Kachemak Bay State Park Reviews

Other than breath taking, there are no words that can adequately describe the beauty of this area! Just.... WOW!

There are many guides and out fitters to handle newbies to experts. There is something for everyone here!

This is a real gem to visit. After arriving by boat taxi, you can explore the area o foot. The glaciers is very pretty and bluish an if you are luck you may see a plank of ice dropping in the water. We didn’t, but we had seen it at Perito Moreno in southern Argentina. Glaciers are impressive and beautiful, so can be walk in one of the wonderful trails in the park, looking at nature and beautiful views! Don’t miss it!

The view of Kachemak Bay State Park can be seen from Homer, Lands End Resort, a water taxi, a ferry and the scenic drive starting on East End Road.

My wife and three children hiked this trail to the glacier ~ 6 miles total. Our children are 13, 11, 7....and they all did fine. This is a very cool experience to see a glacier and icebergs floating in the glacier lake.

I'm lucky to live across the water from Kachemak Bay State Park. The park is beautiful with lots of trails to get you into the park.

Great place to stop to take in the views and walk along the shore. There is parking as well as public restrooms on site.

We only had time for a day hike our first trip here, but we got almost everything we were looking for in an Alaskan outdoors experience. We got dropped off at Humpy Creek and took the Grewingk Tram Spur to end up at the preferred pickup point at Saddle Trail. Check the DNR website for trail status, as trails are maintained by volunteers and are not always passable. The Humpy Creek section got a bit spotty at points, but trail markers are prevalent enough that you can quickly find the right path.

We saw many signs of large wildlife (spoor, tracks and evidence of foraging) but did not encounter any. For some this might be ideal, but we would not have minded catching a glimpse of a black bear or moose. Seeing we were there in peek summer and the foliage was so thick, it is possible that animals could have been just meters off the trail and we would not have seen them.

WE did a day of hiking and a day flight seeing to Katmai to see the coastal bears. The Homer Inn did all of our bookings for us and made everything so easy.

Take a float plane ride across Kachemak Bay and land in Grewengk Lake where a Naturalist will get your kayak and gear ready to paddle around the icebergs. Learn the history of earthquakes and see for yourself the damage from years ago in Kachemake Bay State Park. Hike back to the bay for a water taxi ride back to Homer Harbor..if your lucky and it's berry season pick on your way. Salmon berries rule!

Thoroughly enjoyed our hike from Glacier Lake Trail to Saddle Trail. The trails were well cared for with lovely scenery in the woods. Nice but not spectacular other than Glacier Lake where we had lunch. Gorgeous stop for a picnic lunch with a view of the lake and glacier. Awesome! Trails very well marked. We took Mako Water Taxi there. The pick up point had a nice cove with interesting finds in the tide pools including very large star fish. Great way to spend half a day.

This is the place I escape to, I do that at least couple of times a year. The floating iceberg in the Glacier lake is always inviting. I love the moment I get to enjoy my delicious lunch sitting by the beach. Life is good.

Requires you to take a water taxi from Homer, AK unless you have access to a boat (too far to kayak) but it was worth it. Extremely nice view of the glacier and floating glacial ice in the lake itself. The hike itself is very pretty and there is a good trail system if you wish to continue further. There is also a small community with a coffee shop and a restaurant, however these were closed for the season when I visited (early Sept.)

This whole area is just beautiful. The bay, the hikes, the glaciers. So many pictures were taken. We liked Homer the best . We started at Anchorage and traveled south and hit all the cities. The view (when clear) as you come around the corner into Homer is the best.

The captain and staff are enthusiastic. Don't be fooled. If you can see the surrounding area due to fog you won't see it at the park, except for the glacier. Rough water for an hour passage. Cool water falls and some good wildlife. For more details and pics visit etbtravelphotography blog

We spent 6 days in the area, kayaked basically every day, and got to see bald eagles, sea otter, seals, whales, black bear, jellyfish, and more! It was the best vacation we've ever had. Can't wait to go back.

Very pretty .nice drive to see some great sights . plenty of pull offs to look around . don't forget to take your camera

We hiked to Glacier Lake a the base of the Growingk Glacier. It was an amazing day! If it is sunny out, plan a little extra time for lounging on the beach as we did. Soaking up the sun at the base of an Alaskan glacier - does it get any better than that? The park was well tended and all trails were well marked.

Trails for all abilities, good birding, close look of Grewink Glacer. You could spend a morning there or several days. You are far from civilization but I found myself usually with cellphone service. You have to take a water taxi or private boat to get there from the Homer Boat Basin. Call the water taxi several days ahead as they can be busy in the summer high season. As of 2015 price was $70, round trip, per person. The 20-minute ride gives glimpses of sea otters, harbor seals, seabirds and whales occasionally.

We took the MAKO water taxi ($75.- per adult and $60,- per child plus taxes and state park fees) and it was well worth it! We were dropped off at the Glacier Spit TH and hiked to the Grewingk Glacier lake (3.2 miles easy). The views from the shore of the lake are amazing. This was a nice picnic spot for us. The trek across the rocky glacial moraine and the 1.5 mile hike to the Saddle TH pick up point was quite challenging and took us well over an hour, even though the grand kids were way ahead of us. The trail gets extremely steep towards the end and could be very difficult when wet. Good hiking shoes and a trekking stick are a must. The other trails are longer + rated more difficult, so we suspect those are only for seasoned hikers.

We only had time for a quick visit - just a few hours hiking - but absolutely loved the place. I would definitely come back and spend some more time there.

We loved this hike! We even saw orcas on our return in the water taxi. The woods was full of flowers and the lake with the beautiful blue glacier was spectacular.

Absolutely beautiful. something to see for all ages - be sure to bring a good camera, rain gear (just in case) and binoculars wouldn't be a bad idea to throw in.

We took a water taxi across Kachemak Bay to the trail head for the Glacier Lake Trail. Although the day was cloudy we were lucky that it did not rain. The trail is easy with just minimal elevation gain. After about 3 miles we reached the lake with great views of the Grewingk Glacier across the lake and many icebergs floating on the lake. After eating lunch on the beach we headed back to take the Saddle trail down to our water taxi pick-up point. The Saddle Trail has much more elevation change, initially climbing to a summit and then a steep descent down to the water. It could be a bit dangerous if it was raining as I am guessing there trail would get slippery on the steep descent. The trail ended in a beautiful bay where we were picked up for our return to Homer.

One of our favorite segments of our trip! Mako's water taxi was excellent taking us across the bay to this beautiful area.

A beautiful place to know. Leaving for a boat ride throut the bay, you can see wildlife ( otters, whales, pufins), enjoy the florest ending in the ocean, the beautiful rock formation near the shores. Stop in a desert little island. for a picnic. Great place for a wonderful day.

This is a state park across the bay from Homer Spit. You have to take a 30 minutes water taxi each way. Well worth the time to spend a half day exploring, hiking the many hiking trails and coves. We hiked to Grewingk Glacier....a sight to behold.....truly the Alaskan experience. Mosquitoes are present so bring repellent or a head net.

Boat trip over to Soldovia via Rainbow Tours- the best!
We had an excellent guide in our boat driver- Victoria- she took the time to tell us a lot about th bay and park. Excellent value for money.

I might be biased... from my home I can look across Kachemak Bay and see Kachemak Bay State Park every day. Boat tours can take you to the shore line to see wild life, but you should take a water taxi and get dropped off for a day of hiking the many great trails, from easy to difficult. Of course, the best is to reserve a forest cabin or go back-packing. Since there is no road access, the trail use is fairly light. You will get a real wilderness experience.

This is the thing to do in Homer but it is quite expensive. We went with Sasquatch Tours who flew us to a remote part of Katmai, landed on a gravel runway by the water and then hiked us inland through bogs and high grass to view the bears. We counted at least 30 brown bears of varying ages.
If you have a telephoto lens, you will have amazing photo ops. Even with an iPhone we were able to get some great pics. The Aleutian chain and the Mt Augustine volcano provide an incredible backdrop. The only way into this spot is by small plane and it is an hour from Homer. We came in with 10 people on 2 planes and were the only ones there because Sasquatch is the only tour company who lands in this spot. Because it is a grassy plain, you can see a long way. In another week you can watch the bears fish for salmon but we were still mesmerized just watching them move around.
Note that you have to walk at least 3-4 miles during this 3 hour walking tour but there are frequent stops for photos and one for a snack.
Bring your own food and water because the guides do not provide anything to eat or drink.
Our guides were exceptionally knowledgeable and great pilots. We landed in a rainstorm on the way back but he put down perfectly. In the top 3 of all my Alaska experiences.

