Homer, AK Road Trips

Homer is named after Homer Pennock, a charismatic con man who led an expedition to the area in 1896 in search of gold. They found coal instead. Pennock left the expedition, supposedly to secure more funding, and never returned. For much of the history of this area the larger settlements were those on the opposite side of Kachemak Bay. The completion of the Sterling Highway (AK 1) provided road access in 1951, causing Homer to begin expanding and overshadowing its neighbors across the water. The 1964 Good Friday Earthquake severely damaged the Homer Spit, causing portions of it to sink about six feet, destroying the road and the surrounding habitat, now known as "Mud Bay." The US Army Corps of Engineers reconstructed the first few miles of the Spit, giving it its present appearance. The Spit is the main tourist area and the location of the harbor, but it is not the whole town. If you only visit the Spit, you miss the town where people live and work. There are over 5,800 people in Homer (2018), and only a dozen or so live on the Spit full-time. 1 Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center, 201 Sterling Hwy., ☏ +1 907-235-7740, [email protected]. Main center is open daily Memorial Day weekend thru Labor Day, and Monday-Friday the rest of the year. During the summer, the Chamber also has a staffed satellite location on the Homer Spit, noon till 7PM daily. (updated Feb 2017) 2 Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center (Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge), 95 Sterling Hwy (east of Main St), ☏ +1 907-226-4624.

1 Homer Spit. Open all year, however shops at the end of the spit generally close around mid September and re-open in April. The Salty Dawg Saloon, Coal Point Seafoods, and Land's End Resort are among the few exceptions that are open year round. The Spit is a massive landspit jutting some four miles out into the middle of the bay. Although it is a naturally occurring formation, damage from the massive 1964 Good Friday earthquake made the harbor and other facilities inaccessible at high tide, and the Spit was partially rebuilt by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Spit is the center of all fishing-related activity in Homer, and has a host of gift and specialty shops and eateries. Water taxis and ferries provide sea access to smaller settlements on the other side of the bay such as Seldovia and the artists colony of Halibut Cove. Marine and avian wildlife can be seen along the spit, including large numbers of bald eagles. Careful observers may also see sea otters, harbor seals, or even sea lions or whales. The "fishing hole" is a man made lagoon that is stocked with hatchery-bred salmon. These salmon leave the lagoon as they mature and live normal lives at sea, returning to the lagoon some years later due to the salmon's natural instinct to return to the place it was born in order to spawn and die itself. This is one of the most accessible saltwater salmon fishing locations in all of Alaska, and includes a wheelchair ramp. A walk from the start to the end of the spit will take around an hour.

1 Homer Public Library, 500 Hazel Ave (near Heath St), ☏ +1 907-235-3180, [email protected]. Has free internet access, with 19 public use computers that can be reserved up to one day in advance. Visitors are allowed up to two 45-minute sessions per day on a computer, and must either have a library card or a guest pass to log on. (updated Sep 2015) Fishing: Homer claims the title of "Halibut fishing capital of the world. There are more than fifty charter operators that can take you deep-sea fishing for these monster flatfish. You can only keep two per day, but since in Homer they throw back fish under 20 pounds that will be more than enough for most. Homer's harbor is a great place to observe commercial fishing boats offloading halibut, salmon, cod, rockfish, and even crab. Saltwater salmon fishing trips can also be booked through many charter operators, or you can go to "the fishing hole" on the Spit and try your luck. Be sure to get a license before doing any fishing for salmon, halibut or steelhead, which can be found in the Anchor River some fifteen miles outside Homer. Up in the hills above Homer is the Homer Reservoir, which has Dolly Varden Trout and is a great place to see wildlife. If you just want to cook it but not catch it, several fish buyers on the Spit feature retail sales of a variety of seafood bought right off the boats that caught it. There is also an outlet for the Kachemak Bay Shellfish Growers which sells fresh oysters and mussels.

Homer is a foodie paradise. There is a very wide range of places to eat, and only two franchise fast food places (Subway and McDonald's). Note that the Farmer's Market often has prepared foods and hot food when it is open. Most of these businesses are only open in the spring through the early fall. The Spit is a bit of a ghost town in the winter. Many of the small shops on the board walks on the Spit change businesses from one year to the next, explore and you might find something you really like. During summer there are also food trucks at the hockey rink and near some of the boardwalks. 1 Finn's Pizza, 4287 Homer Spit Rd (on the spit), ☏ +1 907-235-2878, [email protected]. May: W-M noon-8PM; Jun-Sep: daily noon-9PM. This restaurant has a nice view of the water from the back deck. Wood-fired handmade pizza and local beer. (updated Sep 2015) 2 The Chart Room, 4786 Homer Spit Rd (at Land's End Resort), toll-free: +1-800-478-0400. A bit pricey, but the view can't be beat. (updated Sep 2015) 3 Boardwalk Fish and Chips, 4287 Homer Spit Rd, ☏ +1 907-235-7749. "Where the fish comes on a stick". What else is there to say? (updated Jan 2022) Homeslice Pizza, 4246 Homer Spit Rd (On boardwalk near Ramp 3 of the harbor.), ☏ +1 907-235-8730, [email protected]. Noon-10PM. Pizza, sandwiches, sliders, calzones, poutine. Daily specials. Take-out, inside and outside dining available. $10-$20. (updated Dec 2021) This area is below the Sterling Highway just above Bishop's Beach. 4 Pho and Thai, 345 Sterling Hwy, ☏ +1 907-435-3991. The pork larb is particularly good.

