HOMER, Alaska — The Homer Cycling Club received a significant boost this holiday season after securing a $250,000 grant from the Rasmuson Foundation to support continued development of the Eastland Trails project near Homer.
The funding is part of the foundation’s recent announcement of $11.9 million in new investments aimed at supporting community-led initiatives across Alaska. The Homer Cycling Club was among a select group of nonprofits statewide to receive a major grant award in this funding round.
Homer Cycling Club Eastland Trails Subcommittee member Cooper Freeman described the Eastland Trails effort as “one of the most exciting and important recreation projects Homer’s ever seen” and “a massive labor of love.”
The project will ultimately create an 11-mile trail system designed to offer “best-in-class” hiking and mountain biking opportunities for both residents and visitors. Located in the Cottonwood Eastland unit of Kachemak Bay State Park, roughly 17 miles east of Homer, the trail system is intended to fill a longstanding gap in accessible recreation connected to the Homer road system.
“This area has been identified since the ‘80s as the priority for recreational development here, and we are getting it done,” Freeman said. “It’s going to be a complete game changer for both residents (and visitors) … It’s really going to transform, I think, the health and the vibrancy and the well-being of our community in really wonderful ways.”
The Eastland Trails project is being built in three phases, with construction already underway on the first segment. Phase one was funded through a Recreational Trails Program grant awarded last year by the Alaska Department of Outdoor Recreation and the Federal Highway Administration. That phase includes approximately 3.5 miles of trails and essential access infrastructure, including a public parking lot and trailhead.
According to Freeman, much of the work completed during the summer of 2025 focused on establishing access points and preparing trail corridors. Homer-based contractor Last Frontier Trails, which is overseeing construction, also “roughed in” most of the phase one trail network. Completion of this initial phase is expected by summer 2026.
“Those are really highly-accessible trails for young kids to elders,” Freeman said. “It’s really designed to get people into the park, but provide an experience that everyone can enjoy.”
The newly awarded Rasmuson Foundation grant will fund the majority of phase two, which will add approximately four additional miles of primarily mountain biking trails. Construction for this phase could begin as early as next summer following completion of phase one, or by early 2027.
Phase three, which remains unfunded, will focus on creating a longer hiking trail to provide deeper access into Kachemak Bay State Park.
Freeman noted that the Homer Cycling Club completed a comprehensive, integrated trail design in 2024 that underwent extensive public review and scrutiny by the Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation.
“That’s guiding the development — and then as we get into each phase, we’re doing a more refined design into construction,” he said.
Currently, the nonprofit has secured roughly 70% of the funding needed for phase two. In addition to state and federal grants, the club has received significant support from local donors and numerous smaller community contributions. The full Eastland Trails project is expected to cost approximately $1.4 million.
“We really are going to need the community to come together and invest in this vital project that will be a gift for and enjoyed by many future generations,” Freeman said. “This is really a generational project … We’re pretty thrilled with the progress, but we have a long way to go.”
Although construction is being handled by professional crews, Freeman emphasized that reaching this stage required hundreds of volunteer hours dedicated to fundraising, permitting, and administrative coordination by local leaders and volunteers.
“People are so excited — it’s really been a fun project to be a part of, and we’re so thrilled to be making great progress towards getting it done,” Freeman said.
The Eastland Trails system remains closed during construction, and the Homer Cycling Club is asking the public to stay clear of the area until it officially opens.
More information and project updates are available at www.homercyclingclub.org.
Originally reported by Delcenia Cosman in Homer News.
