Homer, Alaska, commonly referred to as “the end of the road”, sits at the end of the Sterling Highway which is part of Alaska Route 1. The most prominent geographic aspect of Homer is the Homer Spit. The spit is the part that caught my eye when deciding to spend a few days there. The Homer Spit is a 4.5 mile narrow stretch of gravel that extends into the Kachemak Bay and has hotels, shops, and a large marina at its tip.

I stayed at the Land’s End Resort for the three nights I was in Homer. Its location made for a great base of operations given its proximity to coffee shops, restaurants, and the marina where the running trips started. The halls of the hotel are part museum, with early pictures of the spit’s development and also impacts from the “Good Friday” earthquake in 1964. Browsing these pictures is a good way to learn some history while waiting for your dinner reservation.

But, I’ve jumped ahead of the logistics for this trip. My trip to Alaska started with flights on Alaska Airlines connecting through Seattle, Washington going to Anchorage, Alaska. I arrived very late in the evening, so went straight to bed after picking up my rental car and checking into the hotel. The next morning I woke up and got breakfast at a local institution, the Snow City Cafe. After breakfast, I made a stop at Walmart to get my supplies for the week. I got my standard items for long runs; bottled water, Twix bars, gummy snacks, and sun cream. But on this trip I got some additional gear; bear spray, bug spray, and a first aid kit. I wasn’t entirely sure about needing bear spray, but later on in the trip when I talked to some locals, they said it’s always a good idea to have it with you. Although, another local said it’s not so effective on black bears as it is on grizzlies. Fortunately, I never needed to find out.

Now that I was loaded up, I headed south to Homer on the approximately 4 hour drive. One thing I wasn’t expecting to find in Alaska is their love of espresso. I had the best iced coffee / americano I’ve ever had on this trip. Instead of the standard coffee shops, these espresso drinks are sold from small buildings located in town and along the highway. Look for them when you are out!

The highlight of being in Homer is taking water taxis from the Homer Spit Marine Terminal across the bay to Kachemak State Park. The boat ride across the bay is about 45 minutes depending on which trail head you are going to. My rides with Ashore Water Taxi were right on time, and everyone working there is exceptionally friendly. Your hike requires careful planning because there is no other way back beyond them picking you up. I figured I could make each of the hikes in 4 hours, so scheduled my pickup time based on that. Be sure to estimate your time well since there is no other way to get back other than the water taxi you’ve scheduled for your pickup. Also plan for time to take pictures, eat berries, and talk with people you meet along the way.

The two trails I hiked in Kachemak Bay Start Park were Grace Ridge, from North to South, and Sadie Knob, an out and back. Both trails offer superb views of the Homer spit and the surrounding bay once you get to the top. However, the Grace Ridge Trail spends much more time in alpine territory with soaring views of the surrounding mountains, bay, and the spit. In each case, the trails ascend through dense forest, and at some points heavily overgrown brush, but the trail is always easy to follow and very runnable. I was very fortunate there wasn’t rain on either day as I’d likely avoid these trails in the rain, especially on Grace Ridge as there are very steep sections where the footing was very difficult, even dry. I also think it’s best to hike Grace Ridge from North to South since it’s easier to go up very steep sections than it is to climb down in my opinion. It was also a lot of fun to bomb the runs on the way down from the peaks.

My food and drink in Homer were centered on coffee, breakfast, and dinner since I was always out during the lunch hour. For dinner I went into town one night and ate at AJ's OldTown Steakhouse & Tavern. Except for a few open seats at the bar, they were booked solid all night. Plan to get there very early if you don’t have a reservation. I also went to Captain Pattie's Fish House to have baked halibut. Given that Homer is known as the “Halibut Fishing Capital of the World", I couldn’t miss having some for dinner. And finally, I also had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, The Chart Room, where I got an Alaskan Red Crab appetizer. Captain Pattie’s and The Chart Room have excellent views of the surrounding bay to enjoy while you eat. For very early morning coffee, at 5am, I went to the little coffee shop part of Boardwalk Fish and Chips, and for my coffee after the runs, I went to Coal Town Coffee & Tea. For breakfast, I went to La Baleine Café, which makes fresh breakfasts from scratch. I highly recommend their daily omlet special or breakfast burrito.

On my third day in Homer, I went on an excursion to see grizzly bears. I chose a flight with Beryl Air heading to Brooks Falls. The floatplane trip starts by taking off from Beluga Lake in Homer and then landing in the Brooks River. When we taxied up to the shore at Brooks Camp, there were already bears sleeping right on the beach. The original flight plan was to land in a lake along the way, but it was too windy for a safe landing, so we ended up just spending more time at Brooks Falls. I used the extra time at Brooks Falls to hike around and also spend more time viewing the bears. It’s very incredible to be that close to the grizzly bears while they fish for salmon in the rivers and lakes.

If I had planned better, I might have stayed a night at the Brooks Lodge and taken a trip out to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes. This area is one of the most unique places on earth and is almost completely open to exploration. One could easily run as far as you’d like, but you also need to pack in all of your water given a lack of natural sources because of the volcanic ash that covered everything.

I barely touched on the things to do in Homer, but really enjoyed my time and the unique aspects of these runs, especially the water taxi across the bay. While none of these runs were ultra in distance, their remoteness, required scheduling of a water taxi pickup, and potential for bears makes them difficult and memorable runs.