With some of the world's largest tides, tidepooling is one of the most anticipated activities here on MacDonald Spit. At low/minus tides, put your boots on walk out to the rocky shoreline of Kachemak Bay to reveal a wondrous and brilliantly colorful array of these treasures in the sea. You may find a variety of creatures including, octopus, sea stars, sea cucumber, sea urchins, sea anemones, crabs, snails, small fish, and more!

If you are specifically coming for tidepooling, we recommend checking out the NOAA Tide Predictions for MacDonald Spit (linked here) and look for minus tides around the dates you plan to arrive. A minus tide means it has a negative height (ex: -1 ft to -5 ft). We also recommend downloading the app Tide Alerts for more details and easier interpretation on the tides. 

The protected waters of Kasitsna and Kachemak Bay are a paddlers dream come true. We offer single and double kayaks, stand up paddle boards, paddles, and life jackets all included with your stay. You may paddle out in Kasitsna Bay, all around Nubble Point at the end of the spit, and along the shore of Kachemak Bay. Guests often end up paddling with the sea otters and sea birds by their sides and occasionally see whales in the water with them too!

You may also fish from the kayaks or paddle out to the fishing float in the bay.

Kachemak Bay is known as the a hub for world-class Halibut fishing. From Between Beaches, you can fish from your kayak, paddle out to our halibut fishing float, or you can hire our skiff for halibut fishing in Kachemak Bay, right in front of your cabin. We have complimentary fishing poles for you to use and bait bags for sale at $10 a bag. Check out our local fishing calendar below to see what fish you may catch during different months of the year. 

If you are interested in a longer fishing day, you can get a fishing charter out of Seldovia. Charters may include fishing for salmon, halibut, cod or rockfish; our guests have returned more than satisfied with their catch! ​​

​For fishing charters out of Seldovia,

call 619-929-9051.

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If you need a fishing license while you are here, you can purchase one here on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website.

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*Add On: Fishing charter and skiff hire will be an additional fee.

There are a few great hiking options around Seldovia. Pictured here is Grace Ridge Trail, an incredibly beautiful 8.4-mile hike out and back trail. Grewingk Glacier is another epic hike in the area, a 13-mile out and back glacier hike located in the Kenai Mountains. Both of those hikes are only accessible by water taxi. Our Between Beaches Water Taxi can take you from MacDonald Spit to the trailhead and pick you up at the end of the trail. 

There are some other smaller, but stunning, local hikes such as Outside Beach from the town of Seldovia.

*Add On: Our Between Beaches Water Taxi is $35 per person, each way. Two person minimum. Our Between Beaches Land Taxi is $35 per person each way. No minimum. 

Eagle photographers from all over come specifically to Between Beaches for their photography retreats because of the high eagle population in our area. There are several Bald Eagle nests along MacDonald Spit, including on our property, and many other nests in the forests surrounding our bay. With a plethora of fish and clams to eat in Kasitsna Bay, our eagles are always happy, present, and flying around our skies.
*Add On: Reach out for professional Eagle Photography Retreats coming up in 2025.

​Historic Seldovia, Alaska, is connected to MacDonald Spit by a seven-mile drive on the road. The Between Beaches Land Taxi can transport you to town and back from our property. It is a unique and quaint sea-side community with little shops, a general store, restaurant, bar, and more. The history of this town is rich and we look forward to sharing more on the blog soon!

*Add On: Our Between Beaches Land Taxi is $35 per person each way.

We have many talented local tour guides in Seldovia. Tours include wildlife, hiking, sightseeing, and photography tours. Reach out to us and let us know what you are interested in and we will send you to the right person!

*Add On: Reach out for more information. 

Alaska Helicopter Tours offers bear viewing, a volcano expedition, glacier and waterfall tours. They will pick you up and drop you off right on the beach in front of your cabin!

*Add On: Reach out for number of people, date, and excursion. 

Late July through the first of September is a perfect time of year to pick Salmon and High Bush Blueberries around Between Beaches. Harvest these large succulent berries to your heart's content on the edge of the nearby trail to Jackolof Bay.

Whether you are a professional or novice photographer, you have come to the right place! Here you have endless photo opportunities for gorgeous sunrise and sunset over the water with the Aleutian Range in the background, stunning landscapes, marine mammal sightings including sea otters, Harbor seals, whales, a variety of unique and stunning land and sea birds, including hundreds of resident Bald Eagles.