Homer Spit

Homer Spit is a 4.5-mile natural gravel bar extending into Kachemak Bay from the town of Homer, Alaska, at the southern end of the Sterling Highway on the Kenai Peninsula. Often described as the end of Alaska's road system, the Spit hosts a concentrated cluster of fish processing plants, boat harbors, seafood markets, galleries, and restaurants all facing the snow-capped peaks and hanging glaciers of the Kenai Mountains across the bay. Halibut fishing charters departing from the Homer Harbor are the primary commercial draw; Homer is one of the most productive halibut fishing ports in Alaska, and dozens of charter operators offer full-day trips into Kachemak Bay and the deeper waters of lower Cook Inlet. The Spit's wide public beach is walkable its full length, and the views of glaciers on the Kenai Range across the water are consistently dramatic on clear days. Resident bald eagles are a fixture along the beach and harbor structures, and sea otters float in the protected harbor waters in groups year-round — one of the most reliable sea otter viewing spots on the Kenai Peninsula. Kachemak Bay State Park, accessible only by boat or small floatplane from the Spit's docks, offers outstanding wilderness hiking, kayaking, and wildlife viewing across the bay. The Salty Dawg Saloon, a historic log cabin structure at the entrance to the boat harbor, is a landmark bar layered with fishing memorabilia and a recognizable Spit destination. Fresh seafood shacks along the docks sell halibut, salmon, Dungeness crab, and shrimp caught the same day.