Caines Head and North Beach: Don’t slip on the kelp or jellyfish!

Technically this hike takes you to the North Beach of Caines Head State Recreation Area, but most people just call it “Caines Head.” It’s a beautiful beach walk, as long as you keep in mind that the beach is make of shale, not sand, and tends to be very slippery when covered in kelp or, if you’re a shoulder season/winter hiker, ice.

Oh yes. Or jellyfish. Did you think I was kidding about the jellyfish?

This is hike 80 in my guidebook Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska.

Hike to Tonsina Point First

The first 2.2 miles of the hike to Caines Head take you to Tonsina Point: You start out on a gravel road that transitions to an old wagon track, and finally a clear, if sometimes rocky, footpath through a mossy rainforest full of tall, old-feeling trees. As you come back down the far side of the hill to Tonsina Point proper, you’ll cross a series of bridges over the creek and walk by a picnic pavilion and bearproof food locker. The rocky beach at Tonsina Point makes a lovely destination in and of itself.

Check a Tide Table (or App)

If you continue past this point, you must time your hike with the tides. At least two sections of trail are completely underwater at high tide, so to make the southbound (toward Caines Head) hike safely you should leave at least two hours before low tide, and the low tide must be +3 feet or lower.

When hiking north, Alaska State Parks recommends leaving the North Beach of Caines Head at least an hour before low tide, and the same “+3 feet or lower” restriction applies.

Click here for more information on this stretch of trail from Alaska State Parks; you can use the mobile app of your choice, or a Google search, to look up the Seward District tide tables that ASP recommends using.

Continuing on to North Beach (Caines Head)

If you’re ready to time your hike with the heads, from Tonsina Point you’ll turn right (south) and hike along the shale beach. Heads up, the rocks can be slippery when coated with a rime of ice (in the shoulder season) or when covered with deposits of seaweed and kelp, usually near the high tide line.

At 3.3 miles from the trailhead you’ll pass a creek on the right and hear the sound of falling water coming from that gully. If there aren’t too many fallen trees tangled in your way, you can hike up the left side of that creek to a picturesque little waterfall. Don’t let that distract you from the issue of timing your hike with the tides.

Continuing along the beach, at 4.5 miles from the trailhead you’ll past the cove for the Callisto Canyon public use cabin, and at 5 miles you’ll pass the turnoff for the Derby Cove cabin. Shortly after that the trail turns inland, heading up and over a steep, forested bluff before descending to North Beach, 5.7 miles from the trailhead.

Consider Camping or a Water Taxi

As you might imagine, having to wait for a suitably low tide before you hike to Caines Head, then having to wait for the next low tide before you hike back, makes for a very long day — and on some days there will be only one suitably low tide. If you really want to hike out and back in one day, I highly recommend hiking one way and taking a water taxi the other way.

You’ll need to arrange the water taxi in advance (there are lots of providers in Seward — go ahead and Google) because cell service at North Beach is sometimes sketchy on my mobile provider (AT&T) and it’s possible that cell service is nonexistent for other carriers.

One caveat: I recommend staying away from Millers Landing water taxi service, because their reliability is… variable. I’ve used them a few times, and sometimes they’re great. But I’ve also called to confirm whether they’d be running during the shoulder season, received an emphatic yes, and then driven all the way to Seward only to discover they weren’t running on that day and never intended to be. Your mileage may vary, as they say, but do keep that heads up in mind.

Your other option is to stay overnight. Caines Head makes a wonderful backpacking destination, so many people will hike out, stay at least one night, and then hike back on another low tide. Or you can book one of the public use cabins (see below).

Callisto Canyon and Derby Cove Cabins (must be booked in advance)

This trail passes two lovely cabins in Caines Head State Recreation Area: First the Callisto Canyon cabin, then the Derby Cove cabin. I’ve only stayed in the Derby Cove cabin, which is a nice little retreat tucked back into the trees and off the main trail, but I’ve heard that if you’re lucky, you can see whales right from the porch of the Callisto Canyon cabin.

Both cabins must be reserved in advance. You can read up on them on the Alaska State Parks website (Callisto Canyon, Derby Cove) or head straight to Reserve America to search for availability and reserve either cabin (Callisto Canyon, Derby Cove).