Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park
- Status
- Status not posted
- Entrance fee
- Statewide rule — see below
- Day-use reservations
- None mentioned
- Dogs
- Not stated — check with park
- Camping
- Yes
- Official site
- dnr.alaska.gov
Official page last checked Oct 29, 2026. How we keep this current
Overview
Covering about 198,248 acres, Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park lies in Kenai Peninsula County, about 26 miles southeast of Homer.
Visitors come for canoeing and kayaking, boating, fishing, wildlife watching, and hiking. Camping is available: campsites, including tent sites.
Fees and passes
Per vehicle daily parking fee at developed units (typically $5), per-site/vehicle camping (typically $20) and boat-launch fees; many remote units and marine parks are free. Listed by unit in the statewide fee table.
Statewide fee rule from Alaska's park system; this park’s page doesn’t list its own fees.
Alaska park passes
- Annual Day Use Parking Pass — $60. Day-use parking at most state parks for the calendar year (not Pillars/Eagle Rock boat launches, Arctic Valley, Eagle River Nature Center) Details
- Annual Boat Launch Pass — $150. Boat launch fees for the calendar year Details
- Disabled Veterans Camping Pass. Camping for qualifying disabled veterans Details
From the Alaska state guide. Confirm which passes this park accepts.
Reservations
- Day use
- No day-use reservation requirement mentioned
- Booking system
- Reserve Alaska State Parks (reservealaskastateparks.com)
We link to the official booking system rather than showing live availability, which changes minute to minute.
Things to do
CampingFishingCanoeing and kayakingHikingBoatingWildlife viewing and birding
Trails
Tutka Backdoor Trail Planning and Construction Update:
The Tutka Backdoor Trail will be a world class hiking trail in Kachemak Bay State Park and State Wilderness Park providing a route between Taylor Bay and Tutka Bay continuing on to Jakolof Bay. The trail was identified during preliminary efforts to revise the current park management plan and quickly gained public interest and support. The trail is being developed to sustainable design standards in partnership with the non-profit educational organization, Ground Truth Alaska, and volunteers.
Alaska State Parks appreciates the dedicated volunteers that have contributed their hard work to develop this trail. Construction and development of this trail would not be possible without the dedicated volunteers that have contributed days, weeks, and even years of service to make this happen.
Tutka Trail Info 2022
Fishing
Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park became Alaska's first state park in 1972. It abuts the southern boundary of Kachemak Bay State Park in the Kenai Mountains and extends south, into the waters of the Gulf of Alaska. The park offers excellent backcountry skiing, hiking, hunting, fishing, and sightseeing opportunities. It contains 198,399 acres including 79 miles of rugged coastline. There are no developed facilities in the park, however, a back-country hiking trail is being developed from Tutka Bay that will lead to Taylor Bay.
A state fishing license is usually required.
Amenities
Camping
- Tent camping
✓ listed by the park · ✕ the park says it is not available. Anything not shown here isn’t mentioned by the official source — that means unknown, not unavailable.
Getting there
- Nearest town
- Homer — about 26 mi southeast (straight line)
- Coordinates
- 59.3363, -151.1149
Google Maps directionsApple Maps
Directions from the park
No Road Access. Access by boat from Homer
Nearby state parks
Sources and freshness
- Alaska State Parks — park page — last checked Oct 29, 2026
- Alaska DNR ArcGIS 'ASP Park Boundary' layer (OpenData/Recreational_ParkBoundary MapServer/2, refreshed daily), with unit pages from the region 'List of Units' tabs
- USGS PAD-US 4.1 (boundary and acreage)
“Last checked” is when our system last read the official source. No change has been detected since this page was first published. Hours, fees and rules can change without notice — confirm with the park before you go. Methodology