Alaska Beach Life in Kasilof & Homer

We had a lofty goal to drive 520 miles from Valdez to Homer, on the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula, in a weekend. Saturday was particularly long with a couple of planned stops, but there was no shortage of awesome views. This is the Matanuska Glacier from a pullout.

We stopped for lunch in Palmer because they were having their Colony Days Festival. We learned that the difference between a reindeer and a caribou is whether or not a leash is involved. We had a reindeer hotdog, but I thought it would be strange to put a photo of it next to the reindeer, so here’s a picture of our ice cream instead.

After a Costco stop in Anchorage, we made it to a pullout along the Turnagain Arm for the night. The Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet is known for having some of the largest bore tides in the world and we wanted to see one. A bore tide happens when a high tide enters a shallow area, creating a wave that can sometimes be large enough to surf.

But after a sleepless night during the worst wind we’ve ever encountered, I barely managed to take this photo of the bore tide through the window the next morning. It was an amazing sight so we hope to catch another one.

On Sunday, we realized there was no way we could make it to Homer on no sleep. We ended up at the Kasilof River Special Use Area, located on the west coast of the Kenai Peninsula. This was just a free beachfront parking lot but we loved being there for the workweek.

The parking lot was adjacent to where the Kasilof River empties into the Cook Inlet. It’s a very popular fishing spot for locals, but fishing season had not yet started. The beach was great for after-work walks.

The following weekend we finally moved down to Homer. Homer is a very busy and touristy beach town for both Alaskans and Alaska visitors.

According to this sign, Homer is the “Halibut Fishing Capital of the World”! We wanted to go halibut fishing, but the price tag with no guarantee of catching anything made us think twice and pass it up. We did have some delicious fish tacos from Swell Taco and bought halibut and rockfish from Coal Point Trading to cook at home.

We lucked out with a first come first served beachfront spot at Mariner Park at the beginning of the Homer Spit. In Alaska, we don’t have to choose between the beach and the mountains, there are multiple places to have views of both right from our campsite!

The Homer Spit is a 4-mile sandy stretch of land jutting into Kachemak Bay. It’s the remnant of a glacial moraine that was reinforced years ago by Alaska Natives to keep it from washing away.

It’s a bustling place, the jumping-off spot for fishing trips and other guided tours. Most of the best things to do in Homer require a boat or plane but we didn’t prioritize those this time. There were plenty of beaches, shops, restaurants, and bars to keep us busy on our first visit.

Knowing there was still a week before the dipnet season started, we returned to our free Kasilof River/Beach parking lot for the following workweek. Dipnetting is what it sounds like, Alaska residents stand in shallow water and scoop the salmon up in a circular net.

But surprise, we found that the setnet season had started! We’d never heard of this method before, but large nets are spread out on the beach and the locals camp and wait for the tide to bring in the salmon. As the tide goes out, the nets are pulled back and all the fish are caught in the net.

Next, we trade the beaches for the rivers and lakes of the Kenai Peninsula interior!