In 1880, Eldred Passage was named after Sarah Eldred Baker, wife of Marcus Baker. Marcus Baker was a local trader and a naturalist who helped a U.S. Coast guard surveyor named William Healy Dall collect topographic and hydrographic data of the area. The passage, just 5 miles from Homer, Alaska is bordered by Kachemak Bay State Park, Sadie Cove, Tutka Bay, Sixty-foot Rock, Cohen Island, Yukon Island, Grass Island, Hesketh Island and Jakolof Bay. The Lodge at Otter Cove is located in the heart of Eldred Passage. This gives a location that is extremely special. Facing due west, the sunsets are spectacular. Having the islands just offshore provide protection from most storms and wind. In the summer months it has been said “the ocean is as calm as a duck pond”.
The waters and mountains of Kachemak Bay are filled with an abundance of wild life. World traveler and wildlife photographer Robert Fuller said “There is a higher concentration of wildlife here than any place I have seen on the planet”. The birds include Bald Eagles, Harlequin Ducks, Tufted Puffin, Black-Billed Magpie, Kittiwake, Northern Harrier and Black Oystercatchers. The fish that live in the waters are Halibut, King Salmon, Silver Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, Pink Salmon, Ling Cod, Greenling and Rock Fish of all kinds. The surrounding woods are filled with Black Bears, Moose, Dall Sheep, and Porcupines. The bay is also home to Sea Otters, Humpback Whales, Orca, Porpoise, Harbor Seal and Sea Lions.
Eldred Passage is one of the jewels of Alaska. Its beauty, mystique and serenity will create memories of a lifetime. The relaxing sounds of the ocean and the beautiful sunsets are like no other place on earth.