Five acres may not seem like a lot in Alaska, but sometimes the smallest properties hold the greatest significance to their surrounding ecosystems and communities. This parcel, known as the “Saddle Trail Property,” provides important beachfront access to nearby Saddle Trail — one of the most popular hiking trails in the state. Before 2022, the property had been under private ownership and in danger of being closed to Kachemak Bay State Park visitors. Today, the property is owned by the state of Alaska and public access to the park has been permanently protected.

The beautiful sandy beach in front of the Saddle Trail Property, locally known as Hawaii Beach, provides safe access for boats and water taxis transporting park visitors. The hike to Grewingk Glacier on the Saddle Trail is one of Homer’s most popular tourist activities and a significant economic driver for the region. On a busy summer day, water taxis drop off and pick up hundreds of tourists on Hawaii Beach. But when the tide is high and beach is inundated, visitors are confined to a set of stairs at the start of the trail. Now that the Saddle Trail Property is protected by the state, park visitors can forever use the property for public access, recreation and water taxi transportation.

Those who visit Hawaii Beach see evidence in the sand that unique history happened there. Old beach pilings reveal that the Saddle Trail Property was once home to a herring fishery in the early 1900s. During this time, Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet supported bountiful populations of herring, attracting fleets from California and the Pacific Northwest. Now protected, the Saddle Trail Property will help preserve this important history for Kachemak Bay.

Support Our Efforts

Tourism and recreation are essential to the economy of Homer and the Kenai Peninsula, so protecting this small-but-mighty parcel of land for the park was a top priority. Thanks to this collaborative effort, TCF was able to purchase the Saddle Trail Property and raise $300,000 to be able to donate the land to Kachemak Bay State Park. Special thanks to Friends of Kachemak Bay State Park for its guidance and support and to all the funders that made this project possible, including the Homer Foundation, which contributed $20,000, and ConocoPhillips Alaska, which contributed $25,000.

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