Valdez – The Infamous Harbour Town

We nearly missed coming to Valdez on our Alaska adventure as we had it in our minds to push through to the Kenai Penninsula on our way down, to try and avoid the crazy summer crowds. Our plans were then to head north to Denali National Park and Fairbanks then on to the Yukon. Sitting around in Fairbanks we started having second thoughts about missing Valdez and made the decision to drive a bit out of the way and check it out, and we are certainly glad we did.

Valdez Banners

The drive south to Valdez was probably the most spectacular of the trip.  One of the highlights was driving past the Worthington Glacier, one of Alaska’s most easily accessible glaciers and then up into some stunning high alpine slopes with amazing views at the Thompson Pass summit. As you descend into Valdez you pass through Keystone Canyon with gorgeous waterfalls cascading from the vertical canyon walls. Check out our post on the Richardson Highway for more information on this drive: Fairbanks to Valdez – The Richardson Highway.

 Valdez was truly a pleasant surprise. It is one of the prettiest towns anywhere in Alaska, surrounded by the towering peaks of the Chugach Mountains, the tallest coastal mountains in North America rising from sea level to 7000’. The mountains are covered with snowfields and glaciers and their runoff waters turn the harbour a gorgeous glacial green. The town itself just seems a little more laid back and not as busy as we found the towns around Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. The population here is just over 4,000 people.

Valdez Harbour

Valdez Waterfront Business District

Enjoying some good local beer on the waterfront

Looking West out of Valdez Harbour

Valdez may be small, but it has had more than its fair share of fame. First, as the jumping off point of the 1898 Alaska Gold Rush, then destroyed by the 1964 earthquake and finally when the Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in 1989 dumping millions of gallons of crude oil into the sound. Interesting tidbit is that both the earthquake and the Exxon Valdez disaster occurred on a Good Friday.

Valdez is the terminus of the Alaska Pipeline with the Alyeska Oil Terminal, a huge tanker port and oil storage facility on the opposite side of the harbor. There are many basic services in Valdez including a museum, a library, lots of RV parks, a few motels and even a fairly large college. Fishing is big so there is large commercial fleet based in the harbor and lots of fishing charter companies. With Prince William Sound being so picturesque, there are a couple of tour companies who will take you out into the sound on glacier and wildlife watching tours including Stan Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Tours. See out post: Stan Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Tours. There are also a few kayak tour operators who will take you out to paddle around the glacial ice.

Alyeska Oil Terminal on the opposite side of the harbour – Terminus of the Trans Alaska Pipeline

The Bear Paw Camper Park, Valdez, where we stayed

Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Tours – take you to the Meares & Columbia Glaciers

Kayakers gearing up for a glacier tour

Magnificent views await you on Prince William Sound Tours

The Shoup Glacier is accessible via a 8.5 mile hike from Valdez

Another interesting thing to do while in Valdez is to paddle out to the Valdez Glacier.  We took our own kayaks, but kayaking tours are available.  It is short drive out to Glacier View Park and a very short paddle across the small glacial lake.  The Valdez Glacier has been in retreat for 10,000 years and is getting quite small. It is quite a different looking glacier compared to the huge white and blue glaciers such as Meare’s and Columbia, as it is covered in a lot of rock and gravel making much of it look almost black.  Check out our post:  Kayaking to the Valdez Glacier

Glacier View Park

Paddling around some ice at Valdez Glacier Lake

Kayaking to the Valdez Glacier

For More Images of Valdez and Paddling the Valdez Glacier

You can purchase images for download or order prints and gifts at our sister site, Brakelightfoto…click this link:  Valdez & the Paddling to the Valdez Glacier