Beluga Slough Trail

The feel

The trail follows lower Beluga Slough, a salt marsh where the freshwater of Beluga Lake mixes with Kachemak Bay's ocean water at high tides. From the Islands & Ocean Visitor Center it descends a hillside through forest, skirts a meadow of salt-tolerant grasses, sedges and succulents, and comes to a gravel and sand beach with shallow channels.

Interpretive signs and poems by local writer Wendy Erd encourage you to linger and notice the slough's tides, birds, seasons, history and weather. Spring brings migrating shorebirds and waterfowl, and summer brings nesting cranes, eagles and merlins.

What to expect

Route and terrain

Loop, 1.2 miles, with about 20 ft of gain on gravel, boardwalk and a metal grate walkway at the edge of the slough.

Time

About 30 minutes.

Crowds and best time

Birds are most visible on the boardwalk just as the tide begins ebbing.

Parking

Ample parking at both trailheads, at Bishops Beach off Bunnell Street and at the Islands & Ocean Visitor Center off the Sterling Highway.

Fees and passes

Free, with no entrance or day-use parking fee.

Dogs

Allowed on leash. The wetland is part of the Kachemak Bay Critical Habitat Area and all pets must be leashed, with no exceptions.

Kids

Rated easy.

Hazards

The slough contains deep channels that should be avoided.

Season and access

Open for hiking in all seasons.

Mingo says

Time your walk for the start of the ebb tide. That is when shorebird flocks are most visible from the boardwalk.

Before you go

• Bring binoculars.
• Keep your dog on a leash.
• Start at the west end of the Visitor Center parking area at 95 Sterling Highway, phone 907-235-6961.

Written October 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page.