My father, mother, and I spent three nights at the Quarry Beach Yurt in Kachemak Bay State Park. It was an excellent base for kayaking, fishing (from the kayak), hiking, and wildlife viewing. The kayak in to Sadie Cove was very nice, despite some occasional rain -- we spotted several porpoises sea otters along the way, in addition to numerous bald eagles. It does not feel entirely remote, as there are a few homesteads/lodges along the shore of Sadie Cove. The second day we spent fishing from the kayak and caught two halibut, a rock fish, skulpin, and red snapper (I think). We ate one halibut, the rock fish, and skulpin roasted over an open fire. It was a lot of fun. We also hiked the ridge trail (not entirely) which goes through marvelous rain forest like vegetation -- blueberries, salmon berries, watermelon berries, etc. It was also ideal bear habitat, and as we'd seen a sow and two cubs earlier when we stopped on a beach in the vicinity we were careful and noisy. The yurt is well outfitted...it had aluminum foil, which came in handy cooking the fish. You have to bring in your own water, however. It was a great and relaxing trip.

We are avid hikers, so we did the all day hike out to the Grewingk Glacier - we took the water taxi across the bay, used the hand-powered tram to cross the river, then hiked up and over the big hill and all the way out to the glacier. On the way back, we took the side trail up to Grewingk Glacier Lake, and finally ended our day at the Saddle Trailhead. I think the total mileage was 14 miles. We didn't see anyone else on the long section out to the glacier itself, but there were plenty of people at the Glacier Lake.

Very cool to see this glacier. The bergs in the lake make noises as they melt and fall apart and rollover in the water. That is quite dramatic.

We wore mosquito nets over our heads during the morning, and were quite glad to have that protection. When afternoon came around and the sun warmed things up, all the mosquitos disappeared

Truthfully the best part of Homer is not in Homer, it is across the bay. If your time and budget allow, a visit by water taxi, Kayak, plane or ferry to any spot across the bay is a step into paradise. There are miles of trails, cabins to rent and lush green forest oh and wild berries too!

Lovely scenery and a beautiful area. Unfortunately smoke in the air obscuring views due to wildfires but still lovely.

Took a water taxi to the park and hiked to Glacier Lake with our 8 year olds. The trail was ever-changing and beautiful!

Hiked Glacier Lake trail to Grewingk Glacier. Slow going at my age, but so worth it. It was a warm sunny day and could not have been more beautiful. Even got to see a young black bear once we reached the cove while waiting for our water taxi. Great day

We took a water taxi over to the park and were lucky that it was a clear day as it would have been hazardous if the trail was wet.

This hike was the high-lite of my Homer visit. Seeing the ice floating on the lake and heading the melting ice (yes!) was amazing. It's a National Geographic type of destination. We hiked the more-or-less flat trail from Rusty's Lagoon to the lake and returned on the steep SaddleTrail. Take walking sticks if walking down the Saddle Trail, ground can be slippery if wet, but the trail is well maintained. Oh yea-- carried Bear Spray and saw one pile of bear poo. Great wildflowers on the trail too. Gorgeous visitas from the Saddle Trail.

Worth the water taxi or scheduled trip. I recommend True North! We had an excellent experience even in cool, rainy weather.

We took a taxi over to the park to Glacier Point. There is a great hike from there which is not too strenuous. There also is a latrine at the entrance to the trail that we took. We also hiked along the beach and took in a walk around a wet land. The beach is full of driftwood, beautiful colors of kelp and some shells. We were there for 3 hours but easily could have spent longer hiking. There also is a hike to a glacier which we did not take but others told us it was magnificent.

Kachemak Bay State Park is on the south side of the Bay across from Homer, and is one of the area's best places to visit for those who desire to see Alaska's wild areas -- without having to spend lots of time & $$. There are designated wilderness areas to enjoy; places to stay (camp with your own tent, or rent a comfy yurt or cozy cabin); marvelous trails to lakes, streams, and high mountaintop vistas; sea kayaking opportunities inside sheltered waters; and fishing opportunities both marine and freshwater. Our favorite day trip is to hike the Saddle Trail, which takes you from the shores of the Bay and either to Grewingk Glacier Lake, or to the hand-operated cable tram crossing of the river flowing out of the lake; the trail over the Saddle is steep but short, and once you're on the other side, the pathways traverse a flat glacial outwash plain that are easy to walk -- and the best time to do this hike is when the leaves of the cottonwood trees get their yellow fall colors (allow 3-5 hours for this excursion). Use a water taxi from the Homer Harbor to reach the State Park (reasonable cost -- we recommend Mako's Water Taxi service). Enjoy this real gem of the Homer area!

Incredible beauty and as a local told us its "The Beautiful Kachemak Bay!" We could visit the area time and time again.

Guide was great at finding the eagles in the trees, also lots of sea otters in the bay. We were on a boat tour around Yukon Island.

Both enjoyable experiences
Glacier lake trail from Spit trailhead to Grewingk lake and return on Saddle trail was easy hike and Mako water taxi was great to drop off and pick up

We spent a week in Homer AK right on the Kachemak Bay. WOW! Not to be missed! We hung out on the Homer Spit, when halibut fishing, dined at some truly unforgettable places and met the locals. The beauty of this place with three glaciers across the bay from Homer is amazing. Don’t be surprised to see moose on the streets. We plan to return and spend a few months here when we retire - we’ve been to many places in AK and love it here the best.

This is my first review, but I really enjoyed this hike, so I thought I would share it with others. We came into Homer without any real plans, we just were making a day trip and decided to walk around. We found a little shop that offered hiking tours and decided to try this one as it was already lunch time and we still didn't have anything to do. We decided to do this hike and took a water taxi over, we really enjoyed the first part of the hike. It was nice and secluded and heard lots of rustling in the woods, which we think were bears. This wasn't your little critter rustling noises, we even heard a few huffs. This scared the living daylights out of me, my husband was more intrigued than anything. As you got higher up, the woods opened up and there was a lot of low growth, but not any big trees. I believe this was due to a nasty bug that took over and killed a lot of the trees several years ago. Don't quote me on that, it was a while back and I don't remember the whole story.

We had a very private hike and never saw another person until we were really close to the glacier. I am guessing most of them took the shorter hike from Halibut Cove and then went back the way they came. It was very peaceful and a beautiful day with a fairly moderate hike, so I couldn't have asked for a better day. The glacier was cool, there weren't many people there and we didn't get to stay long because we didn't want to miss the first Taxi, so we headed back. We really liked the hike on the way to Halibut Cove. It is an absolute stunning view and this was probably my favorite part of the hike. We then happened upon a black bear eating berries. We heard him first so we stopped us in our tracks. He then stood up and looked right at us, he was within 15 feet of us, but he didn't care. He just went back to his berries and was chomping at an annoying fly right above his nose. Keep in mind we were here towards the end of season where the bears are well fed and happy. He could have cared less about us, although my heart was still pounding. We couldn't really continue on the path since we would have had to pass right by him, so we waited a bit. Then decided that he was in his own little word and we were about to miss our taxi so we just walked on past him. No worries though, he was still about 10-15 feet off the trail. We never got any closer to him thankfully. He was too close for my comfort, but again my husband thought it was awesome. I grabbed a few pics of him when he looked at us which you can see one below. I wish we had more time to sit and look over Halibut Cove before our taxi left, but it was starting to pull out when we made it there. We could have waited another hour, but again, we decided since we still had a couple hour drive back from Homer, we should go ahead and take that one. We made friends with our Taxi driver and he told us about the Whales he had seen earlier that day. He told us that he was going back out on another trip to pick someone up in Seldovia and we are welcome to ride along. So when we got back to Homer we picked up a pizza to share with him and hopped on board to Seldovia where we saw two humpbacks. It was an awesome experience for just a day trip. We only had two days in Alaska and we got to see a brown bear feasting on his catch on the upper Kenai, a black bear feasting on his berries, two humpbacks, lots of eagles and plenty of the other typical wildlife. I love to plan out trips in advance with Trip advisor. But in this case for this trip, I relied on conversations with the locals to plan our short two days and I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out.

I took the Mako water taxi over to the Glacier Spit stop from Homer and took the easy hike up to the Grewingk glacier lake. Stunning views. This was an incredibly beautiful spot, and a highlight of my trip to Alaska. I even saw a black bear on the way back to the Saddle pickup spot! The trail was well maintained and marked. There was an outhouse at the glacier spit drop off and another at the glacier lake. I had full LTE service from at&t for most of the hike (closest to the beginning and ends of the hike but not at the lake at all). Very remote and wilderness-y but totally manageable and highly recommended.

For some of the most amazing hikes in Alaska, take a water taxi from Homer Spit across Kachemak Bay. Mako's water taxi is a great value. Take the Glacier Lake hike and be astounded at the beauty of the icebergs floating in an ice-cold lake nestled up in the mountains. Don't step in the bear poop on the trail and make lots of noise!

Took Mako taxi across to Katchemak bay. The trail was easy just there was bear poop in so many places that it scared us because it was just my husband and I. There were not many people on the trail which is private but scary because of the bears. The Mosquitos were an issue. Do take deet spray. We had Mosquito bites all over our body. But oh once we reached the glacier lake what a beauty! Blue floating ice and the glacier itself was beautiful. From the glacier lake to Sadie's cove the trail is much more greener and prettier.

