Visiting Homer

Getting here

Driving: Homer is the literal end of the road — about 220 miles from Anchorage down the Seward and Sterling Highways, 4½–5 hours without stops (you'll want stops: Turnagain Arm, the Kenai River, the first view of the bay from the Baycrest hill). The road is paved and open year-round; in winter, check 511.alaska.gov before you commit. Gas is cheaper in Soldotna than on the Spit.

Flying: it's a ~40-minute hop from Anchorage to Homer's airport (HOM). As of mid-2026, Aleutian Airways is the scheduled carrier on the route — check current schedules when you book. The airport is five minutes from downtown.

Shuttle: no car, no problem — two outfits run the Anchorage–Homer road. Alaska Bus Company operates a daily summer coach (mid-May through August, with stops in Girdwood, Cooper Landing, and Soldotna), and Red Eye Rides runs year-round shuttles connecting Homer with Anchorage, Seward, Kenai, and the rest of the peninsula — up to three departures a day in summer. Both are in the directory.

By water: the state ferry Tustumena connects Homer with Kodiak and the Aleutians seasonally (it does NOT run to Anchorage — that leg is road or air). Across Kachemak Bay, the classic Danny J ferry serves Halibut Cove daily in summer, and half a dozen water taxis will drop you at trails, beaches, and Seldovia. Schedules at bookamhs.alaska.gov for the state ferry; find water taxis in the directory.

Getting around

Town is spread out — downtown, the Spit (4½ miles long), and East End Road are each their own trip. A car is the comfortable answer. Don't expect national rental counters at the airport — Homer does it locally: Adventure Alaska Car Rentals (est. 1998, will pick you up around town or the Spit) and Homer Adventures Car Rental (4x4s, delivers within five miles) cover most needs, and Turo fills the gaps. A couple of local taxi outfits round it out (current options here). Cyclists do well on the Spit's separated path. Walking the whole Spit is a genuine activity, not a commute.

Parking & camping on the Spit

Parking: the angled spaces on the west side of Homer Spit Road are free with a 3-hour limit. Free lots allow up to 7 consecutive days; after that the city wants the vehicle off city property for 24 hours (or buy a long-term permit). RVs and anything over 20 feet belong in the Whale Lot or the trailer parking area.

Camping: sleeping in a vehicle outside a campground is a $300 fine on city property, and it's enforced. City campgrounds are first-come, first-served (no reservations): the Fishing Hole / Nick Dudiak campground and Tent Area 2 out on the Spit, Mariner Park at the base, and Hornaday Park up in town (Memorial Day–Labor Day). For hookups, the private parks: Heritage RV (on the Spit next to the Fishing Lagoon), Homer Spit Campground (at the end), Oceanview RV Park (Sterling Highway, walkable to town), and the Driftwood Inn's RV park above Bishop's Beach — all in the directory.

Restrooms & showers: public restrooms sit near Ramp 2 by the harbor and across from the camping areas. For a shower, the go-to is the Washboard on Ocean Drive — laundry and hot showers under one roof, open daily. Several of the private campgrounds also sell showers to non-guests.

RV practicalities

Two public dump stations: the Public Works station on the Sterling Highway across from the Post Office, and one at the Fishing Hole Campground on the Spit. Both take cash or card at a kiosk — about $15 to dump, $5 for potable water, $20 for both. Overnighting in the rig means a campground, full stop (see the $300 note above).

Laundry, groceries, essentials

The Washboard on Ocean Drive is the spot — laundromat and showers, open daily into the evening. Groceries and pharmacies are in town (Safeway, Save-U-More, Ulmer's), not on the Spit — stock up before you drive out. For everything else, search the directory — it's what it's for.

Cell service & wifi

Coverage in town is solid on the major carriers. It thins toward the end of the Spit on busy days and drops fast across the bay — assume the far side of Kachemak Bay is offline and screenshot what you need (the tide table, reservations, this site) before you board a water taxi. The library downtown has free wifi, and most cafés will share theirs with a coffee.

When to come

June through August is peak — everything open, harbor humming, 19-hour days around solstice. May and September are the locals' pick: fewer people, most things still open, better prices. Winter Homer is quiet and real — a good chunk of restaurants and charters hibernate, but the eagles, the light on the bay, and the year-round places more than hold it down. Every listing here shows live hours, so what you see is what's actually open.

Plan the rest

Build a trip plan · what's happening · the map · or just ask Pulse (the chat bubble, bottom right) — it knows everything on this page and 500-some businesses besides.