Homer

Homer sits where the Sterling Highway stops, on a bluff over Kachemak Bay with glaciers and the Kenai Mountains across the water. The Homer Spit is the defining feature: a natural gravel bar running about seven kilometres out into the bay, carrying the harbour, boardwalk shops, campgrounds and the Salty Dawg Saloon in an old cabin. Halibut charters run from the harbour and the town calls itself the halibut fishing capital; fish over a hundred kilograms are landed. Across the bay, reachable only by water taxi, are Halibut Cove and Seldovia, small communities with no road access. The Islands and Ocean Visitor Center covers the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, headquartered here.

What you actually see

• The Homer Spit - a gravel bar seven kilometres into the bay.
• Halibut charters - the town's main summer business.
• Communities across the bay - Halibut Cove and Seldovia, boat access only.
• The maritime refuge centre - covering the Aleutian and Bering island chain.

When to go

May to September. A full day, more with a charter.

Honest expectations

Charters are expensive and need booking; seas in the bay can be rough. The spit is exposed and windy. Winter closes most services. It is a five-hour drive from Anchorage.

Nearby

Seldovia and Halibut Cove are across the water; Kenai Fjords is north-east.