We wanted to see the bay with a little boat to try to see some wildlife and with Bay Excursion we did it!
Karl is very nice and experienced and he make us happy with many Sea Otters, birds and Whales.
Gull's Island is a beautiful place.
We did enjoy our three hours trip very, very much.

Beautiful, a must see on a trip to Alaska! Even on a rainy day, any of the glacier and wildlife tours are amazing.

We visited the park last summer, but this visit we can look across the bay and see the area frosted with snow. Less inviting, but totally awesome! We have to drive for seven hours to be in sight of a mountain when at home, and two days to see a decent glacier. Three days to see a bay. It is all here to enjoy in one view!

Very nice state park, we hiked to a glacier. Just be sure to bring a bear spray or go with a group of people. We saw bears there and we were all but alone - two adults and a kid.

There are several glaciers you can see along the bay. Take a bay cruise and see the wildlife. maybe even a whale. The islands in the bay are virtually uninhabited. THere is a few houses on the islands with spectacular scenery

We went to Kachemak Bay State Park 2 days ago. This was one of the most awesome experiences we had. The view of Glacier Lake after a moderate hike left us without words.

What made it so easy was the water taxi company we used to take us there. They were extremely knowledgeable and we highly recommend them. Their website is:
Www.redmountainmarine.com
907/399-8230

They are a small outfit but have been in business many years.
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This was our fourth trip to Alaska. We've previously been to Denali and Misty Fjords each once, and the Kenai peninsula three times primarily for hiking and paddling. Our first day in the park we attempted a hike to Emerald Lake and were surprised at how awful the trail was. Even our water taxi driver kind-of snorted when we asked about the trails, and seem surprised that the visitor's center hadn't warned us that the trails had not been maintained all summer. This was confirmed by our host at a lodge in the Halibut Cove area. Apparently staff at one of the lodges has been maintaining the trail to Grewingk Glacier Lake, but beyond that point it is 4-foot high grass, mud, rocks, roots, and Devil's Club all over the place. We met another couple on the trail who had just spent over a week backpacking in the Brooks Range and were equally surprised and disappointed with this area. So overall, a beautiful spot but we won't be back, which is too bad because Homer is a nice town. We'll stick to our favorites on the Seward Highway side of the peninsula!

My wife and I were fortunate enough to ride a water taxi to the trailhead and loved the hike to the lake. It was an amazing experience and not to be missed if you are in the area and up to a gentle walk. The drop off and pick up is from a shingle beach. Fun and the trip over provided lots of sea otters.

Kachemak Bay is an incredible place. The views are so big, its hard to get the right picture! Also great place to see bald eagles, whales, and otters.

This area is fantastic.We did lots of walking and exploring at our own pace.
Homer is a very friendly place and we saw wild life from the onset as a Bald Eagle dropped down and picked a fish out of the sea about 20 feet away from us. During our time here we saw Hump back Whales, Killer Whales, Seals, Sea lions, Puffins and other sea birds. The food was fantastic and the people were helpful. Our boat trip was the best trip we have been on anywhere in the world and was topped by the Glacier's and Sea Otter's on the way back.

You need to walk...not hike...across a glacial moraine to a glacial lake occupied by floating ice bergs. Look across the lake to the glacier which calved them. A truly incredible sight!
Side walk to a hand powered tram over the glacial outwash river is worth the trip and a sore shoulder!,

We went on a rainy day mid-week at the end of October. Lots of locals walking dogs. 100% needed rain boots, multiple river crossing points. Extremely lush and green, lots of good views of the bay.

Homer is beautiful with stunning views. At times it gets busy but it is not overly crowded so you can really enjoy yourself!

This is a stunningly gorgeous park with a fantastically maintained and marked trail to a chilly glacier lake.

Mako water taxi took us across the bay[$75pp]. They are great. Told us where the trail was when they dropped us off at the beach and the time and place they would pick us up. All worked perfectly. We had an easy 4 mile hike to Grewingk Glacier lake, 4 couples all mid sixties, We packed in a lunch and some wine and had an hour by ourselves looking at a beautiful glacier.Yes, even a calving. We paid a lot of money to see Mears and Aialik Glaciers and this free one was every bit as nice, and no people.2 mile hike down saddel trail to boat pickup spot was a little up and down but not bad at all. Total hike 5-6 easy miles. On the way to lake we took and hour detour[round trip] to tram that crosses creek which also was fun.All in all it was one great easy relaxing day.

Beautiful trip > lots of exotic ducks. The scenery was absolutely stunning. A once in a life time experience

As with the rest of Alaska, just a wonderland of un-trammelled beauty! Just to many different things to see here.

Really wonderful hike that is fairly easy to manage as the trails are very well groomed. The only downside is having to pay $40 per person each way for a water taxi to get your to Glacier Spit trailhead and pick you up at Saddle Trail. But bite the bullet and pay the money as once you get to the trail, you will forget about spending the money. Right where we were dropped off on the beach, two bald eagles were sitting in a couple of trees right on the beach, making for some great pictures. We went at 7:30am so was only us and one other person. Very quiet. As many mentioned, you will see a lot of bear scat (we only saw black bear scat) so you do have to always remain aware. But as long as you stay vigilant and keep your group together, you will be fine. We included the hike down to the hand tram so that we could just go out across the river on it. Nobody around at that time of the day so was very peaceful. The hike to glacier lake is a very slight incline most of the way that is hardly noticeable. When you end the hike and head down Saddle Trail, you will be surprised at the elevation gain you made walking to the lake as it does not feel like it. But as many state, the hike down is more slow going but easily manageable. The experience at the lake was extremely peaceful and beautiful. Take a towel with you and experience a polar plunge into a VERY cold lake. We were in the park a total of 5 hours which was plenty. You can take your time and enjoy the pace, even with the extra two miles to the hand tram. Definitely recommend the hike, but do it early as when we were leaving, crowds of folks were showing up.

Absolutely beautiful place. We went for a family hike, had a blast, took some great pictures, what an adventure!!

Took a water taxi with Bay Roamers to the hiking trail, went up to the lake with glaciers. Great way to spend the afternoon, but watch for bears!

Took our yaks over with Mako charters and spent 4 wonderful hours watching sea otter and porpoise play. Cruised around the islands across from Kayak Beach.

Hiked in to Grewingk Glacier Lake... was an amazing day! And saw a few Black Bears (from a safe distance) and eagles flying overhead! Just a great hike!!

Great cabin, complete with row boat; snug in the rain. Moderate 2.5 mile hike to get there. Other trails were more overgrown to difficult to travel -- but scenery was always great. Bear poop on trails, but no sightings.

My daughter and I loved our 5-mile hike here! We took the water taxi (Mako's) from Homer, which basically means that we were driven by boat across the water, dropped on the beach, had the trailhead pointed out to us, and were told when to be at the pick-up spot. We took the trail to Grewingk Glacier, which was peaceful and beautiful. Didn't see another person the whole time. Loved every moment. Well worth it!

We hiked to the Gerwigh glacial lake and it was amazing! They said it would take 5 hours and it did, but we stayed at the lake for about an hour. The hike was not hard. I am a grandmother and not in the best of shape, and it was one of the most beautiful and doable hikes of our trip. One thing I would recommend is nets for your hats and a hiking stick. The bugs were relentless. It was fantastic and I highly recommend going on this hike!

If you take a water taxi ( truenorthkayak@gmail.com) from Homer Spit across the water, you can enjoy a beautiful 4-5 hour 3+ mile hike adventure to the lake at the base of the Grewingk Glacier and you should!. There are several water taxi options for the 30 minute crossing. Look online for maps to find hiking trail options, as there is nothing but pristine natural beauty and trails and some signage and 2 outhouses at this state park. The taxi will drop you at the Glacier Spit Trail shoreline and pick you up from the Saddle shoreline at a pre-determined time, Be aware the end of the Saddle gets steep and a bit treacherous compared to the rest of the trail. Whatever trails you choose, make sure you see the lake. The glacier appears as a true river of ice in the distance, and the lake is covered with a variety of ice sculptures, ice chunks that have broken loose from the glacier. You can hear the water sounds under all the ice sculptures. Peaceful must-see beauty.

We took a Mako's water taxi across the bay and hiked on the Glacier Lake Trail. This is an easy trail that takes you to a glacial lake at the edge of Grewingk Glacier. Make sure to bring a jacket there are lots of icebergs floating in the lake so it's pretty cold. We were dropped of at the glacier spit trailhead and picked up at the Saddle trailhead. Mako's is a great outfit and they will help you decide on a hike and figure out the logistics.

Spent the day Kayaking Kachemak Bay State Park and it was great. Whales, Seals, Otters, Eagles, and other Sea Birds all graced our presence as we slid quietly through the waters.

We took a water taxi over to the park and hiked the Glacier Lake Trail to Grewingk glacier. Although a popular hike, we only saw a few people on the trail and about 10-12 at the lake. It was a beautiful hike and the glacier and surrounding scenery were magnificent. I highly recommend going to the Park if you can.

