Kachemak Bay State Park, located across the water from the small fishing town of Homer, Alaska, offers 400,000 acres of boreal rainforests, mountains, rugged shoreline, and glaciers. The Grewingk Glacier Lake is one of the most popular stops in this park, a glacial lake, full of impossibly blue icebergs, that’s fed by 13 miles of ancient ice sprawling from the Harding Icefield across the Kenai Mountains.
But getting to this lake isn’t exactly the most straightforward. There are no roads that lead to Kachemak Bay State Park, so you have to take at least two modes of transportation (including your own two feet!) to reach this beautiful sight. If you want to experience one of the Kenai Peninsula’s most beautiful landscapes for yourself, here’s everything you need to know about hiking to the Grewingk Glacier Lake in Kachemak Bay State Park.
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About the Grewingk Glacier Lake Trail
The Grewingk Glacier Lake is only accessible via hiking trail. There are two options in Kachemak Bay State Park that you can take to get here, the Grewingk Lake Trail or the Saddle Trail.
We’ll talk more about these options below, but here are some quick stats about each of these trails.
Grewingk Lake Trail
- Length: 6.4 miles
- Elevation gain: 213 feet
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate
- Type: Out and back
- Trailhead location
- Trail map
Saddle Trail
- Length: 4.5 miles
- Elevation gain: 420 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate to challenging
- Type: Out-and-back
- Trailhead location
- Trail map
The most popular option, though, is to hike to the Grewingk Glacier along the Grewingk Lake Trail and out along the Saddle Trail. This is exactly how my husband and I hiked to (and camped at!) the Grewingk Glacier Lake—this way, we got to see more of Kachemak Bay State Park and the elevation gain is a lot more gradual than just hiking out and back along the Saddle Trail.
Here are the stats for hiking the trail this way:
Grewingk Lake Trail and the Saddle Trail
- Length: 5.5 miles
- Elevation gain: 420 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Type: Point-to-point
- Trailhead location
- Trail map
All of these hikes are dog-friendly so long as your furry best friend is on a leash.
How to get to the Grewingk Glacier
Kachemak Bay, which is Alaska’s oldest state park, is located on a remote arm of the southeastern Kenai Peninsula, right across the bay from Homer, Alaska. As mentioned above, there are no roads that lead to the park, so the only way that you can get there is either via plane or boat ride from Homer.
Getting to Homer, Alaska
Homer is located along the southern shoreline of the Kenai Peninsula and is actually the furthest south that you can drive in the entire 24,700 square mile peninsula.
Homer holds many claims to fame—it’s located along one of the longest spits in the world, has the world’s longest road into ocean waters, and is one of the most popular destinations in Alaska.
Luckily, there are tons of ways that you can get to Homer.
Driving
The easiest way to get to Homer is to drive.
You can actually drive all the way from Anchorage to Homer along just one road—the stunningly scenic Highway One. This road is paved and well-maintained, so any passenger vehicle can make the drive just fine (not something you can say about every road in Alaska!).
Here’s how long it takes to get to Homer from other popular destinations in Alaska:
- Anchorage: 4 hours and 15 minutes
- Soldotna: 1 hours and 30 minutes
- Seward: 3 hours and 20 minutes
- Denali National Park: 8 hours and 20 minutes
Flying
If you’re short on time, you can fly directly to Homer from Anchorage, via Smokey Bay Air or Aleutian Airways, which start around $185 one-way.
Ship
It’s worth mentioning that thousands of cruise passengers visit Homer, while on an Alaskan cruise. If you’re one of these passengers, you may have enough time to visit Kachemak Bay, depending on how long your port call is.
For example, this six hour tour drops you off at the Grewingk Lake Trail and picks you up at the Saddle Trail. Even if you’re not sure that you’d have enough time to hike the glacier, there’s this two hour wildlife tour or this small group option to the state park, to see its wildlife, like otters, puffins, orcas, and more.
Getting from Homer to Kachemak Bay State Park
Once you’re in Homer, you still have to cross the bay to the state park.
The only way to get to either the Glacier Lake or Saddle trailhead in Kachemak Bay State Park is via water taxi, which typically takes around half an hour. Visiting the state park is one of the most popular things to do in Homer, so there are plenty of operators that offer this service, like Coldwater Alaska, Alan’s Water Taxi Service, and Maka’s Water Taxi.
This typically costs around $120 per person roundtrip, which includes taxes and a $6 per person entrance fee to the park. All taxi companies include the entrance fees in their ticket prices, so you won’t have to pay anything in the park.
