Hiking Glacier Lake Trail in the stunning Kachemak Bay State Park in Homer, Alaska is not for the faint at heart. While the hike itself is easy and the views are serendipitously surreal, remember that you are in the wild. Be prepared for seeing a lot of fresh bear poops. (We counted 12 !). The remoteness of the park. and getting there is half of the adventure, making this day hike one of the best in the area.

We rose a little past seven at our glorious Airbnb rental in Homer, Alaska with a disappointing layer of fog blanketing Kachemak Bay. Just the night before, we had clear skies and watched the late evening sun cast a magical spell of pinks, purples, and blues on the snowcapped peaks across the bay. We desperately hoped that the clouds would lift as the day went by yet knew that weather in this part of the world was always a gamble.

We gathered our rain gear and backpacks for the day and made sure to toss in a can of bear spray borrowed from our gracious Airbnb host who never leaves home without it. We had been in Alaska for three days and had yet to see a bear, however, had heard many stories already about recent bear sightings and encounters along the trails. The last thing I wanted to do was run into a mother bear with cubs and be empty-handed.

We drove the short distance to the Homer Spit, parked our car, and waited at the marina for our water taxi to arrive. Around half past eight a small blue boat painted with colorful fish along the sides pulled into the marina. Our captain, Gart, a sixty-ish man from Washington State called out to us  “Welcome Aboard the Blue Too” casting a toothy grin.

Gart and The Blue Too, a water taxi from Mako’s Water Taxi Service.

As we left behind the fishermen and shops that line the 4.5 miles of the Homer Spit,  Gart pointed out adorable sea otters floating happily on their backs in the bay as we passed by as well as puffins, seagulls, and more. The sheer volume of birds that live in this part of the world is incredible,  and we would learn more about it as our trip went on.

The Blue Too and Gart pulled away into the mystic, leaving us behind to fend for ourselves at the park. The Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park became Alaska’s first state park in 1972 and contains roughly 400,000 acres of mountains, glaciers, forests, and ocean

Gart dropped us off on a remote beach where we would start our hike to the glacier around 9:30 am. Despite the beauty, it had a rather ominous feel. I was already spooked by the bears and the thick fog didn’t help ease my fear. We followed the shore until we saw the telltale signs of a small opening in the forest which indicated access to the trailhead. There we saw a sign posted on the trailhead warning hikers that a sow and her cubs were spotted the day before so be diligent. A mother bear with cubs is the most dangerous kind of bear out there and we didn’t want to run into her.

Finding the trailhead

As we began our hike, the trail meandered through thick foliage and to my dismay, plenty of fresh bear poop. My nerves were on fire. I was terrified of encountering a bear and wondered how a little can of bear spray could protect us. We also didn’t see anyone for the first mile or so making me feel even more edgy, especially since we continued to see more fresh bear poop along the trail. The kids thought it was hysterical that I was so worked up as they still were quite fearless. But I just simply couldn’t relax. We continued to talk loudly, sing songs, and make noise as was highly recommended to warn bears of our passing. Thankfully we did not see one.

After a mile and a half, the trail changed dramatically as we entered an alluvial plain, and to my great relief, we ran into our first pair of fellow hikers on the trail. We decided to take the short trail to the Grewingk Tram, a hand tram that gets you across the river, as we heard it was worth the effort.

My teenage kids posing for the camera

Of course, we let the kids go first! Then they could help pull us across! It was a real arm workout, that is for sure. 

After our little adventure, we returned to the trail and headed to the foot of the Grewingk glacier. I read that on a clear day, the glacial lake is spectacular. Yet for us, the fog and clouds remained.

A lovely spot for a picnic lunch

The itinerary gave us over an hour at the lake so we enjoyed a picnic lunch. For once I didn’t feel threatened by the bears as we saw a group of young Alaskans sporting their handguns in a holder across their chest. Could we just hike behind them the rest of the day? I wondered.

We had to remember the annual Christmas card this time!

The final stretch on the 8-mile hike is on the Saddle trail where the landscape once again changed to thick forest ending with a relatively steep descent towards the beautiful rugged shoreline where we were picked up. I confess to being more than ready to leave. Despite my love for adventure, I was too unnerved by all the bear poop. When I saw the Blue Too coming towards the beach, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. While it was a lovely hike and the most popular day hikes in the park, I was ready to get back to civilization.

If you go:

Getting to the park: This park is remote and only reachable by water taxi, and that is half the fun. While there are a few options to choose from, we chose the highly reputable, down-to-earth Mako Water Taxis. We had a pick up at 9 am, drop off at 9:30 am at the park, and pick up at 2 pm at the beach along Saddle Trail. It gave us plenty of time to spare with an hour for lunch at the glacial lake.

We did the Glacier Lake Trail, Grewingk Tram and Saddle Trail which is roughly 8 miles but relatively flat and easy. There are no developed facilities in the park.