A Trip to Homer, Alaska to see Humpback Whales

Homer was a last minute decision during our month in Alaska but we decided to make the trip considering we weren’t sure when and if we would make it back! It is about a 4 hour drive if you are coming from Anchorage. Homer sits right on the coast overlooking Kachemak Bay and the Kenai Mountains. It is breathtaking to say the least! 

The main attraction in Homer, aside from the views, is the Homer Spit! The Spit is 4.5 miles of land protruding out into Kachemak Bay and tops the list of things to do in Homer, Alaska. We found a great Airbnb on this spit which was fun to be within walking distance of restaurants and cute beach town like shops - as well as being so close to do the beach to walk on during low tide. The beach actually doesn’t have sand and was filled with pebbles and mid sized rocks which made for a fun hunt with the girls to find some beautiful ones. 

One of the most beautiful views in Alaska was sunset on the beach with the Kenai Mountains in the distance. 

We again, visited Homer during “off season” in late September which meant some of the shops and restaurants were closed. We still managed to find amazing seafood on the Spit to try the famous local halibut and I found a tour company still taking wildlife tours - so we booked one! Our party of 4 adults and 2 toddlers had the tour to ourselves and when we got on board our captain asked us what we’d like to see. We said anything she could find, but that otters would be fun! (Setting ourselves up with some low expectations!) She said, “You don’t want to see whales today?! I just passed some Humpbacks on the way to come pick you up!” 

HUMPBACK WHALES?! In late September? She said that some whales as they are in their late years decide not to migrate so there are a handful of them in the Kachemak Bay. We were thrilled and sure enough within the hour we watched whales swim around from our little boat in the middle of the bay. One of them was lunge feeding which was a cool experience as well! 

On our wildlife tour we also saw lots of otters and birds, and of course more views of the bay and mountains of other angles. 

While our visit to Homer was short, I am so glad we fit it in! If you have the chance to stay longer, make sure to look up the different hikes in the area as you could luck out and see a bear or a moose!