From the base of the Homer Spit, take this 4-mile paved trail to the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon. The trail is in excellent condition and is flat as a pancake for most of its length.
Birds and House Boats
The first mile of trail is along a broad estuary that is great for birding and also offers a chance to see a couple of unique homes—one built from an old fishing boat and the other that sits all alone on stilts above the mud flats. Once you pass the one-mile mark you’ll be riding past fishing boats that are out of the water being worked on as well as a few shops.
Boardwalk Life
The real hustle and bustle starts halfway down the spit where blocks of businesses on pilings with boardwalks welcome tourists with loud, colorful signs. Stop for any number of coffee shacks or fresh seafood joints if you’re looking for a bite from the sea. Otherwise, keep on going until you reach the fishing lagoon where snagging with giant treble hooks is still allowed. In this area there are lots of shops to explore, as well as overlooks of the harbor and numerous charter companies that clean the daily catch within view of anybody that cares to stop. Not to be missed at the end of the Spit is a zip around Land’s End Hotel and at least a walkthrough of the Salty Dawg Saloon; the latter was originally built in 1897, and its décor consists of thousands of dollar bills pinned to the walls and heavy plank tables and benches that have been worked over by hundreds of pocket knives.
