TRAILS

TRAILS CLOSED

Eastland Multi-Use Trails

The Homer Cycling Club, in partnership with the Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks, is working to develop a system of biking and hiking trails in the Cottonwood-Eastland Management Unit of Kachemak Bay State Park. These trails are accessible by road with a parking lot and trailhead 17 miles out East End Road of Homer. The trails are currently closed.

Update: EASTLAND TRAILS TO REMAIN CLOSED FOR WINTER

While Phase 1 construction of the Eastland Trails is completed, the project committee along with State Parks have made the hard decision to keep the trails closed for the winter.

New trails are especially vulnerable to damage. The Eastland Trails are designed to shed rainwater into built-in drainage areas. But when the ground freezes, even an inch or so, that frozen layer can trap water near the surface. As it thaws, the trails can quickly become slick, muddy, and easily damaged by foot or bike traffic. Despite our best efforts to get the trails opened this year, we have entered a challenging season of rain, freezing temperatures, and thawing.

Allowing newly constructed trails to settle and stabilize through their first winter is a common best practice. Freezing and thawing help the disturbed soil settle, while time allows the trail surface to firm up with mosses and other natural vegetation becoming established along the edges. This helps create a more durable trail that can withstand years of use and reduce the maintenance burden over the long-term.

A new trail may handle a rainy day just fine but struggle through repeated freezing and thawing. Opening too soon can cause ruts, erosion, and drainage problems that require significant repairs.

We know everyone is eager to explore the trails. A tremendous amount of work has gone into building them. The hard working team organizing, fundraising and building the trails want nothing more than to open them to the public and let the community enjoy. Yet, giving them time to stabilize now will help protect our investment for many years to come.

We will monitor how the trails settle after break-up and let everyone know they’re open for the summer as soon as they are ready in 2027. 

Meanwhile, education will be an important part of establishing a successful multi-use trail system at Eastland. Hikers and bicyclists will share the trails, and users will learn how to navigate, pass, and care for new trail surfaces. We’ll share more about this during the winter in anticipation of the official opening next year. 

To continue building the next phases of trails at Eastland, we need your help now. The Eastland Trails committee is hard at work to secure funding to complete Phase 2. An RTP application is being prepared for Phase 2a, and public input is needed. You can find more information about Phase 2a and the RTP grant here. Please submit all comments to cetrailsak@gmail.com.

Overview: After decades of being prioritized as an area for recreational development, the Eastland Trails project is coming to fruition with three phases to build 11 miles of "best-in-class” hiking and mountain biking trails in the scenic Cottonwood Eastland unit of Kachemak Bay State Park. Funds are secured for Phase 1 which has been completed by Homer-based contractor Last Frontier Trails, with a new parking lot off of 17 East End Road, boardwalks and other infrastructure, and 3 miles of accessible multi-use hiking and biking trails. Phase 2 includes 4 miles of trails, including more advanced bike-optimized routes.

Fundraising: The scope of this project is huge, and as such the costs to build it out are proportionally huge. While we will be applying for some significant grants (and we have been fortunate to receive some!) we are going to need all the funding we can get, including at the grass-roots level. If you want to see this kind of accessible trail system on this side of the bay, consider donating to the cause. Your donation is tax-deductible as Homer Cycling Club and Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks are both federally recognized non-profits. You can donate to the Zeffy fundraiser or mail your donation via check to: Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks, 95 Sterling Highway, Suite 2 Homer, AK 99603 or Homer Cycling Club, 4658 Tamara Street, Homer, AK, 99603 and just write “Eastland” on the memo line.

Questions: Eastland Trails is a community-powered project and public input is needed. Please submit all questions and comments to cetrailsak@gmail.com.