Homer Spit: where adventures begin

With its miles of beaches, campgrounds, shops and the harbor, the Homer Spit is the focus of tourism and fishing in Homer. Hikers and kayakers get to Kachemak Bay State Park from water taxis or private boats leaving the Spit. It's not just where the land ends and the sea begins — it's where adventures start.

The heart of the Spit goes from the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon to Land's End Resort. Boardwalks and shops line the harbor and inlet sides of the road. Here you can find everything from luxury hotels and fine dining to rustic camping and seafood shacks. Need a fishing charter? Book ahead, or look for last-minute "boat open" signs at the dozens of charter offices. Visit souvenir shops, galleries or other stores for that special gift. Get take-out food, an ice cream cone or espresso and dine outdoors on the beach.

Parking

In June and July, parking on the Spit can be a challenge. Motorhome drivers, look for spaces in gravel lots just past Fish Dock Road or across from the Homer Ferry Terminal. Day trippers and overnight campers, park free for up to seven days in the long-term lots, and leave the spaces by the stores for visitors just shopping for a few hours. Parking is prohibited on the pavement along the Homer Spit Road, or where marked. Some spots are reserved for 15-minute loading and unloading, such as along the Homer Spit Road in the middle of the Spit and at the ends of the harbor ramps. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, a daily fee is charged for parking in the paved parking lots at Ramps 1, 2, 3 and 4. Angled parking in front of the Cannery Row boardwalk is limited to three hours.

Drive slowly through the Spit and stop for pedestrians in marked crosswalks.

Recreation

A paved multi-use path runs from the base of the Spit by Kachemak Drive all the way to the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon, with plans to extend it all the way to Land's End. Bikers, runners, walkers and rollerbladers share the path. Enjoy the awesome scenery, watch shorebirds in early May and work up a little sweat.

Get your toes wet with a walk at low tide on broad, sandy beaches. Watch those tides, though, or you could get stranded on the other side of tide pools, or forced to walk back along the rougher gravel at the beach edge.

Eagles, shorebirds, gulls and sea birds can be seen along the Spit beaches. Harbor seals, otters and sea lions often swim off the beach — sometimes even orca and humpback whales. After a good southwesterly storm, beachcombing can be excellent for buoys and other treasures of the sea.

ATVs and motorized vehicles are allowed on the inlet side of the beach west of the Fishing Lagoon to the Mariner Park lagoon. Stay off the beach berms and out of the lagoon and the mud flats on the northeast side of the Spit. Drive slowly and respect other beach users.

Thousands of anglers are drawn to the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon, located on the northeast side of the Spit.