Beluga Slough Trail is a short trail from the Islands and Oceans Visitor Center past the Beluga Slough to Bishop’s Beach. Along the way you can view wildflowers, wildlife and spectacular scenery. We were able to watch a moose on our hike. We saw sandhill cranes, bald eagles and numerous shore birds. This is a popular area and had numerous hikers. The trail is mostly flat and includes some sections of boardwalk. Guides lead interpretive hikes a couple of times a day from the visitor center.
Wildflowers along Beluga Slough Trail
Male moose along the Beluga Slough Trail
Moose from the Beluga Slough Trail
Beluga Slough Trail ends at Bishop’s Beach
Homestead Trail leads you through forest, meadows, and muskeg. There are boardwalks through the muskeg. The area was very green and lush, or as Mike described it a “verdant valley”. You can hike a 3 mile loop or up to a 7 mile (each way) stretch. We parked along Rogers Loop Road and enjoyed looping through various sections. There is an official summer trail, but also numerous other routes that double as nordic ski trails in the winter. This created quite a maze, but provided excellent overview of the area’s vegetation. Some sections were soggy and muddy. We saw about 3 other groups of hikers on the trails here. Watch for moose in the area, this was excellent moose habitat. There is some slight elevation change.
Homestead Trail
Plant along the trail
Heavy vegetation along the Homestead Trail (narrow trail in the middle)
One of the many views along the Homestead Trail
Eveline State Recreation Area, located off East End Road, is an 80 acre parcel that also has a maze of trails used for Nordic skiing, similar to the Homestead Trail described above. We completed the large outer loop and some of the inner loops totaling about 4 miles. The wildflowers were excellent during our visit. This area provides outstanding views of the Kenai Mountains. The trails we hiked went through lush vegetation, including meadows, forest and muskeg, with boardwalk over the muskeg sections. There had been rain the previous evening and much of the lower sections of trail consisted of a boggy (wet and muddy) trail. The boggy sections also had higher numbers of biting bugs. We stopped to apply some bug dope, which helped relieve the bug nuisance. Overall, we really enjoyed hiking this area and only saw one other person in our time there. The trail goes close to a couple of houses. There is some slight elevation change.
Wildflowers and the Kenai Mountains from the Eveline Rec Area Trail
Wildflowers at Eveline State Rec Area
The brush is often as tall as I am at 5’6″
Calvin & Coyle Nature Trail is a short 1.2 mile lollipop trail located at the end of Mariner Road which is off of East End Road. This trail weaves through forest and wetlands which provide bird and other wildlife habitat. Watch for moose in the area, we saw plenty of sign. This trail includes some boardwalk sections, heavy tall vegetation sections and some sections with lots of roots which require close attention to prevent tripping. There is an overlook platform at the far end of the loop which provides viewing to a large open wetland. There are also numerous interpretive signs about the area’s plants and animals. We saw one other group of hikers. The trail is fairly flat.
Thick brush along the Calvin & Coyle Nature Trail
Watch for cow parsnip “pushki” along this trail, which can cause blisters when if it touches your skin, especially in the sun
View from the viewing platform at the far end of the lollipop’s loop
We also walked and biked the 4 mile Spit paved multi-use trail which provides excellent bay and mountain views. If you have time, you can use a water taxi to go to Kachemak Bay State Park, across the bay, where there are numerous hiking/backpacking trails.
The Spit bike trail has Kachemak Bay on the left and Cook Inlet on the right
Kenai Mountains from the multi-use trail