Not easy hiking but oh so gorgeous! Sea otters galore, dolphins, loons, bald eagles, squirrels, bears and 82 bear poops in the middle of the trail. Luckily no close encounters though. Overlook Cabin on Halibut Cove Lagoon is a little slice of heaven but don’t forget you may have to filter water...

This is a beautiful resource! Only accessible by boat or plane, this is a great park. Many nicely maintained trails, and a must for your backcountry Alaskan experience.

The only downside is that it will cost a bit to get there, unless you have your own float plane or boat!

Many campsites, some cabins. Lots of opportunities to see wildlife such as bears, birds, and fish. (Go fishing in the remote streams and lakes for a real treat, fellow fisherfolk!)

In mid-May my husband and I took a water taxi over to the park. From start to finish, the hike to Glacier Lake, then the hike to Sadie's Cove was great! The trail is in excellent condition. It is so interesting walking through the various vegetation zones on this almost level trail with minimal altitude gain. Soon the views start appearing of the mountains behind Grewingnk Glacier Lake.

At the lake, we had the surroundings to ourselves for almost an hour. Views of lake, glacier, and icebergs were grand. The wildflowers were beautiful. In July, we were told, the wildflowers would peak.

After a picnic lunch at the lake, and chatting with some of the members of the Holland American shore excursion members, we set off for the hike to meet our water taxi. There was a little more elevation gain on the well-made and designed Saddle Trail, but very easy even so. The scenery, and the trees were different again. As we approached the cove, we got great views again of sea and forrest, and snow-clad mountains.

We did not hike the other trails in the park, but had a fine sampling.

If you have the chance, take this easy hike!

Took a water taxi from Homer Spit to Glacier Spit trail head, hiked to Grewink Glacier lake which was beautiful and so easy. The trail was flat and wide with crushed stone at times and packed earth at times . Well marked. Could hear and see “small” pieces of the glacier floating in the lake, break apart and flip. Great place to rest and just relax. After the lake, hiked back to the water using Saddle trail which was a narrower and steeper trail. Water taxi picked us up on the beach which reminded me of Goonies for some reason! Saw eagles, and sea otters. Bring sunscreen and bug spray. Well worth the $75pp water taxi fee! 5 miles start to finish. Easily done in 3 hours for averaged paced hikers including time to hang at the lake.

Absolutely gorgeous with it's mountains and water. We saw it with the sun shinning and with clouds. Both were unique. Be sure to stop at the top of the hill pull-off on the way into town and get the full view of the Homer Spit. Kayaking is super here.

Get on a boat or in a kayak to explore incredible Kachemak Bay. Visit the coves-Halibut Cove, Sadie. For a real adventure fly into the Was and go rock climbing.

If this is your first time you must see this. It was just amazing!!! If you go in June make sure you have a light sweater or jacket.

We took a boat taxi to the park and hiked up to Glacier Lake. The hike was no problem. The view as you approach the lake is breath taking. The area is so serene and beautiful.

Terrific views and experiences. Saw lots of wildlife, excellent fishing, and great views of all of the mountains.

What an absolute natural treasure. Wish I had time to hike through it but could see the potential from my kayak excursion and through our guides insights to spend so much more quality time in such a beautiful place.

We took a bear viewing tour by plane out of Homer with Alaska Bear Adventures. It was a beautiful flight over Homer to Kackemak Bay.W Wildlife, scenery & beautiful sites to see & explore

This park is amazing. The terrain is constantly changing from shady woods with a dirt path, to an open-air rock path. Depending on the season, we went in July, the mosquitoes are huge and annoying.... bug spray is necessary! The markings on the trails, as far as mileage is questionable... they must measure in a straight line and all the paths zigzag. Mostly flat terrain...the beginning at least! We hiked the Glacier Spit trailhead (depending on the tides, it's a little difficult to spot if your not dropped off right in front of...by the way, we used Mako Water Taxi) to the Grewingk Glacier Trail, over the Grewingk Creek Tram (need 2 or more people unless you are Popeye) and after the tram the terrain gets a little hairy! Pretty much straight up, but worth the view I guess. Then we went back over the tram and connected with the Glacier Lake trail. Glacier Lake is just breathe-taking! At this point we took a well-needed breather and lay down on the rocky beach in the sun. The view of Grewingk Glacier over the Grewingk Glacier Lake is stunning and peaceful! On our way back to Saddle Trail is where we had our wildlife spotting. We saw a yearling moose. Saddle Trail is up and the DOWN!!!!!! It was said to have been 7 miles, but we think it was closer to 10. Well worth all the pain! Oh and pack PLENTY of water!!! Enjoy!

it was flat and not up and down. have lunch on the lake and if you need some ice, wade out and get some from the floating icebergs on the lake

We took the Mako water taxi to the Glacier Lake trailhead. Then they picked us up at the bottom of Saddle Trail at a pre-arranged time. Great hike...great glacier lake at the foot of the glacier...great views from Saddle Trail. This is a trail hike for someone in reasonably good condition: hiking boots are important: the trail is rocky. Be adventuresome...you will love it.

My wife and I did the Blue Ice Trail to Grewingk Glacier in mid June. Several points below.

- We hiked all the way to the glacier, and hiked back about 1 mile and camped close to the lake.
- The tram was harder than I expected. We crossed one by one, which is definitely better than two people crossing at the same time, but by the time we were all done, I was pretty exhausted. It was even harder on the way back because we were pretty exhausted from the hike.
- Once we crossed the tram, the trail became a lot worse. It was quite muddy and required some bushwhacking. There is almost no view at all until the last point close to the glacier. The final view was very rewarding, but I'm not sure if it's worth hiking through the not so well maintained trail with no view and a ton of mosquitoes (more on this below). That said, we heard that the trail is better maintained as the season progresses into July and August. The park isn't very well funded, so they start by maintaining the much more popular trails, those before the tram.
- We both wore long sleeves and had a mosquito net, but the mosquitoes bit through our long sleeve shirts and pants. It turns out mosquitoes can bite through clothes. There are certain clothes that prevent this (it's called woven nylon or polyester fabric, instead of the typical "knit" fabric). We camped near Grewingk Lake, but there were so many mosquitoes we basically had to retreat into our tent and sleep.

So in summary, the view at the end of Blue Ice Trail was excellent, but you should know you are in for a potentially painful hike to get there.

I spent about 5 hours in the park, hiked to the glacier lake and up the Alpine trail, both nice hikes, the latter one goes steeply up through overgrown trail and nice views. I took the 10am ride, so not too many people on the trails, but when we were leaving, the glacier lake was quite busy. I definitely want to come back and do more hikes.

If you love hiking, trail walking, or just enjoying amazing scenery, you have to check this place out! I have been twice and am already eager to return.

Great time with short but interesting water taxi ride across the bay. Great hike . Moderate in difficulty only at end. Grat views of the lake and glacier along with bay on ride out and back

We took a water taxi over to the Saddle trail, hiked to the top and back down the other side toward the glacier, but were afraid of missing our taxi back, so didn't make it to the glacier. We did see a serene view of the bay, lots of bear poop, no bears (yay), and few other visitors. The trails were well kept, though a little soggy on the interior after the rain. Very steep, so plan to wear hiking boots, and if it's rained, make sure they're water proof.

So glad we made time for this hike! Pro-tip, stop at La Baleine to get their box lunch to eat there! Great portions!

We have water taxied over to KBSP several times and hiked the beach trail to the tram and to the glacier and then to Saddle Trail. It's an awesome and pretty easy hike (Saddle Trail is an up and over section) that you can easily pack a lunch and make a day out of. Time you arrival at low tide, and you'll have many tidal pools to explore before you even get to the trail. The hand tram across the river is a fun workout. Lunch by the lake with Grewingk Glacier in the distance is awesome. Occasionally, you'll spot a moose or black bear. One tip is to plan ahead and reserve a water taxi. They can fill up fast in the peak season.

while visiting friends, I could see Kachemak Bay from Homer. The view is simply stunning. We took a ferry out to one of the small islands in Kachemak Bay for dinner, we saw sea otters, and in the distance, we saw 2 humpback whales... a gorgeous park, there's operations that offer water sports and adventure packages. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

We pondered as to whether or not we should spend the money on a water taxi to get over to the park. Ultimately, we decided to go for it and hiked to Glacier Lake. Boy are we glad we did! AMAZING!

It takes about 40 minutes to arrive with the helicopter, bears are fishing salmons with their claws, excellent photo and film opportunity, expensive but worth the adventure!

Took a water taki to the park and hiked around. Saw so many types of birds and was a gorgeous day to be out and about.

We used Mako water taxi in Homer, and were delivered across the bay with a map of the trail and the pick-up time. It was a great day of hiking up to Glacier Lake and down a long steep trail to where we were picked up. Great taxi drivers and a wonderful trail.

Took a water taxi over to the park to hike to the glacier lake. It’s about 3 1/2 miles from the drop off site. The trails is fairly flat and easy to navigate. The lake is like nothing I’ve ever seen before, beautiful. The hike to the pick up site is a bit steeper but again beautiful.

