Homer is a charming fishing village, located on the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. While Homer might be considered the “Halibut Fishing Capital of the World”, the town offers visitors so much more than that, with quirky restaurants, abundant wildlife, and some of the best mountain views in the state. If you want to enjoy all of the adventures that this little town has to offer, here’s 10 incredible things to do in Homer, Alaska.
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Things to do in Homer, Alaska
1. Visit Kachemak Bay State Park
Homer is home to Alaska’s first ever state park, Kachemak Bay, which offers over 400,000 acres of mountains, rainforests, coastline, and glaciers.
There are a handful of incredible hikes that you can explore in Kachemak Bay, like the Grewingk Glacier Lake Trail, which takes you to an iceberg-laden lake that’s fed by a massive valley glacier. There’s also a super fun detour that you can take along this trail that leads you to a hand-operated tram over a rushing creek with milky waters, fed by the Grewingk Glacier.
My husband, Justin, and I spent three months driving all over Alaska and our hiking (and even camping next) to the Grewingk Glacier Lake was one of our ABSOLUTE favorite experiences during our time here!
The state park is located across from Homer on a remote arm of the Kenai Peninsula with no driveable roads that lead there.
Accordingly, the only way to get there is via water taxi, like on this option that takes you to the Grewingk Glacier Lake trailhead. Although this is a bit more logistically challenging (and expensive) than simply driving there, you can spot all kinds of wildlife during your water taxi ride across Kachemak Bay, like sea otters, puffins, and even humpback whales!
2. Get a beer at the Salty Dawg Saloon
The Salty Dawg Saloon is an official Alaskan institution (it was featured on The Deadliest Catch, after all!). While the saloon was originally opened in 1957 (which is still before Alaska officially became a state!), the building that it’s housed in was actually one of the first cabins to ever be built in Homer in the 1890s.
Today, the Salty Dawg is home to cold beer, a friendly atmosphere, and lots of quirky dive bar charm. Every inch of the walls inside the bar (and even some outside!) are covered with dollar bills from around the world that patrons leave and there’s a myriad of other “decor” items that have been left behind by regulars, from dentures and prosthetic legs to a taxidermied squirrel.
Just remember to hit the ATM first—it’s cash only!
3. See brown bears at Katmai National Park
Katmai National Park is home to one of the densest populations of brown bears in the WORLD, with 2,200 of these massive creatures found within its footprint. Have you ever ever seen that iconic photo of salmon leaping up a waterfall into a waiting brown bear’s mouth? Yup, that’s the famous Brooks Falls in Katmai!
The park has a series of elevated wooden catwalks and platforms allowing you to safely view brown bears as they attempt to catch salmon in the Brooks River and the surrounding landscape to fatten up for their winter hibernation. While bears are usually territorial, Katmai is one of the only places in the world where they’ll peacefully hunt side by side, thanks to the sheer abundance of food resources. Watching the bears in Katmai was EASILY our favorite thing we did during our summer in Alaska (and, honestly, one of the coolest things we’ve ever done!).
Getting to Katmai National Park is typically challenging and expensive, given its remote location on the Alaskan Peninsula along the southern coastline of Alaska. You usually have to take a flight to the tiny town of King Salmon, Alaska, and from there, either take a seaplane or a water taxi to the national park.
But, lucky for you, Homer is one of the only places that you can fly directly to the park, via an hour long seaplane flight. And, as a bonus, getting to Katmai will be like a mini-flightseeing tour, with epic views of the Aleutian Mountains and Cook Inlet along the way.
Here’s a six and a half hour option or a seven hour option from Homer.
4. Visit Lake Clark National Park
Listen, I’m personally partial to Katmai, but if you’re somebody who is on a mission to hit all of the national parks or are just REALLY like brown bears, it’s worth hopping over from Homer to see Lake Clark National Park as well.
Even though Lake Clark is one of the least visited national parks in the United States, it’s absolutely STUNNING, with technicolor lakes, steaming volcanoes, and LOADS of wildlife.
This park doesn’t have quite as many brown bears as Katmai, but there’s still a VERY dense population here, with scientists spotting over 210 of them in a 50 square mile area. And, like Katmai, there are a series of elevated wooden catwalks and platforms, so that visitors may safely observe the bears from above.