If you want to book a ride where you’re dropped off at one trailhead and picked up at another trailhead (like the Glacier Lake and Saddle trailhead, respectively), you will have to coordinate with the operator to ensure they know when and where you want to get picked up.
Most operators will offer a handful of departures from Homer every morning (usually, around 8 AM, 10 AM, and 12 AM), but oftentimes, will try to group visitors together, as bookings roll in, as much as possible to make it more economical and logistically easier.
So, if you’re on a tight schedule while you’re in Homer (e.g., like you’re a cruise ship passenger), you’re better off booking your water taxi early so that the operator tries to group other passengers that book after you around your schedule, not the other way around.
Some operators also offer afternoon taxis, but these frequently only offer dropoffs at the Saddle trailhead, as the
We LOVED the water taxi ride to Kachemak Bay—it kind of felt like an experience in and of itself! We saw sea otters, puffins, and bald eagles, as well as, of course, the magnificent landscape
It’s worth noting that there are some flightseeing tours from Homer to the state park, but, as far as I can tell, they mostly just fly over the park. Don’t get me wrong, that sounds SUPER cool, but you obviously won’t be able to hike to the Grewingk Glacier while ten thousand feet in the air.
What to expect along the Grewingk Glacier hike
As mentioned above, there’s essentially three ways that you can hike to the Grewingk Glacier Lake:
- Starting at the Glacier Lake Trail and hiking it as an out-and-back, which is 6.4 miles roundtrip, pretty flat, and on the easier side
- Starting at the Glacier Lake Trail and hiking out of the Saddle Trail (i.e., as a point-to-point trail), which is 5.5 miles, has moderate elevation gain, and is on the more moderate side
- Starting at the Saddle Trail and hiking it as an out-and back, which is 4.5 miles, has a REALLY steep section, and is on the more challenging side
Let’s quickly touch on what each of these routes look like.
Glacier Lake Trail (hiked as an out-and-back)
If you’re new to hiking, I think this route is the best option for beginners. Even though the mileage is the longest, elevation gain is usually the most challenging aspect of a trail, and this option only requires a very minimal amount of climbing.
To start your hike, the water taxi will drop you off on a wide and rocky beach.
The Glacier Lake trailhead is marked by an orange sign in some tall grass in front of the pine tree forest, but it’s honestly a bit hard to see and find. I’d strongly suggest downloading an offline version of the trail map on AllTrails ahead of time (there’s no cell reception in the park!), so that you can simply follow along if you have trouble finding it.
From here, you’ll climb a very gentle upward slope along the Glacier Lake Trail for 2.7 miles. Most of this portion of the trail is heavily forested, so you don’t get too many mountain views along the way.
At 2.7 miles into the trail, the trail will fork. If you continue straight, you’ll actually be starting the Saddle Trail, so instead, turn left to stay on the Glacier Lake Trail. The trees start opening up a bit here, with peekaboo views of the snow-capped Kenai Mountains beyond.
After another 0.4 miles of a slight uphill climb, you’ll reach the rocky shores of the Grewingk Glacier Lake, complete with massive floating icebergs and the stunning valley glacier that feeds it.
Take a breather, drink in the views, and, when you’re ready, retrace your steps to be picked up where you were dropped off.
Glacier Lake Trail and the Saddle Trail (hiked as a point-to-point)
This is the route that Justin and I hiked to the Grewingk Glacier Lake and what I’d recommend for most visitors. You get to see more of Kachemak Bay State Park and this route provides a bit of a challenge, while still being doable for most hikers.
Hiking to the Grewingk Glacier Lake is exactly the same as what’s described in the section above. The only difference about this option is that, after you’re done at the Grewingk Glacier Lake, you’ll continue hiking along the Saddle Trail and be picked up by the water taxi at that trailhead instead.
So, once you’ve hiked in along the Glacier Lake Trail and are done enjoying the views at the Grewingk Glacier Lake, you’ll hike about 0.4 miles downhill to the junction with the Saddle Trail.
Here, you’ll turn left and head back into the dense forest. While it’s not too challenging, the next mile is the steepest portion of the trail, gaining about 200 feet of elevation along a rolling hillside.
After about a mile of hiking along the Saddle Trail, the trail suddenly drops over 400 feet, back to sea level, over about 0.6 miles. This area can be very muddy and slippery, so I’d recommend bringing along trekking poles for extra support and traction and being extra careful on this section.