We took the Mako Water Taxi over. Mako was the only taxi service running that day due to the choppy waters. The ride reallly was not that bad. We did however, have to be dropped off at the END of the normal trail, since the boat could not land on the beach where the trailhead is. Having to start our hike from this point was a bit more difficult. BUT IT WAS WORTH IT! It is a pretty remote area and this particular day, and with Mako being the only service....there were only 3 others dropped off earlier that day. We passed that group heading back to the pick up point as we headed to the Glacier. We knew we were most likely the only ones in the area for quite some distance. The calm and stillness of the beach at the Glacier was so peaceful. It was a beautiful view. We spent a bit of time there exploring the shoreline and just staring in amazement at the lake and the glacier in front of us.

Get out and enjoy. Frozen water is the best thing ever! Many black bears up cool little furry creatures!

Take water taxi across the bay to Glacier spit. Lots of walks in variable terrain. Hike Glacier Trail, well worth it.

My wife and I spent a day hiking the grace ridge trail in Kachemak Bay in August 2015. We had a great day with lots of stories to tell. The views from the trail are beautiful. We took a water taxi across from Homer and started at the back making our way in the direction of Homer. Once you get up to the ridge line you get fantastic views if the clouds aren't around. While walking along the cairn part of the ridge we saw a storm pouring rain on Homer and knew the wind was blowing it our way. Shortly thereafter the clouds rolled in and it started hailing on us. That only lasted 10 minutes or so and then we had nice weather the rest of the hike. Our clothes and boots were soaked so we were a little miserable on the hike down, but the beach at the end of the trip was beautiful without a cloud in the sky.

This hike is definitely not for inexperienced people. It is long and at times strenuous, but we had a fantastic time and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys hiking.

You need a boat or a water taxi (Mako is our favorite) – but once you get across the bay a multitude of options for fun open up. If you just want a quick day hike consider the Grewingk glacier trail. You can do this as a loop from Hollywood beach to Glacier Spit (the best! – but there can be lots of bears in the area in salmon season). Another great option is starting at the ranger station in Halibut Cove and hiking to Leisure Lake. And there are so many more options - Taz Tally has a book called “50 hikes in Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula” and it is a great resource for planning. The bay is also kayak heaven with all sort of places to explore.

It is much better if you have a few days to explore -- then consider renting one of the State Parks Cabins – – http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/cabins/kenai.htm. It is quite difficult because they have "been discovered", but well worth the effort. Our favorites include the Sea Star cabin in Tutka Bay and the Leisure Lake cabin. There are also several options for renting yurts – there is a really nice one at Rustie’s Lagoon and that location is also wonderful for tent campers. There are also some B&B's and Lodges -- some can be at the high end price wise but they offer the luxury of pampered wildernes.

Another resource is the Center for Alaska Coastal Studies…http://www.akcoastalstudies.org/. They offer day and overnight trips to their place in Peterson Cove. They are focused on education and specialize in “beach walks” with a naturalist. This is highly recommended, especially if you have children. They will take you for a rubber boot “muck walk” and turn over rocks and find the things you never knew existed. They have 4 yurts for overnight and also partner with a local guide for “combo” kayak trips. When you consider the cost of a water taxi their trips are a real bargain – not to mention great fun!
The ONLY caveat I have is that there is a lot of private land along the shoreline and we have been “chased off” beaches we thought were in the State Park…but if you stick to the trails and well-marked areas you are fine.

Bottom line…just get over there and explore!

The water taxi takes you out here to the trailhead of the Glacier Lake Trail. Easy, mostly flat hike, with a 2 mile (out and back) detour to the Grewingk Hand Tram, which was really cool. Glacier Lake is beautiful! Make sure you have at least 4 hours to do all of it, which is usually the amount of time between your drop off and pickup times from the water taxi.

Coldwater Taxi took me to Kayak Beach to do the Grace Ridge Trail. The Sedovia Bay Ferry took me to Seldovia for a day trip.

We did the saddle trail (1mile) to the Glacier Lake Trail to hike to Grewingk Glacier. We took a water taxi across the bay from the spit, which was fun itself! We saw some humpback whales in the distance and a lot of sea otters. The Saddle trail starts out a little strenuous, but it's probably about a half mile up and then it starts to descend to the glacier lake trail. It's beautiful the entire way, with views of mountains and the bay to start through woods the rest of the way. When you make it to Glacier Lake Trail it's loose rock path the rest of the way to Grewingk Glacier, which is breathtaking! We walked along the lake a little bit and enjoyed the view!

Definitely would recommend if you enjoy hiking. We were a mixed group of some expert hikers in very great shape and some moderate shape individuals and we all enjoyed it!

Our trip was good but the rain did not allow us to have so much fun as expected. Check the weather before you book the trip. Captain Mark is an amazing and very knowledgeable of geology, wildlife and history. He was the highlight of the tour. He went out of his way to show us the wildlife

Winds were too high to Kayak to the Glacier but still enjoyed the view. Trails were well maintained as well as the hikers tram across the river.

Caught a small water taxi across the bay. An easy one and a half hour + hike to the glacier lake which has lots of small icebergs with the magnificent Grewingk Glacier behind. Lots of fresh Grizzlie scat on the trails so take your bear spray and be vigilant. However, there were enough other hikers to scare many of them off. There is also a cable crossing a river that you can try out.

Access is the most challenging or expensive part. No shortage of wildlife...including lots of bears. Fantastic bays/beaches/glaciers.

arrived to seward and headed to this wonderful place , the effect of daylight in this part of the world is awesome, get in touch with the extreme nature , close to wildlife , glaciers , creeks , we enjoy kayaking , walked a lot , explored , fished , made ​​a barbecue near the wooden hut , got amazing photos, this is a natural wonder that can not fail to visit before you die , amazing experience , I recommend visiting this wonderful place of the "last frontier " . ALASKA

We traveled by Mako water taxi to the trail head where we traversed a very well maintained path about 3 miles to the Glacier lake and glacier. This trail went through boreal forest teeming with ripe blueberries/currants/watermelon berries and many birds. The glacier was stunning and calved some icebergs. Great for photography and general enjoyment. Then we finished the loop to go down the Saddle trail which was somewhat more steep but still not "hard". Got picked up by the water taxi at that end.
Great hike-- scenic, interesting and do able for a few hours.
Some of the other hikes in this park look way more difficult and strenuous so be prepared for those.

We took a float plane onto a glacier lake, then went kayaking around the lake & ice burgs. Had lunch did some more kayaking. Then walked 2+ miles down the mountain to the beach for a boat ride back to Homer. it was a great 8 hour adventure in the wilderness, but not for everyone. The park is vast & wonderful. We were here 5 years ago & did nothing but hiking. Its a great park but bring your rain gear.

Went over Saddle Trail and camped at Glacier Lake for two nights. Nice to see all the day trippers from Homer walking in from the beach side even with small children. Good views of ice bergs from Grwingk Glacier. Lovely spot.

We loved hiking in this state park. We used Mako's Water Taxi and they helped us with the planned hike. We hiked the Saddle Trail and also went to the Grewingk Glacier Lake.We really enjoyed the hand tram, which takes some strength with only 2 people (and two day packs). It was a thrill! The lake and glacier were beautiful. We did not have time to hike the Blue Ice Trail but the lake gave nice views of the glacier and ice floating in the lake. We saw much black bear scat on the trail. We passed about 30 people in all, during a 6 hour hike, so it was not crowded. One couple told us they had seen a black bear on the trail the day before. We made sure to make noise as we walked. See also my review of Mako's.

Hiking here takes you into the wild at the first step off the water taxi. Make sure you are prepared for any outcome. The trails are maintained by a small trail crew in the summer and by volunteers in the winter and saddle seasons. Your water taxi service may have the latest up to date information on trail conditions.

There are cabins and yurts that can be booked ahead of time online with the state parks. You are likely to get wet feet so extra socks are advisable.

Along these trails you can get unforgettable views of glaciers, lakes, bays, islands and mountain valleys. Be aware of wildlife using the trails too. You will encounter bear scat along the trail... so don't step in it and keep an eye out for bears.

Happy travels!

We LOVED. Kachemak Bay State Park! We can't suggest it highly enough.

The water taxi dropped us off at Glacier Lake Trail. It was a pretty easy and flat hike to the lake. We saw one bear on the path.

The lake itself was AWESOME!! The glacier is so beautiful as it seems to be between two mountains.

Just be aware that some people are going to swim to the icebergs and some of them might be naked. If you want to get a great picture, bring a swimsuit and a towel with you. Or something to warm you up once you're out of the water I wish I had done this! How many times in your life can you get a picture standing on an iceberg???

On the way back, we had to take Saddle Trail back to meet our water taxi. This is a shorter hike but much has more elevation. You will see A LOT of bear poop on the trail, and will probably see several bears! Just be prepared for this! We saw two bears at various points and had to get very close to one of them.

We didn't love our trip to Alaska to be honest. But if I were to go back there, I would for sure visit this again, or better yet get a cabin there.

