Kachemak Bay State Park, Alaska, United States

5ScaryD 5:00 PM Jul 19, 2021

Beautiful hike and glacier lake, but go early in the morning.
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.

5kht53 5:00 PM Sep 5, 2021

Must-do easy hike to glacier lake
If you take a water taxi ( [email protected]) 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.