Sterling Highway

The Sterling Highway was first opened for public travel in 1951 and is still the principal route on the Kenai Peninsula. Previous to the highway, all cross-country travel was either by foot, horseback or dogsled. Most settlements along the route were begun by gold miners in the 1880's, although Homer seems to have begun life as a coal camp. The Cook Inlet Coal Fields Company established the town site back in the 1890's and built a dock, coal mine and railroad leading from the mine to the dock. There's still a lot of coal in the area but mining of it stopped during World War II. The town's name came from a "Homer Pennock" who came to the area in 1896 to promote a gold mining company. But there has been very little gold found on the Kenai Peninsula, especially that area around Homer.

With more than 5,000 people, Homer is the big city in the area. Homer is home to the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center, co-hosted by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve. The town is a regular stopping point for ferries plying the Alaska Marine Highway. The Kenai Peninsula is also home to more than 15 of Alaska's state parks. In total, the Sterling Highway runs 142 miles from Seward to Homer. Two sections of the highway are designated as Scenic Byways.

The Resurrection Trail, one of the most popular hiking trails in Alaska is here. Folks travel the route year-round: because this is the southern side of Alaska, the winters are wetter and a fair bit warmer than up north. Summer visitors often take the looped side-trip down Skilak Lake Road: it's only 18-miles long and travels through the Skilak Lake Special Management Area which offers more camping, canoeing and fishing opportunities.

The "Sterling Highway Scenic Byway - South Segment" runs 23 miles from Anchor Point through Homer to end on Homer Spit at the Alaska Marine Highway ferry terminal. This route offers great views across Cook Inlet before the panoramas open out on Kachemak Bay. This area offers the finest in saltwater fishing as Homer and the Spit are promoted as the "Halibut Fishing Capital of the World."