Glacier Lake Trail
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐
Scenery: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mileage: 8.5 mi
Region: Kachemak Bay State Park
Elev. Gain: 800 ft
When to Go: May—Sep
Avg. Time: 3.5 hr
Parking: Accessible by boat only
Type: Out + Back
Pass: None
Know Before You Go:
We highly recommend this trail if you have time for a hike while visiting Homer.
Book a 30 min water taxi from Homer across Cook Inlet to Kachemak Bay State Park ($80 pp round-trip).
Look out for starfish when you're walking across Rusty's Lagoon to the trailhead. Your water taxi (like ours) may not drop you off directly at the trailhead due to rocks; be sure to download AllTrails and account for an additional 0.75 mi one-way before you hit the trailhead.
Stay alert for brown bear encounters as they are extremely common.
Bring hiking poles to help with the steep decline if you choose to exit via the Ridge Trail or ask your water taxi to pick you up from the Glacier Lake Trail to avoid high elevation change.