Eventually, you’ll see a steep wooden staircase that leads down to a rocky cove, surrounded by stunning mountains. This was such a beautiful place to end our hike to Grewingk Glacier Lake—Justin and I busted out our camping chairs and enjoyed the beautiful views here until our water taxi came and picked us up.
Saddle Trail (hiked as an out-and-back)
This route is the best option if you’re looking for a more challenging hike, given this route contains a section with a much steeper uphill climb than the other trails.
In this route, the water taxi will drop you off in a beautiful rocky cove, surrounded by the Kenai Mountains.
The trailhead is quite obvious, because of the steep wooden stairway that leads up to the trail.
Hiking up to the Grewingk Glacier Lake along the Saddle Trail means you’ll have to hike up a series of steep switchbacks cut into a hillside, which gain over 400 feet in 0.6 miles. Again, trekking poles are definitely your friend on this part!
Once you reach the end of the switchbacks, the hard part of the hike is over! The next 0.8 miles is mostly downhill, along rolling hillsides and thick vegetation, until you reach the turnoff for the Grewingk Glacier Lake. The last 0.4 miles to the shores of the lake are slightly uphill, but there will be more clearings in the trees and surrounding plantlife, so you’ll be distracted by views of the mountains above the treeline.
You’ll finally reach the shores of Grewingk Glacier Lake, where you can listen to the ice crackle gently pop and watch the icebergs somersault in the water. When you’re done taking in the incredible views here, simply retrace your steps back to the rocky cove and wait for your water taxi to pick you up.
Camping at the Grewingk Glacier Lake
Want to have an even more adventurous time in Kachemak Bay? You can actually camp overnight alongside Grewingk Glacier Lake!
You don’t need any special permits to camp here. However, the campsite is primitive, with limited facilities beyond bear boxes for your food and an outhouse. So you’ll need to bring everything you need with you (e.g., a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, water filter, campstove, and food, to name a few!).
Even though you can easily make it to Grewingk Glacier Lake as a dayhike, we decided to camp overnight, because we wanted to hike to the tram (more on that below!) and, well, camping by a glacial lake sounded really cool!
When we first got to the beach by the lake, we were a little confused where exactly we were supposed to set up—there was a sign that directed campers to the right-hand side of the beach and day-hikers to the lefthand side, but no clear campsites.
Eventually, we figured out that the “campsites” were really just the open areas along the treeline where you can pitch a tent. None of these areas offered too much privacy, but there was only one other group camping at the other end of the beach from us, so we felt plenty secluded!
Just be sure not to camp DIRECTLY by the glacier lake—leave no trace principles dictate that you should camp no closer than 200 feet away from a body of freshwater!
While the Grewingk Glacier Lake was never terribly crowded, there were always a dozen or so people milling about during the day, but, by late afternoon through mid-morning, we basically had the ENTIRE lake to ourselves! It was pretty magical, getting to slurp down our dinner as we watched the icebergs calve and drink our morning coffee, looking out over a 13 mile glacier.
Other things to do near the Grewingk Glacier Lake and around Kachemak Bay State Park
Hike to a tram
One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Kachemak Bay State Park is that it has a hand-operated tram over the Grewingk Creek, which is actually fed by the glacial lake. If you’re wondering exactly who is hand-operating said tram, the answer is you!
The tram was initially installed to allow hikers to safely cross the Grewingk Creek, which, depending on the time of the year, has high and swift moving water. But the tram has actually become one of the park’s main attractions!
If you hike there roundtrip from the lake, it will add an additional 5.8 miles and about 100 feet of elevation gain.
From the lake, you’ll have to walk along the Glacier Lake Trail towards its trailhead 1.9 miles and turn right on the Emerald Lake Trail.
Alternatively, if you want to shave off some of that mileage (e.g., like if you’re a daytripper that’s short on time!), it’s just a two mile detour (total) if you stop by the tram when you’re initially hiking from the Glacier Lake trailhead to the lake itself. For this option, you’ll start from the Glacier Lake trailhead and turn left along the Emerald Lake trail, 1.3 miles into your hike.
From the Emerald Lake Trail turn-off, it’s another mile through the forest until you reach the southern side of the Grewingk Creek Tram, which spans 300 feet over the rushing river below.
It’s just a little open air cart that’s about fifty or so feet in the air, so it can feel a little spooky, especially if you’re scared of heights (*sheepishly raises my hand*). Still, it’s such a rush to be suspended in the middle of a canyon, surrounded by rocky cliffsides, pine trees, and the milky gray water below.
I’d also only recommend getting in the tram if you have at least two people, because it’s SURPRISINGLY challenging to pull yourself across.