When HAL Zaandam docked in Homer we participated in the excursion across Kachemak Bay hiking to Grewingk Glacier. We were a larger group with two guides. The front guide was Erik who shared information about the critters, trees and trails of the area. The other guide was very knowledgeable about the vegetation and birds, so it as really the best of both worlds, keeping everyone interested in learning. We did see a moose and lots of bear scat. Lots of other hikers the day we were there so the chance of actually seeing a bear was slim to none. The hike itself was not strenuous (we did not do the tram crossing), although the ending on Saddle Rock was downhill with lots of twists and turns. My knees were pretty tired once we reached the bottom but had a chance to rest on the rocks before the water taxi returned to take us back to Homer Spit. Although it did not rain, dressing layers is best for changes in temperature. It was much colder at the glacier, needed extra wraps and gloves there during our lunch break, but otherwise hiking kept your core pretty warm, which necessitated layers. Definitely would do this hike again.

We used Mako's water taxi to go across the bay for the Glacier lake hike. The walk in from the drop-off point was fairly easy, although there was a lot of walking on loose gravel which got kind of tiresome. There had been recent bear activity, and we were glad we had bear spray. The lake, itself, is beautiful with the glacier behind and the hunks of floating ice. The walk down the other way to the pick-up point was a bit steep with lots of switch-backs. Our outing lasted from 10:30 to about 4:00 (including the water taxi). Highly recommend!

This park has great maintained trails. Lots of wildlife. Love the packet glaciers. Breathtaking views. Well worth the hike. Bring your water. A lunch so you can continue on.

My wife, nephew, and I took a water taxi from Homer spit to Kayak Beach. We were originally going to rent kayaks, but the water was too rough (5 foot waves). We hiked up to the peak and back to Kayak Beach instead of hiking the full trail. This allowed us to time our arrival back to the beach for the scheduled water taxi pickup.
This hike is a bit strenuous. It took us 2.5 hours to get to the peak and we are fit and able. The path was overgrown in many areas, but marked well. Above the tree line, it was difficult to discern the path at times, but again there are many cairns showing the way.
The trailhead has an outhouse, bear-proof (does that exist?) locker, and campsite that look to be decent. There was much bear scat near the camp and many blind and overgrown areas on the hiking path. For these reasons, I would HIGHLY recommend traveling in groups of 3 or more and being loud enough for any bears to hear from a distance. We brought bear spray as well.
There is no fee to hike the trails, but it can be fairly expensive to get there (our water taxi was $80US per person).

We arrived at Kachemak Bay State Park via water taxi on a bluebird day! Hiked to Grewingk Glacier, with a short diversion to the river tram. The met our taxi at the head of the Saddle Trail. 8 mile trek, good for a moderately skilled hiker. Beautiful views!

You need a boat to get from Homer to the Kachemak Bay State Park, and you need a guide, plus a good map should you get separated from your guide.

The Beowulf made a channel crossing from Homer to Kachemak Bay Wilderness Area, dropping us off at the Glacier Spit trail head.

A rather rugged trail, sometimes forested, sometimes dry creek and river bed, provided the necessary clearing to trek to Grewingk Lake and Glacier. You must hike to reach this location, about a 7 mile grunt that us geezers were quite happy to accomplish. Along the way, I did manage to set foot upon a loose rock and fell into a dry creek bed. I bruised a bit, but otherwise escaped unharmed. I think our guide breathed a sigh of relief when I got up and started walking again. Extraction from where I fell would have been difficult.

The hike led us to a private lake and glacier, well worth the effort! You really experience Alaska back country in its majesty and impressive beauty. Few folks go here, you get real bragging rights when you get home and talk about your Alaska experience.

You can do this in a day, or you can camp. We took the day option.

We went over for a day hike and ended up at a beautiful Glacier Lake. On the hike we met birders and hikers tenting by the lake. Depending on where you are dropped off, the hike is either flat and then returning in a challenging Up/Down pick up, or the reverse. This is a great visit for photographers, birders, hikers. We wanted to kayak across but the weather was not conducive, so we took a boat. This is not the place for folks who like to drive up, get out of their car and take a few pictures.

The water taxi was a bit pricey, but well worth it. We took water taxi (Bay Roamers) from Homer spit to trailhead at Kachemak. We took the trail to Grewingk lake. However, we took a brief detour to a pulley car. It was a blast. We pushed/pulled each member of our family (husband, wife, and three 'tweener' kids) over a raging river. The pulley car is probably what the kids remember the most! The water taxi picked us up at the end of the trail and took us over to Halibut Cove. What a unique little town. We had dinner at the Saltry Restaurant. It was a fantastic day.

Grewingk Glacier Lake is well worth seeing, with the many small icebergs floating in it and the sounds of calving sometimes coming from the distant and visible glacier. The hike out is not remarkable (by Alaska standards) and, for older folk, it has quite a lot of rocks (and roots) that need to be navigated with care, and this makes for a slower walk. On the day we visited, at the end of Saddle Trail there were just hot rocks and flies and mosquitoes. Mako's water taxi was 1/2 hour late and this made the trip more difficult. The Lake itself is gorgeous and quiet.

My wife and I got a water taxi over to the park and spent the day hiking. We made it up to the Glacier and to the south side of the park. It is definitely worth going to if you like hiking, nature and beautiful scenery.

Took Mako taxi to the Park. Trail to the lake was very flat and easy...saddle trail was much prettier and had a lot of switchbacks ( and mud)! The most challenging part was the rocky beach at the pick-up point. No wildlife sightings.

There were eight of us, ages 7-71. It starts with a water taxi ride (we took Mako's). They let you off on a beach at Kachemak State Park...all nature, all the time...no food, no amenities (although there is an outhouse at the trailhead. The hike begins a half mile down the beach; it's quite flat to the glacier (about 3 1/2 miles), rocky in places and the initial sand is tough to slog through, but that's not very long. The glacier is spectacular...take a picnic and hang out for an hour or two or more. You will have arranged a pickup by the water taxi at a given time at a place about 1 1/2 miles from the glacier...a short distance of this is up hill but not at all bad. Just before getting to the pick up spot (to which you have to walk down pretty steeply) there are fantastic vistas of the Bay.

The trail was pretty level up to the lake. Plenty of icebergs floating on the lake. We brought a lunch and took alot of pictures.
You have to rent a boat to take you and pick you up. The trail back to the bay was the saddleback trail (because of the tides) much more hilly, with switchbacks. Even though it was shorter, it took more time. Good pictures of the glacier.

We loved this day trip. We took a water taxi from homer spit to kachemak bay state park. We got dropped off at grewink glacier and hiked to grewing lake (gorgeous lake with icebergs). The hike was so amazing that we continued up alpine ridge... we ended up at saddle cove at the end of a tiring but amazing hiking day!!

Kachemak Bay is so beautiful and full of amazing sites. I’ve lived in Alaska for 8 years and this is one of my favorite places.

We did a hike up to the grenwik lake/glacier and it was definitely the highlight of our trip. Absolutely magical!

We had a great day out kayaking. Saw lots of eagles and otters. Very beautiful Bay and lots to explore. Will need to come back here for sure.

It pains me that I cannot give this incredible place a 5. Well, of course, it is a 5, but it is severely underfunded because of Alaska's money issues. It has huge deferred maintenance issues... trails, cabins that need TLC. I have enjoyed this beautiful place for decades now. First party to stay in the Halibut Cove Lagoon cabin in the early 1990s. Now living in the "lower 48," we returned to 4 nights in the overlook cabin. Yes, it was lovely, sea otters and harbor porpoise from the porch, but badly needing maintenance to the overlook bench... the window, which looked like bears had tried to enter some winter, the boardwalk, too. Slime grows fast in these parts. I'm sure the rangers do the best they can. The trails are in sad condition, although the Saddle Trail to the Grewinck delta is being targeted for major rerouting and repair. The lake itself is phenomenal. What a place! My kudos to the trail crews who labor on these trails. I do not mean to insult your incredible work. Just more funding to help you do it. The cabins are a little claustrophobic, unless you have a kayak, or plan to walk to China Poot Lake or climb the peak. I ran into two teenage bears near the ranger station. They were not interested in me in the least. But be careful. One can take a number of charters to the "other side of the Bay" including, Karl Stoltzfus, our favorite, KBayExcursions.

This is a place to go…
The park is beautiful. The first section of the trail is less interesting than the second part. Take bear spray. We didn’t see a bear one but we saw fresh droppings in the trail. The glacier is breathtaking. Go and enjoy the beauty of nature. You will be thankful to be alive.

We visited under the auspices of the Alaskan Coastal Survey.. Hiked, explored, it was exhilarating. A world once removed from anything we'd ever experienced.

Glacier Lake Trail was great for a day in the park; saw moose on the trail. Even despite the ridiculous cost of the water taxi ($75 EACH!), it was one of our most memorable hikes.

Going out East End road to where it does end. Road can be pretty rough once you leave the paved part but the scenery is worthy of the drive.

