike and beach access to the better-known Bishop Beach.  The beach here is more interesting

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 Experience - Potter Marsh

Cattails in the frozen marsh

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

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 - 4-Wheeling with Alaska Wilderness 4-Wheeler Tours in the Kenai Backcountry

Kachemak Bay Glaciers Seen from Kenai Backcountry

Stats

Difficulty: Easy - Moderate                          Distance: 15 mi                                 Time:  6 hrs+

Summary

Dan Eidem runs Alaska Wilderness 4-Wheeler Tours, a tour on ATVs, for small to medium groups.  An earlier post described our trip with him in May down the beach from Bishop’s Beach in Homer (AW4WT - On the Beach).  This time we took his more usual route, into the Kenai Peninsula backcountry.  This area includes meadows filled with Fireweed, spruce forests, sweeping vistas and views of glaciers and volcanoes.

Opinion

This trip was a blast!  We went several miles

Adventure - Blueberry Picking at the Peterson Research Station

Sunset at Peterson Research Station

Stats

When: Early – Mid August                         Where: Peterson Research Station

Summary

Alaska seems to be the US capitol for berries.  More berries grow in this state than I’ve ever heard of anywhere else.  We’ve got blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, salmon berries, watermelon berries, elderberries, currant, marionberries, cranberries, lingonberries (low bush cranberry), nagoonberries, crow berries, serviceberries, and strawberries.  Most of these grow wild, but several cultivars are grown in home yards and farms as well.  Truly, I didn’t know half these berries existed until I moved here.

On 11 Aug 2013 our neighbors asked if we wanted to take a boat ride across Kachemak Bay to go blueberry picking at the Peterson Research Station.  The Peterson Research Station belongs to the Center for Alaska Coastal Studies based out of Homer.  The station is situated on 5 acres of wild land and coastline and their lower trails go through extensive blueberry fields, with a mix of currant and salmonberry randomly distributed throughout.  The berries are fair game to visitors, although they ask that you leave a few for the bears.

Opinion

This was a blast.  We picked berries for about 2 hours and came home with 7.5 lbs (22.5 cups)

Hiking - Eveline State Recreation Site outside Homer

Portlock and Dixon Glaciers from the Bottom of Alpine Meadows Loop

Stats 

Distance:  1.4 miles                   Difficulty: Easy                                 Time:  50 min

Summary

On 15 Aug 2013 we got a break in the much overdue rain and headed to the Eveline State Recreation Site.  Eveline has trails that are used in both summer and winter.  The summer trails are two loops: Glacier View Loop and Alpine Meadows Loop.  Both trails are inland meadows with excellent views of the Portlock and Dixon Glaciers.  In the winter the trails are tagged for cross-country skiing and snow shoeing; the views might be even better then as the air tends to be more clear in the winter.  The Alaska Department of Resources web site for the recreation area is Eveline State Recreation Site.  Other blogs have trip reports on this site that can be found with an internet search on Eveline State Recreation Site.

Opinion

This is a very nice hike.  We like it a bit better than the lower Homestead Trail; it’s better maintained (less boggy) and has slightly better views although both trails have masses of wonderful wildflower

Experience - Walking Among Lupines

Lupine on Kachemak Bay

Stats

When: June - July                                                                                            Where: All over Alaska

Summary

The Lupine bloom is the first of the big flower blooms in Alaska; although there are other wildflower that bloom before they don't grow in such huge clusters.  Like most flora displays the timing and quality vary from year to year. 

Opinion

While not a spectacular as the Fireweed bloom the Lupine season is quite dramatic and well worth seeing.

Experience - Walking Among Fireweed

Early Fireweed Bloom on Homestead Trail

Stats

When: Late July - August                                                 Where: Meadows all over Alaska

Summary

The Fireweed bloom is an annual phenomenon in Alaska.  It is usually viewed as the end of summer.  Like most flora displays the timing and quality vary from year to year. 

Opinion

This is a must see experience!