Prince William Sound Adventure

Whittier is the hub for many activities that take place in the Prince William Sound. For us, it was our starting point for the Sound Eco Adventure Wildlife and Icy Bay Glacier tour.

We had a great time on the water, watching for humpback whales and other marine animals. We were also very lucky to get very close to the Chenega Glacier, experiencing the thunderous calving as ice sheered into the Icy Bay.

Getting to Whittier is half the adventure! Be sure to plan and take time to enjoy it. The view of the mountains, glaciers, and bay are really breathtaking.

As far as a tourist destination location, you will probably be relatively unimpressed with what is there in terms of this small seaport village. It is really just a small boat harbor. This is where the 26 Glacier Tour departs, as well as a number of other fishing and wildlife cruises.

There is a bed-and-breakfast for those visitors who want the convenience of not getting up at the crack of down to arrive in the morning, or those too tired to make the 90- to 120-minute drive back to Anchorage.

Quick Tips:

You may also want to plan some extra time to check out Portage Lake and Portage Glacier that are immediately before the tunnel staging area. We enjoyed spending some time in the area, although we didn't really do as much as there is to do there (including the Begich-Boggs Visitors Center).

There is a Portage Glacier tour offered by Gray Line Tours that departs from near the visitor's center. There is also the Byron Glacier which is visible from the road and parking lot.

While out and about in this area, be alert for bears. There had been reports of a grizzly near the parking lot just a few days before our visit.

Best Way To Get Around:

When you travel to Whittier, you have several adventurous ways to get there. If you want, you can do the ferry over from Valdez. You can also arrive by boat or small airplane or by rail from Seward or Anchorage. Most, however, probably arrive as we did, by car via the Whittier Tunnel.

The Whittier Tunnel connects this sleepy old military seaport village to the rest of Alaska. The 2.5-mile one-lane tunnel serves both cars and the train. Expect to pay round-trip for the excursion.

If you do plan on driving to Whittier, be sure to include appropriate time to do the tunnel. The tunnel is only open for 15 minutes per hour for motor vehicles in and out of Whittier. It is open on the half-hour INTO Whittier and on the hour OUT of Whittier.

Located in the Girdwood Station "Mall" (don't let the "mall" fool you; it is a strip shopping area with a convenience store, a couple of restaurants, a gift shop, and the AK State Troopers office).

The cafe and bakery was recommended to us by folks in Whittier and was a wonderful dining experience after a long day on the water. We had sandwiches for dinner and bought a piece of their bakery delights for later. I went simple with a burger; my husband opted for the Italian Beef hoagie/sub. I sampled his sandwich and was impressed with the quality of the beef and sauce. Both sandwiches were served with crisp krinkle-cut fries. Yummy good!

They had everything from Krispy Treats to German Chocolate Cake. I especially enjoyed my dark chocolate black forest cake. There is another pizza shop in the same strip center, but this is the one closest to the convenience store that also has the bakery!! Dinner with desserts to-go (for two) was under $25.

We understand from the young European woman who served us, that they recently bought the place and were very happy with how their early summer business was doing. She was especially friendly and interested in where in the lower 48 we were from. It was a nice, relaxing time chatting with her. I was especially fascinated by her beautiful body ink (tattoos). One was a large colorful bird on the branch of a cherry tree. She said that it told the story from her native land.

Portage Glacier and Portage Lake are part of the Chugach National Forest. Also in this immediate area is the Byron Glacier, which is the one you actually see from the visitors center.

According to one of our travel guide books, Portage Glacier is one of the most frequently visited sights in Alaska. I am not really sure why other than it is easily accessible from Anchorage (approximate 75 minutes south) and is probably a destination for those coming in on cruise ships.

Don't get me wrong, Portage Glacier is very remarkable. It is a shame, however, that it is melting back into the mountain range. They built a lovely visitors center with what was expected to be at the prime viewing point from across Portage Lake. In less than 20 years, the glacier is no longer visible from that point of view.

You can do a boat tour that is offered by Gray Line Buses if you want to get up close to the glacier. Otherwise, your best best is further down the road towards the Whittier Tunnerl. There is a turnout there where they stage vehicles for the tunnel. From that vantage point you will be able to have a wonderful view of Portage Glacier.