The way to get there is by water taxi. They dropped us off on the beach at the head of the glacier lake trail, first we went to see the hand-pull tram. The best part was the lake with the glacier on the background and icebergs floating around. Return path down the Saddle trail was much more picturesque then the trail coming in. We got picked up at the Saddle beach, and stopped at Gull Islands on the way back to observe puffins and other birds. The water taxi is costly, but if you can afford it - it's a great half-day thing to do in Homer

A "Must See" in south central Alaska. At the southern most point of the Kenai peninsula, Kachemak Bay, or “KBay" as its known to locals, is a playground for people who love the outdoors. The Seward Highway (route 1) will lead you straight to the town of Homer; The jump off point to the park. Activities are too long to list, but From fishing kayaking, hiking, and Bear viewings, to art galleries, festivals and museums. It has activities for the whole family. With an abundant number of tour operators, there is always a chance to do what you want on your schedule. Its not unheard of for someone to fish in the morning, then go kayaking to a trail that leads you to a glacier, then back to your camp or B&B for dinner. Did i mention it has some of the best food in Alaska!

Our family had a wonderful afternoon with Garret and Douglas with Bay Excursion water taxi. They customized a trip for us that included a wildlife tour and taxi to the trailhead for the lake below Grewingk Glacier. Beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife

Thrilling bear watching trip - some were as close as 15 feet! A mama and cub walked right in to the water and gave us a show of salmon catching action from the Mama! The walk is thru some rough terrain, shallow water and it rained the whole 3 hours so make sure you take water proof and layered clothing.

This is a must-do hike when in Homer.... a stunning view of the glacier calving off into the lake at the top of the hike! And, the water taxi ride to get there is super simple.

Closest thing to heaven I could imagine... we went horse back riding for 8 hours, yaa my butt was sore... this truly was the best and most amazing thing i did in the 10 days i was in Alaska

The water taxi takes drops you at the trailhead and picks you back up at the other end of the trail in a few hours. It's a fairly easy hike to the glacier lake.

Beautiful park with well maintained trails. I did extensive research on hiking to the Grewingk Glacier Lake and hike back out on Saddle Ridge. I was with my 20 year daughter and was concerned about being in such a remote place by ourselves. Also I’d seen reviews that said Saddle Ridge was difficult and I didn’t want to get myself in a bad situation. I don’t do “difficult” trails…then other reviews say it’s more moderate. Here’s my honest opinion so if any of you are conflicted like I was, it may help you to decide.

I am 45 year old woman, 5’10” and 250 … moderately used to physical activity but not an avid hiker. When I do hike I prefer to do it with at least one pole and I heavily recommend poles for this trek.

We were dropped off on the beach by Mako’s taxi ($92 each) at 10:00 with a 3:00 taxi booked for return, hiked 3/4 mile on the beach to the trail head. Then 4.5 hike through the woods the lake. Trail is well maintained but some areas require constant watching of the path due to roots, mud, and i large rocks. Flat and easy hike, we kept a fast pace the entire way.

There is a pit toilet at the lake, no TP and smells horrific but does the job.

Spent some time at the lake and ate lunch. Considerably colder here so layers went back on as soon as we arrived. Hiked 1/2 mile back up to the Saddle Ridge trail.

All the reviews really scared me about this 1.5 mile section. There is a moderate elevation gain, path is smooth, less rocks. This is where we saw bear poop on the trail a bit. Lots of soft grasses to bed down in and it was noticeable where they were resting.

The treacherous part is the 1/2 mile descent to the rocky pick up point. Switchback turns that even with poles were difficult to navigate because it’s so muddy. My daughter had mega hiking boots and I was wearing duck boots. My boots didn’t give me enough traction, I can’t imagine doing it in tennis shoes. We had to concentrate on every step in this area but the view going down is amazing. This section took about an hour and we stopped a lot to take pictures.

Overall distance for us based on where we were dropped on the beach was 5.77 miles with approximate 400 ft elevation gain.

This is by far the best hike we did, I absolutely recommend it and will do it again on my next trip!

I had one of the best weeklong vacations of my life. Anchorage to Seward to Homer to Anchorage. Great scenery, great people, great weather!

This is a beautiful wilderness area across the bay from Homer. You need to catch a ride on a water taxi to access it, but they are all used to arranging drop offs and pick ups for hiking/campers/travelers. Some trails go to glaciers. Lots of trees and plenty of black bear scat when we went. Some of the trails were very overgrown, but maybe they've been worked on since. If you plan ahead, there are public use cabins you can reserve for a longer stay or multi-day trips. Amazing, beautify area. Needs pre-planning for most trips as you can't just drive up and take a hike. A water trail around Kachemak is in the planning stages.

If you can afford the water taxi over ($200 average with tip), you should definitely check out this park. Hikes for all levels and some beautiful views of glaciers. We went on a family hike with our 2 year old on backpack, and were able to squeeze in lunch at the Grewing Lake in under 3 hours.

Visitors to the Cosmic Hamlet by the Sea should include a trip across the Bay to the Kachemak State Park, which offers amazing wilderness scenery that can be experienced for a few hours or a week... There's a big network of maintained trails, campsites, and even cozy cabins or yurts for rent too (early reservations for these popular facilities are necessary). Hiking opportunities range from relatively easy -- such as the Saddle Trail to Grewingk Glacier Lake -- to challenging (e.g. Grace Ridge). Kayakers and boaters enjoy wildlife viewing, plus great fishing (in season)... Humpy Creek offers stream angling for pink salmon and Dolly Varden char (note: be aware of bears here). August is a good time to gather wild berries too... Water transport and kayak rentals can be arranged from a number of licensed operators, including Mako's Water Taxi. The Kachemak State Park is truly a marvelous & accessible wilderness... Enjoy this charming feature of the Homer area :))

Take Mako Water Taxi to the trail head for this hike and enjoy several hours of a relatively flat hike on a well established trail. The excursion to the hand tram is a mile off the main trail and a fun side trip. Be prepared to work your arms in pulling the tram across the river. The glacier trail to the face of the Grewingk Glacier was breathtaking. Fresh icebergs had recently calved from the fact and were floating tranquilly in the lake. The beach was spacious and with the sun out, it was a wonderful place to relax and have a picnic for a couple hours. Coordinate closely with your water taxi service for the pick up spot and time and take that into account when planning the day. There are two outhouses in the area so take TP, lots of water and whatever food you need for 3-5 hours. A great day excursion. We would definitely take our 6 and 9 year olds on this hike, as it is nearly all flat and established trail.

Stunning place and views. The hike to the glacier was amazing. Don't miss the pulley tram across the river.
But bring bug spray and a head net, there are certain point on the trail you need those for sure.

A water taxi from Homer brought us to Glacier Spit and dropped us off at the Glacier Lake Trail. The literature says it is an easy trail. Not really. We are walkers in our 60s, more than hikers. The trail is level, but the rocky, root filled trail makes for slow hiking. Go early and pack a lunch. Take mosquito spray. It is a 3.2 mi hike to the Glacial Lake. You are so glad to get there, and once there feel you've earned the view. I could have stayed longer, but had to meet up with our water taxi at Saddle. Taking the Saddle Trail 1 mile from the lake to shore was downhill but a hard walk. I'd never walk up it. If it rains the trail turns to gutters of water. We came across park workers who are trying to rework the trail to make it easier to get down. It will be a while though. The views are fabulous once near the water. This is an experience like none other. Steps on my Fitbit showed 20,000.

I had so much fun going on the tour with a college student who was volunteering to teach us about the Alaskan natural habitat around the the park. I wish I could go again.

Our famly had a great hike with a couple of caveats. First, the hike was much longer than we thought. We have two kids so it was a bit much but we all still had a great time. We hiked first to the tram where you can get in and pull your tram from one side of the river to the other. It is a lot of fun and is a good halfway point to have a bit of a break, although getting back and forth on the tram may be the most difficult part of the whole hike. From there we went to glacier lake which was beatiful. From there, we hiked to I think it was called Saddle Point. i could be wrong about that. A couple of issues we had was that the latter half of the hike it was pouring rain. We had water proof clothes but it was still a bit miserable. We also ended early. The water taxi was supposed to pick us up at 3:30, we were ready at 2. Remarkably, we still had cell phone access and they were able to get us at 2:45. Overall, a very enjoyable day out in the wildersness.

This is a great place to get outdoors and hike. That said, a lot of your enjoyment is dependent on the weather, your preparation for the weather, and your expectations of trail maintenance. The trails are not maintained nearly as well as other locations in the state, but you do get a more rustic feel and don't encounter as many people who don't really want to be out in nature.

As for the views - gorgeous; and you could see wildlife galore, but you might also spend the day seeing no animals, especially if it is raining - as it often is.

In short, the area is lovely and - while not "off the beaten trail" - offers many choices that are less touristy for those willing to get out and enjoy the woods in areas that are not groomed like a city park.

Do be prepared for the weather and understand what to do if you encounter various forms of wildlife including moose and bear.

