Homer

Understand

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.

Climate

Visitor information 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. Late May-early Sep: Daily 9AM-5PM; early to mid-Sep: M-Sa 10AM-5PM; mid-Sep-mid May: Tu-Sa noon-5PM; mid- to late May M-Sa: 10AM-5PM. Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center is primarily a walking experience to expose you to the largest seabird refuge in the world! Stroll through indoor exhibits and explore easy walking elevated or paved interpretive trails on the Center's 60-acre site. If you intend to enjoy the trails, consid

Getting there

By plane 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.

By car

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.

By ferry Homer is also a stop on the 1 Alaska Marine Highway, the state-run ferry system.

By cruise ship 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.

Getting around

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.

By foot 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. App-based rental kiosk on the Spit or in-person at the shop. (updated Dec 2021) 3 Homer Saw and Cycle, 1532 Ocean Dr (On Ocean Drive near the airport), ☏ +1 907-235-8406, [email protected]. M-F 9AM-5:30PM, Sa 11AM-5PM. Bike and power equipment shop, bike rentals available. (updated Dec 2021) Loop Eride, 195 E Bunnell, ☏ +1 907-435-7437. E-bike showroom and rentals in Old Town Homer near Bishop's Beach. At l

See

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. A walk along the beach is a beautiful way to see the spit but be careful of the tide as the beach isn't always accessible at high tide. Kachemak Bay experiences tidal variances of up to 30 ft (9.1 m) in a day, so always be a