You might have heard of the town of Homer, Alaska. It’s on the Kenai Peninsula and just over 200 miles south of Anchorage, Alaska’s most Populus city.
It’s also known as the Halibut Fishing capital of the world. Its location right on Kachemak Bay within the Gulf of Alaska makes it a beautiful seaside hamlet.
A special part of Homer you might not know about is a small bit of land called the Homer Spit. It’s something you absolutely want to see when you are in this part of Alaska.
Here’s what you can do in and around Homer Spit, Alaska.
Getting to Know Homer Spit, Alaska
Homer Spit Road, also known as Route One in Alaska will take you the length of this land known as the spit. The road runs the entire length of the spit, which is about 4.5 miles. This road is the longest road into ocean waters in the world. So that’s something you can add to your bucket list!
The road takes about 10-15 minutes to cover it by car. Homer Spit was once larger, however, a 9.2 megathrust earthquake hit between Anchorage and Homer in 1964. The earthquake was so powerful, estimated to be the strongest ever recorded in North America, that huge sections of Homer Spit were lost to the sea.
Things to Do and See
For a tiny parcel of land, there’s still plenty to enjoy on Homer Spit. Here are a few of our favorites.
First, enjoy the view. This spit of land juts out into the bay so you have some beautiful views to take in. You can see mountains and glaciers off in the distance. Look up, and you might spot a bald eagle.
The spit itself is a very popular harbor. During the summer months, it hosts well over 1,000 commercial fishing vessels and personal pleasure boats. So it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that you can hire a charter to take you out for a ride around the bay or to try and catch some fish.
On the other side of Homer Spit Road, you’ll find a small US Coast Guard Station.
Not far from the station there’s a nice beach area called Water Trail Pavillion. It’s a great spot to wander a beach and collect shells. There’s also a small theater called Pier One Theater, which puts on a variety of performances from Shakespeare to kid’s events.
It might surprise you, but there are also plenty of dining and shopping opportunities too. There are a bunch of small shops featuring local art and galleries, including Hands of Alaska.
If you’re in the mood for fresh seafood, you won’t find it any fresher than on Homer Spit. One of the more popular places to eat, and grab a cold drink, is the Salty Dawg Saloon.
As you can see, you can end up spending quite a bit of time wandering up and down the far end of Homer Spit checking out everything it has to offer. So don’t miss it!