When we reached the platform to board the tram, there was another group of hikers already using it. They eventually got off on the same platform we were waiting on and offered to help us pull ourselves across the river.
We initially declined but, after a little while, we quickly realized why they had offered. They wound up helping us pull ourselves on our way back to the platform, anyway, and, even though one of the dudes looked like he straight-up competed in body building competitions, it still was a REALLY challenging arm workout!
Kachemak Bay is pretty remote, so if you get stuck in the tram because you can’t pull yourself all the way back to the platform, it could be a looooong time until anyone comes to help you!
There are a few other trails that you can hike around the Grewingk Glacier lake, like the Emerald Lake Trail. However, they aren’t regularly trodden or maintained and can require a lot of bushwacking and crawling over downed trees—so I’d generally steer clear of them unless you’re looking for a proper adventure!
Kayaking
When we first arrived at Grewingk Glacier Lake, we saw a tour group kayaking amongst the icebergs, and it looked SO cool!
Kachemak Bay Adventures offers a guided tour where you’ll hike to the glacial lake and then kayak around it. Alternatively, Justin and I have packed our inflatable kayak into our backpacks and hiked for several miles up to an alpine lake so that we can paddle around. It’s such a neat experience to get to carry your kayak to such a remote and beautiful area and it would be even more incredible to do it amongst hunks of ancient ice!
Flightseeing
As mentioned above, there are several flightseeing tours from Homer that you can take over Kachemak Bay State Park, like the ones offered by Beryl Air and Smokey Bay Air. During your tour, you’ll get to see waterfalls, the Kenai mountains, wildlife, and, of course, the Grewingk Glacier—just from thousands of feet in the air!
As noted above, you won’t get to actually land in Kachemak Bay State Park. So if you’re looking for a boots-on-the-ground kind of adventure, this probably isn’t the best option for you.
Wildlife tours
If you’re keen on spotting some of the marine life around Kachemak Bay, there are dedicated boat tours to see animals, like puffins, sea otters, humpback whales, and even orcas that live in its waters, like this two hour option or this small group one.
Recommended itineraries for the Grewingk Glacier Lake hike
I threw out a LOT of different options on how you can hike the Grewingk Glacier Lake hike in this article. So, if you’re just looking for advice on the best way to hike this trail, here’s what I’d do:
Grewingk Glacier as a dayhike
- Have the water taxi drop you off at Glacier Lake trailhead.
- Hike 1.3 miles into the trail and make a detour to the Grewingk Creek tram along the Emerald Lake Trail.
- Return back to the Glacier Lake trail and hike the rest of the way to the Grewingk Glacier Lake.
- Enjoy the spectacular views!
- Hike out via the Saddle trailhead, where you can get picked up by the water taxi.
Grewingk Glacier as an overnight hike
- Have the water taxi drop you off at Glacier Lake trailhead.
- Hike to the Grewingk Glacier Lake and set up camp.
- Enjoy the spectacular views, cook dinner, and enjoy falling asleep next to a glacier lake!
- In the morning, hike to the tram over Grewingk Glacier via the Glacier Lake and Emerald Lake Trails.
- Head back to the Glacier Lake to break down your camp and pack up.
- Hike out via the Saddle trailhead, where you can get picked up by the water taxi.
Tips for hiking to the Grewingk Glacier Lake
Be bear aware
There are black and grizzly bears that live in Kachemak Bay State Park. There were bear sightings the day before we visited and we saw their scat ALL along the trail. So, make sure that you follow good bear hygiene principles, like storing all items that have odors into the provided bear boxes or a bear canister and cooking any food away and downwind from your tent.
I’d also recommend having some bear spray on hand, in the unlikely event you need to deter an aggressive bear.
Be prepared for mosquitoes
You know the old joke about how Alaska’s state bird is the mosquito? We really didn’t find that to be true during our summer in Alaska EXCEPT at Kachemak Bay State Park—the mosquitoes here (at least when we visited in June) were absolutely AWFUL.
Bring plenty of bugspray and wear a long-sleeve shirt and pants to protect yourself against those blood-sucking little monsters.
Bring layers
Most people assume that Alaska is cold year round, but it can get surprisingly warm in the summer months. I’d definitely recommend bringing warmer layers to wear around the glacial lake, but it’s also smart to have some airier items on underneath, in case you get warm.
I hope you enjoy the Grewingk Glacier Lake Trail—camping here was easily one of our favorite adventures in Alaska! Do you have any questions about hiking this unique trail? Let us know in the comments below!