Beyond just bear spotting opportunities, there are several cool hikes here, like Tanalian Falls, a gorgeous turquoise waterfall that’s known for its Arctic Grayling population, or Beaver Pond Loop Trail, which, true to its name, takes you to an old beaver pong.
Like Katmai, there are no driveable roads to Lake Clark, so the only way to get there is via seaplane or boat. For example, you can take a two hour boat ride across the Cook Inlet to the park on this tour, where you might spot sea otters, harbor seals, and even orcas. Alternatively, you’ll take a bush plane to the park on this five hour tour, allowing you to see Lake Clark’s volcanoes, the rugged Chigmit Mountains, and the wild coastlines as you fly in.
5. Explore the Homer Spit
One of the most popular things to do in Homer is to explore its iconic spit, a 4.5 mile gravel bar that juts out into Kachemak Bay and provides absolutely jaw dropping views of the surrounding Kenai Mountains.
Not only is it one of the longest spits in the world (AND has the world’s longest road into ocean waters!), the Homer Spit houses many of the town’s most popular bars, shops, and restaurants, including the aforementioned Salty Dawg Saloon and the Pier One Theater, which hosts regular Shakespearean productions and other performances.
Here are a few of my favorite spots along the Homer Spit:
- Carmen’s Gelato: The owner lived and trained in Italy, including under a Gelato Grand Master (which I didn’t even know existed!). The caramel with Alaskan sea salt is a MUST try here!
- Alaska Salt Co.: Locally made sea salt products, ranging from items you can use in the kitchen to surprisingly effective hair care products. Plus, some really artwork and home decor.
- Coal Town Coffee and Tea: The CUTEST lil’ coffee shop in a log cabin
- Swell Taco: A spot that’s loved by locals, featuring handmade tortillas, super fresh ingredients and laidback vibes
- Finn’s Pizza: Offers woodfired pizzas with a cozy dining room and an incredible patio overlooking Kachemak Bay
Pssst… if you love cute photo opps, there are some hidden swings along the beach beneath the Homer Shores Boardwalk that provide a perfect place to enjoy your tacos or gelato and the epic views of the surrounding mountains.
6. Take the ferry to Seldovia
Seldovia is a tiny teeny town across Kachemak Bay from Homer, with cute wooden boardwalks lining its coastline and a rich Russian history (there’s actually still a 19th century Russian Orthodox church here today!).
This town was once significantly larger than Homer, with a fish cannery and plenty of businesses. However, much of Seldovia was wiped out in an earthquake in 1964.
Still, for a town of less than 300 residents, there’s a surprising amount of shops, restaurants, and galleries to explore here. For example, Eternal Buzz Espresso is an adorable coffee shop, housed in the owner’s actual home, or Breezy’s by the Bay, a food truck dishing up smashburgers and other stick-to-your-ribs fare.
From May through September, there are multiple ferries every day but Wednesday from Homer to Seldovia. The ride takes about 45 minutes and costs about $120 roundtrip per person. Like any of the other boat rides through Kachemak Bay, you have a decent chance of spotting wildlife, like bald eagles (Seldovia has 50 resident bald eagles!), sea lions, and harbor seals.
7. Explore tidepools
If you’re like me (before I moved to the Pacific Northwest, anyway!) and have never heard of tidepooling, it’s essentially visiting beaches during low tide to try and find the intertidal creatures that are left in the rocky nooks and crannies along the shoreline. Oftentimes, you’ll be able to see sea stars, anemones, nudibranchs, and even octopuses in these little pools!
There are quite a few places in Homer that you can go tidepooling, including at Bishop’s Beach, Bluff Point, and along the Diamond Creek Trail. Remember to time your visit with low tide (you can check the tide charts here) and to only touch any critters you might find with your eyes!
If you’d rather try your hand at tidepooling with an expert, there are daily family-friendly “Creatures of the Dock” tours offered by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies. On these hour-long interactive tours, a naturalist will show you around the Homer Harbor docks and point out all kinds of wildlife that you otherwise likely wouldn’t see, like barnacles, mussels, sea stars, anemones, tunicates, and more!
8. Learn about Homer’s history at the Pratt Museum
The Pratt Museum highlights the natural and human history of the Kachemak Bay area, covering everything from the bears that live around the Cook Inlet to the Alutiiq people that have lived in the Kenai Peninsula for over 10,000 years. It also bears the impressive title of being the only interdisciplinary museum in the entire Kenai Peninsula!