We took a water taxi ( arranged by True North Kayak) from Homer and hiked an approx. 5 mile loop trail to the Grewingk Glacier. We were dropped off and picked up 4 hours later and this was plenty of time. The trail back to our pickup site (Saddle Trail) was quite a steep downhill so arrange to be dropped off at the glacier spit trailhead (Grewingk Glacier Lake Trail) to avoid a steep uphill climb. There were 6 of us in our mid 60's with various knee & hip issues but we could easily do this hike. The glacier lake was stunning. Grizzlies have been spotted so be bear aware and smart about hiking.

We kayaked from Yukon Island up Tutka Inlet and camped alone a couple miles in at what locals call Arch Beach. Beautiful and quiet. Caught some dolly varden (dinner!) off the shore. We also kayaked to an island adjacent to Yukon where we rented a one-room cabin that slept four of us for about $150. You could spend weeks in the park exploring the side of the bay opposite Homer.

Easy hike with incredible views. GO to the hand tram if you have a chance, it's just a fun unique experience.

Breathtaking shoreline with pristine ocean waters. Loads of star fish, otters and birds. A must see when visiting Homer.

We were very lucky, because we had a nice sunshine, during the complete excursion!. Very nice trip with the simpathetic guy of the water taxi, and relatively light walking trail through the longest path, and then, when we reached the Glacier lake, the views where breathtaking, depite the very cold temperatures just by the lake "beach". Please be ready, and bring strict winter clothes around the Glacier lake. The trial back to the pick up point for the water taxi, through the short path, it was not that easy (tortuous and narrow), but when we reached the rocks at the bay (pick up point), the 20 minutes waiting time, were very worth waiting, cooling down our feed in the Pacific ocean waters... Absolutely recommendable for al publics. We did not see any wildlife, but eated excellent blue berries, during the trail.

What a beautiful place! It's like Grand Teton range on the water. The view is amazing and it goes on and on. We flew over it and kayaked around one of the islands.

We stayed four nights at the overlook cabin in Halibut Cove Lagoon. We watched sea otters, harbor seals, bald eagles, porpoise and loons from the comfort of the cabin and covered porch. The state park hosts at the ranger station were helpful and wealth of information. Many of the trails close to the cabin were not usable due to lack of maintenance - low funding and no volunteer trail crews which they depend on.

Book a ride with Makos across the bay to Glacier Spit and Saddle Trail for a beautiful hike. The ride across is well worth the money. We saw otters and a whale on the way across the bay and took a detour to Halibut Cove to see the amazing homes.

When you reach the glacier it is overwhelming how beautiful it is. Nothing can prepare you. It is very remote and hard to get there, water taxi or plane. While it is a state park it feels very secluded and you're very alone. Bring bear spray! Go early enough so if you miss your water taxi you will have time to catch another one. Verizon works over there

Booked a reservation with Makos water taxi to transport our party of four from Homer boat harbor across Kachemak Bay to access the Glacier lake trailhead near Rusty’s Lagoon. Water taxi ride was short and mostly uneventful even though we saw a few otters along the way. After getting dropped off literally in the middle of Rusty’s Lagoon discharge stream on beach at low tide, we needed a few minutes to get our footwear back on so we could continue our hike with dry trail hikers. A short walk down the beach next to Rusty’s Lagoon takes you to the Glacier lake trailhead. The hike to the Grewingk Glacier lake is unspectacular and relatively boring, however it is well worth the hike to make it to the lake to view Grewingk glacier and countless lake icebergs within the lake. Typically the water taxis drop you off on the beach by Rusty’s Lagoon during the morning hours and pick you up from Halibut Cove beach in the afternoon. After leaving the lake we continued on Saddle trail to access Halibut Cove beach for pick up. Overall hike was long starting off flat to access glacier but then steep incline and decline along Saddle trail to get over to Halibut Cove. Entire hike was approximately 7 miles and took us close nearly 4 hours to end up at beach pickup spot. Makos was late behind schedule in picking us up but did drop us off and deliver us back safely. Bring bug spray, sunscreen, lots of water, bear spray / mace and appropriate footwear for a several mile long hike over mixed terrain. Trail runners and hiking boots are most appropriate.

We took Mako's water taxi over to the park to the Glacier Lake Trail trailhead. It was about a 5 mile hike across two different terrains back to Halibut Cove for a pickup. The first part to Glacier Lake was a little boring, but the sudden view of the lake with the glacier and ice floes is amazing. Hang there for a while, and if you're smart, have a little picnic. The trail down is more exciting, over a saddle in the mountains and down to the sea. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathyu/sets/72157634464741079/ is the link to my Alaska set on Flickr. For the old school slide show, select the first picture, select 3 dots on lower right, select slideshow.

This area is worth exploring and our three days were just scratching the surface. We stayed at Kachemak Bay Lodge and then Homer Spit while canoeing, hiking and beachcombing. We had terrific weather so that probably influenced our responses but we were all exceedingly glad to have had time there.

Various hiking trails for various levels of endurance and time. Visitors center has information. Glacier view points are a must

Although it is expensive to reach the Glacier Lake trail, the hike is awesome. It's an easy 3-4 mile hike that just about anyone can do. My husband and I are 63 and we had no problems. The view from the lake is like a glimpse of the real Glacier Bay. Very special place that I won't forget. Sun was shinning!

Saw many types of bird life on this outing to Seldovia which is a quaint town hosting the Chainsaw Woodcarving Competition on Labor Day Week-end when we were there. On the way back to Homer we saw 15 humpback whales!!

We hiked up to Grewingk Glacier Lake- the view at the lake was fantastic and we got some great photos of us withe the glacier in the background of the lake

We flew across the bay by helicopter and viewed Kachemak Bay State Park!! It was so beautiful by air!!
We landed just outside the park and picked blueberries, then landed on top of a glacier!!
What a beautiful way to see Alaska.
Thank you Alaska Ultimate Safaris!

You take a marine taxi to get to and from the park. It is about half hour ride. I chose to hike to the lake and was dropped off at Glacier Spit. My taxi operator at my request arranged a friend of his to hike with me and another single lady joined us. Their company really helped me relax and enjoy scenery. Over the course of the 5 mile trail, I counted 20 bear scat piles, this is a potentially bear rich environment. Once you get off beach, the first mile and half is in forest. Brush and undergrowth are tall and close to trail so visibility is poor. Trail exits wood and you are in more open area for last mile or so. Glacier lake is stunning. We stayed here well over an hour, and it is well worth your time to soak it all in...see how colors of ice change with sunlight listen to ice chinkinking together. There is no shade to be here. We then took saddle trail down to a different beach for pickup, ni e views along the way. Saw plenty of others on ride across the bay. I recommend hiking boots, lots of water, sunscreen and company on this day.

This is a nice park. Although I can think of nicer spots when comparing it globally.

Lots of black bears an the lagoons are peaceful.

Billy Hawk took us over via water taxi and hiked Saddle Trail with reaching Glacier Lake. Rented standup paddle boards. Very well-marked trail and moderate difficulty. Would do it again. Family friendly.

to get there u should use water taxi,which takes u within 30 minutes to an island with beautiful hiking to Grewink Glacier. hiking 4-5 hours main part in forest without bears(we didn't see),& without mosquitos.highly recommended.

While I didn't get to hike the many trails in the park, the views were magnificent. There was a never ending show of frolicking whales and otters, and the light and colors on the glacier seemed to change by the minute. I hope to go back in milder weather so that I can hike the many trails and get closer to the glacier.

Booked a water taxi ($80 round trip) to take me to the park from Homer. The hike to the glacier was easy on mostly flat terrain. The glacier terminates at a lake that has several icebergs of varying sizes floating around. A great day hike to get close to a glacier.

We had originally considered renting kayaks or our own motor skiff to explore the coves, islets, and wild lands but once there we realized how big the bay is! Indeed, after using the water taxis, we further realized how tough the currents and winds can make a crossing of the bay. We did three different trails and all were listed as moderate to difficult....and they were. We had great weather, but it was clear the weather could change every five minutes. Be prepared. The effort is worth it as the views of the glaciers and from the ridges are exceptional.

The only way to get there is by water taxi, and you really feel like you're away from it all when you arrive. Be sure to get a trail map; there are options for day hikes or multiday backpacking. Kayaking or paddleboarding around the many coves and bays is a great way to see seals, sea otters, and porpoises.

Surrounding was beautiful. It was green all around. Was in awe!! Will visit again. People were wonderful.

I had the pleasure of stunningly beautiful day - clear glassy water and rich array of wildlife everywhere. It was near perfect.

Make sure you take the self powered tram over the river from Grewingk Glacier. The hike to Grewingk lake is flat and was sunny and hot on the day we went, but worth it. so beautiful

We took a water taxi fro K2 Kayaks to the state park and saw an eagle first thing on the beach. The hike is beautiful and a manageable hike for someone like me who doesn't have great knees. The hike at the end is very steep and I recommend a walking stick for that; but the tree roots make steps for most of this end.