Not all bars in Homer accept credit cards or checks, but there are ATMs available. 1 The Salty Dawg Saloon, 4380 Homer Spit Rd, ☏ +1 907-235-6718. On the spit is a colorful unique establishment inside a hodgepodge of rustic buildings. Don't miss this place. Go inside and leave your dollar bill on the wall! Open year-round. (updated Sep 2015) 2 Kharacter's Alaskan Bar, 197 E Pioneer Ave, ☏ +1 907-235-1455. A local favorite featuring nightly entertainment, either DJs or live music (updated Sep 2015) 3 The Alibi, 453 E Pioneer Ave, ☏ +1 907-235-9199. The Alibi has become a sort of hybrid, it is more of a restaurant than a bar these days, in a good way. The seafood in particular is great, also the best wings in town. Full bar is still there as well. Hours of operation vary widely, maybe call ahead. (updated Sep 2015) 4 Down East Saloon, 3125 East End Rd, ☏ +1 907-235-6002, [email protected]. Regularly features live music, and one of Homer's better selections of on-tap libations. (updated Sep 2015) 5 The Homer Brewing Company, 1411 Lake Shore Dr, ☏ +1 907-235-3626. The brewery has a retail area that sells beers directly from the taps by the 1/2 gallon growler or 16 & 32 oz bottle to go. The taproom offers sample "flights" or pints. There are no tours, but the brewery is fairly open and easy to view from the retail area. In the warmer months, there is an outdoor beer garden and food trucks. (updated Sep 2015) 6 Bear Creek Winery, 60203 Bear Creek Dr, ☏ +1 907-235-8484. Bear Creek winery makes fruit wines and fruit grape wine blends.

As with most accommodation in Alaska it is best to ring ahead and book a place a few nights in advance during the spring, summer, autumn (fall) tourist season. The Homer area features over 200 bed and breakfast establishments, with a wide range of prices and amenities. Location is a strong selling point of some of these, be sure to ask about the view! 1 Seaside Farm Hostel, 40904 Seaside Farm Rd. Nice little hostel maybe 5-10 minutes outside of town. It is a working farm and contains a hostel plus rooms and cabins that you can sleep in. Great people who run it. It is about 4 miles from the town and about 9 miles from the harbor, so you will probably need transportation. Cabins from $95. (updated Sep 2015) 2 Beluga Lake Lodge, 204 Ocean Dr, ☏ +1 907-235-5995, toll-free: +1 888-795-6343, [email protected]. Has a variety of room types to suit your budget. Very close to the airport, and has a unique view looking back at Homer. (updated Sep 2015) City of Homer campgrounds, ☏ +1 907-435-3139. The City of Homer offers several options for camping in Homer. All sites are first-com-first-serve and are $20 per night, there are no RV hookups. The Spit campgrounds feature camping right on the beach or adjacent to the fishing hole while Hornaday Park has a wooded setting on a hillside, with a playground and ball fields. All campgrounds have latrines or flush toilets. $20. (updated Jun 2019) 3 Best Western Bidarka Inn, 575 Sterling Hwy, ☏ +1 907-235-8148. If you arrive by road this will be one of the first things you see once you make it down the hill.

The city is served by Ravn Air Group, with daily flights to and from Anchorage. Smokey Bay Air, a local airline, flies to nearby communities. Numerous tour operators have wheeled and float planes based in Homer. Driving the 4 - 5 hours from Anchorage is well worth it. The route takes you along Turnigain Arm and up into the epic scenery of the Chugach National Forest and Turnigain Pass. Follow the Seward Highway to the Sterling Highway. When you get to the end of the Sterling, you made it. There is also a regularly scheduled van service that shuttles travellers between Anchorage and Homer. The scenery is breathtaking and it will give you a chance to visit some of the smaller towns on the Kenai Peninsula. Homer is also a stop on the 1 Alaska Marine Highway, the state-run ferry system. Cruise ships use the terminal at the Deep Water Dock on Freight Dock Road (east of the Small Boat Harbor). It's about 1½-mile walk or shuttle ride from the cruise Dock around the Small Boat Harbor to reach the main area where the shops and attractions begin on the Spit. To get to the main area of town from the Spit, which is about 5 miles northwest, most cruise lines supply shuttle buses, or you can take a taxi.

There isn't a public transportation system in Homer, so your options come down to walking, riding a bike, hitching a lift, renting a car or taking a taxi. Distances, as with most places in America, are fairly large, but there are good footpaths all around Homer. If you are fit, walking can be a great way to see and get a feel for the town. Homer is laid out rather oddly, in "chunks" of areas with businesses separated by residential areas or wetlands. Old Town, south of the Sterling Highway between Ohlson Lane and Main Street, is where you will find the Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center, a good place to get a map. Northeast of Old Town is the Business District and the main drag Pioneer Ave, which becomes East End Road after Lake St. Old Town and Pioneer Ave are walkable; further out, biking might be better and easier. There are paved bike and walking paths on East End Road, on Ocean Drive and the Beluga Slough, and on the Spit. If you are walking, pedaling, or roller-blading in these areas, it is recommended that you stay on the paths and off the roads. It is about 5 miles from the center of town to the harbor area on the Spit, and it can become very windy and cold at any time anywhere in coastal Alaska. Alaskans know that wearing layers that can be added or removed easily is the key to being comfortable outdoors in this highly variable environment. 2 Cycle Logical, 302 E Pioneer Ave, ☏ +1 907 226-2925, [email protected]. Bike shop with a variety of rental options and tours. Fat tire beach bikes, cruisers, mountain bikes and e-bikes.