While the museum is definitely on the smaller side, we were REALLY impressed by the interactive exhibits offered here, from underwater cameras at Katmai National Park and microscopes to an old Alaskan homestead from the 1930s. It’s a bit on the pricey side, if you ask me ($15 per person), but it’s an excellent option if you happen to be visiting Homer on a rainy day.
9. Head out on a wildlife spotting tour
One of the best things to do in Homer is to spot its wildlife. However, in order to see as many animals as you possibly can, you want to be out in Kachemak Bay. So, unless you happen to have your own private boat (can we be friends?), the next best thing is going on a guided tour.
On these tours, you’ll cruise around Kachemak Bay and learn all about Homer’s history, the surrounding geology, and, of course, any wildlife that you spot along the way.
When Justin and I went out on a tour of Kachemak Bay, we wound up seeing a TON of sea otters, bald eagles, puffins, harbor seals. and lots of other sea birds. If you’re lucky, you can even see humpbacks or orcas—our tour guide showed us a video he had taken recently where there were DOZENS of orcas swimming around their boat!
This two hour tour focuses on the coastline of Kachemak Bay, while this small group tour is offered in an airboat, which lets you more easily zip around the rivers and tidal flats around Homer, which is a great place to spot marine life, moose, and even bears!
10. See Homer from 10,000 feet in the air
You’ll get plenty of epic vistas of the Kenai Mountains, just strolling around the Homer Spit, but, for even better views of the surrounding landscape, you can always join a flightseeing tour. Along the way, you’ll spot some of the 38 glaciers in the Kenai Peninsula, waterfalls, volcanoes, and, with any luck, even wildlife while you’re in the air.
There’s a handful of operators in Homer that offer these flightseeing tours, like Beryl Air and Smokey Bay Air.
How to get to Homer, Alaska
Homer is located along the southern shoreline of the Kenai Peninsula and is often referred to as the “end of the road”, given it’s the furthest driveable point on the peninsula.
Still, you have a couple of different ways of reaching Homer.
Driving
The vast majority of travelers reach Homer by driving.
It’s accessible via a paved and well-maintained road (i.e., Highway 1), which is not always a guarantee in Alaska (I’m looking at you, Top of the World Highway). In fact, you can actually drive all the way from Anchorage, Alaska to Homer using only Highway 1, as you cruise through the stunning landscape of the Kenai Peninsula.
Here’s how long it takes to get from some of the most popular destinations around Alaska to Homer:
- Anchorage: 4 hours and 15 minutes
- Seward: 3 hours and 20 minutes
- Soldotna: 1 and a half hours
- Cooper’s Landing: 2 hours and 20 minutes
Flying
If you’re short on time, there are a handful of operators that offer direct flights from Anchorage to Homer, including Aleutian Airways and Smokey Bay Air.
Ship
Finally, it’s worth noting that thousands of passengers visit Homer every summer as part of an Alaskan cruise, where you’ll usually get around eight hours to explore everything that Homer has to offer!
Where to stay in Homer, Alaska
Although Homer is a small town, with just 5,500 residents, it’s one of the most popular destinations in the Kenai Peninsula, receiving over 800,000 visitors per year. Accordingly, there are plenty of accommodations here to choose from.
Here are some of our favorites:
- Homer Floatplane Lodge: This lodge offers a variety of room options in ADORABLE log cabins, right in downtown Homer. The rooms are comfortable and the property offers tons of cozy features, like an outdoor fireplace, hot tub, and balconies to look out on the surrounding lake.
- Pioneer Inn Downtown: This locally owned inn offers standard rooms and apartment-like suites, in a walkable location in Homer. The rooms are well-thought out (TONS of electrical outlets and USB ports!), with some of the rooms offering jaw-dropping views of Kachemak Bay.
- Ocean Shores Hotel: This quiet hotel is located right along the coastline and a short walk to Bishop’s Beach (i.e., an awesome spot for tidepooling!). The rooms are admittedly on the dated side, but they’re super clean, with balconies, refrigerators, and big, fluffy towels at the ready.
I hope you enjoy checking out some of the incredible things to do in Homer–this cute little town was definitely one of our favorite stops in the Kenai Peninsula! Do you have any questions about visiting this charming village? Let us know in the comments below!