The other very interesting thing to see were the icebergs in the lake. There weren't a lot of them and they weren't very large, but they were very cool to see. Locals say that "natural ice" in lakes such as this is the best way to keep your coolers chilled because the ice is denser than what you can buy or freeze at home.

The color of the ice as well as the glacier was a bold shade of blue. Since it was a cloudy day, I think the blue looks richer than what it might have been on a clear sunny day.

We had a great day planned to enjoy the sights and sounds of Prince William Sound. The morning leaving Anchorage was actually rather nice, sun was up and it was comfortable. We of course dressed in layers, as everyone says "just because the weather is nice now, doesn't mean it will be in an hour...or 50 miles from here." We are glad that we did!

By the time we reached the small boat harbor in Whittier, it was chilly, drizzling, and a bit windy. On the boat, however, we were somewhat protected from the elements as the boat had an enclosed cabin. The worst part about it was the porta-potty on the back deck with just a shower curtain for privacy. Talk about a cold back draft!

Once out on the water, it was remarkably calm. The only waves in the sound were from the wave of other boats coming and going. In some spots, the water was so calm, it looked as though you were standing still. It was truly smooth as glass. Had it been a sunny day, I'm sure you could have seen the clouds on the surface of the water.

Unfortunately, as we got out into more unprotected areas, the water became choppy, with waves of approximately 2 feet. As they white-capped, you could see, from time to time, a small fish jumping. It was pretty cool! If you are susceptible to motion or sea sickness, you should probably avoid taking a smaller boat and opt for one of the larger cruise ships that handle a couple hundred passengers.

We enjoyed our time out on water, especially to see all of the marine animals throughout our journey. It was remarkable that, other than staying clear of the boat, they really were not afraid of us. We saw seals, otters, humpback whales, dall's porpoises, and harbor seals. We had hoped to see orcas, but they were not to be found on this day. I had also hoped to see black bear on the shoreline, but they too were missing in action for the day!

As you cruise the Prince William Sound, it is difficult to not get lost in the vastness of the land around you. The height of the mountain peaks, the beauty of the high meadows, and, of course, the magnificence of the glaciers. When we entered the cove known as Icy Bay, the size of density of the icebergs was a bit overwhelming. Sure, there were smaller chunks of ice in the water, but there were many the size of our boat!!

Unless you are actually experiencing some of this first-hand, it is next to impossible to imagine it. While planning for this trip, we had read what we thought was all that had ever been written about Prince William Sound. Nothing quite prepared us for what we would experience during this long 9-hour trip. I think I could have spent the entire day just watching the landscape of the Chenega Glacier forever changing before our eyes. During the 30 minutes or so there, it calved at least three good "dumps" into the water. The rumbling, crackling, and splashing of ice was louder than I expected.

With the journal entry I've included a few of the photos from our day. I hope you enjoy them!

As we "cruised" the Prince William Sound it was difficult at times to know if we should be looking down at the water or up to the mountains and glaciers. While the marine wildlife was unlike anything we could imagine, truly the landscape that surrounds Prince William Sound is awe inspiring.

This is the "home" of the 26 glacier tour, but trust me, you will have a better time doing a more private and personalized trip on the water. While we toured for 9 hours and approximately 180 miles, we passed many glaciers. It was interesting to see and learn about how the ice pack is created and becomes these ice masses. They carve the land and create new landscapes for generations to come!

The other remarkable sights were the tall waterfalls as the warm summer air melted the mountain snow caps. I wish we could have found a way to access them by car but we were told they are essentially in primative areas of dense forest that would not be easily hiked to. Shame too, although they didn't strike me as the type of waterfalls you see in Hawaii that fill warm pools for swimming and diving.

Throughout the Prince William Sound there are islands too. At this one there were a small group of seals sunning themselves right on the edge of the water. We did get close enough to capture a photo on one, which is included in this journal.

Once beyond the actual islands and shoreline, the water became rather choppy as it was unprotected from the winds of the high sea. It was nicer to be nearer to land because we also saw more in the way of wildlife. Our tour guide took us out to the edge of the ocean to see if we might be lucky enough to see orca (killer) whales. But alas, not on this trip.

If you are going to be in Anchorage or the south central region, I hope you will be able to make time to take a boat tour on the Prince William Sound.