Kachemak Bay State Park

Kachemak Bay at sunrise
Halibut Cove is one of the main access points to the park.

Kachemak Bay State Park and Kachemak Bay Wilderness Park is a 400,000-acre (1,600 km2) park in and around Kachemak Bay, Alaska.[1] Kachemak Bay State Park was the first legislatively designated state park in the Alaska State Parks system. Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park is the state's only legislatively designated wilderness park. There is no road access to most areas of the park, visitors normally fly in or travel by boat from Homer. Kachemak Bay is considered a critical habitat area due to the biodiversity in the area. Wildlife within the park includes marine mammals such as sea otters, sea lions, and whales, large land mammals such as moose and black bears, and numerous sea and land birds. Terrain consists of both rocky and sandy beaches, dense mountain forests, and higher up, glaciers, and icefields. Because of the rugged conditions and unpredictable coastal weather, visitors are advised to be prepared for sudden wind, rain, or snowstorms at any time of year, especially at higher elevations, and to file a travel plan with rangers. The park is mostly wild land, although there are a few cabins and semi-developed campgrounds. The park ranger station is located in Halibut Cove Lagoon. The Kachemak Bay area was infested with spruce bark beetles during the late 1990s, and thousands of acres of dead trees are still standing within the park. There has been at least one wildfire, the Mile 17 fire that burned areas of dead standing spruce on park land.[2]

References

U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Kachemak Bay State Park

Coordinates: 59°31′58″N 151°12′36″W / 59.53278°N 151.21000°W / 59.53278; -151.21000

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