Alaska‘s southern coast is characterized by a collection of inlets, fjords, and archipelagos with hundreds of small islands not far from the mainland. One of the most fascinating areas of the coast is Prince William Sound: the innermost part of the Gulf of Alaska.
30 miles deep and 69 miles wide, so jagged that it has 1500 miles of coastline, this branch of the gulf is enclosed between the Chugach Mountains and the Kenai Peninsula and is famous for the cetaceans that regularly come here to feed in its rich waters.
Unfortunately, the strait is also remembered for negative reasons. In 1964 this was the epicenter of the most violent earthquake ever recorded in North America. The violent tremor caused very high waves that devastated the coasts. The city of Valdez was razed to the ground by one of these tsunamis.
In 1989, another disaster struck the gulf: the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground and poured millions of gallons of oil into the sea. Today that incident is only a memory and the damage is no longer visible, but the ecosystem of the gulf suffered a severe blow.
If you take a look at the itineraries by car from Anchorage, you’ll find interesting solutions that include Prince William Sound.
Contents
How to get there
Prince William Sound is one of the most easily accessible regions of Alaska. However, you could choose from various forms of transport depending on the gulf locations you intend to visit.
- Airplane. Valdez and Cordova each have a small airport. Especially for Cordova, the air connection is the ideal solution, as the city is isolated as far as land transportation is concerned and ferries are infrequent.
- Ship. There are 3 ports overlooking Prince William Sound: Cordova, Valdez and Whittier. Whittier’s port is well connected by land to Anchorage, including public transportation. Ferries leave from here for both Valdez and Cordova. The three ports are part of the larger maritime circuit of the Alaska Marine Highway System: it is therefore possible to reach the gulf by sea from other coastal locations, as well as from the Canadian ports of British Columbia and the port of Bellingham, just north of Seattle.
- Car. Valdez is accessible by car. From Anchorage, for example, it takes 5-6 hours of driving. The port of Whittier, from where you can embark for Valdez and Cordova, is also well connected to Anchorage (and from there to the rest of the Alaskan road network), being 1h 30m away.
Weather and Temperatures
Prince William Strait does not have too rigid a climate, as is the case for the whole southern coast compared to the internal and mountainous areas of Alaska. As already specified in the article on when to go to Alaska, the sea mitigates the climate a great deal in the gulf, also thanks to a warm current coming from the south that keeps the water around 42° F even in winter, thus preventing it from freezing. Unlike other coastal areas, where the extreme cold makes the sea water freeze near the coasts, here sailing is possible throughout the year.
Cordova is a city with a mild climate, never too hot in summer nor too cold in winter. The hottest months, July and August, have average daytime highs of 61° F and nighttime lows of 50° F. January is the coldest month, with a maximum averaging around 35° F and a minimum of 25° F.
Valdez is colder, also affected by the proximity of the great Columbia Glacier. Here the summer is very similar to Cordova (highs always around 61° F and lows a bit lower, around 46°F), but in winter the cold is more evident: in January the average high is 26° F and the minimum 17° F.
Rainfall is much more abundant in Cordova: 158 inches per year against 66 inches per year in Valdez. The rainiest months for both cities are autumn, from September to December. A lot of snow falls in Valdez too, so that throughout the year it reaches an average of 22 feet.
Cities in Prince William Sound
Valdez and Cordova are the only two cities in the strait. Maybe calling them cities is a bit of a gamble, since they don’t have more than 7000 inhabitants, but if you’ve already read other articles about Alaska you’ll realize that apart from Anchorage, there are no big towns in the whole state. However, there is a third location, one of a kind: Whittier. Let’s find out why each of these places is worth a visit.
Valdez
Valdez is the main settlement in Prince William Sound. Founded in 1790 and named by the Spanish explorer Salvador Fidalgo in honor of the officer Antonio Valdés y Fernàndez Bazàn, it was first developed in 1897, the year in which 7,000 gold seekers landed here to head towards Klondike.
In reality, over time, copper was the metal that enriched the inhabitants of this area. Razed to the ground by the 1964 earthquake, it was rebuilt 4 miles further west, on higher and more stable ground. The second development of the city came in the ’70s, with the oil industry, thanks to the Trans-Alaskan pipeline that still carries the black gold from Prudhoe Bay to the port of Valdez.
The hamlet of Valdez is easy to visit and my advice is to start at the harbor, where the bulk of town life takes place. The Dock Point Trail is a path of just over 0.6 miles that starts at the end of the marina and allows you to see the oil tankers docked on the other side of the bay: like it or not, today the city exists mainly for this reason. Entering the town, there are three places to visit to learn something about the history of this place.
- Valdez Museum: talks about the indigenous people but also and especially about the gold rush period. (Address: 217 Egan Drive. Admission is $9, reduced up to age 17 is 7$, and free up to age 13. Updated times and prices on the official website ).
- Maxine and Jesse Whitney Museum: This is the largest private collection of indigenous art and artifacts in Alaska. Compared to all other Alaskan museums displaying Native objects, this one has a special feature. There are many walrus ivory figurines representing whales, birds, boats, dolls and many other figures. A very unusual collection and difficult to find elsewhere. (Address: 303 Lowe Street. Free admission. Updated hours on the official website ).
- Remembering Old Valdez: As mentioned above, the current Valdez was rebuilt from the ground up after the earthquake. Although many years have now passed, the memory of the disastrous event is still kept alive by the citizens. In this museum you can see a model of the city as it once was, down to the smallest detail, and a video about the earthquake. (Address: 436, Hazelet Street).
There is almost nothing left of the old Valdez, but some foundations are still visible and the area where the town once stood is clearly identifiable. If you want to retrace the town’s mining history, wear comfortable shoes and take the Mineral Creek Trail: it’s only 0.85 miles of trail, but it enters the canyon and leads to an abandoned gold processing station. Don’t go on foggy evenings though, as it can be spooky.
The Shoup Bay Trail is longer: about 8.6 miles, the last 5.5 of which are on a fairly rough trail. It’s tiring, but it’s worth it to get to the bay invaded by three-toed gulls, from where you will have an excellent view of the Shoup Glacier. Not far from the city, don’t miss Valdez Glacier Lake: the lake formed by the melting glacier of the same name. It is quite common to see large blocks of ice break off from the glacier and end up in the water.
Cordova
Cordova is one of the most isolated towns in southern Alaska. No roads connect it to the rest of the world; it is trapped on the coast at the foot of the mountains, enclosed between the Chugach Forest and the Copper River Delta. In spite of this, the population of not even 2500 doubles in spring and summer due to the numerous fishermen who come to get their hands on the salmon that swim up the river delta.
The harbor overlooks Orca Inlet and already from the name of the inlet you should guess that the fearsome black and white cetaceans are quite common in these waters. Not surprisingly, in town we find the Killer Whale Café, the Orca Book and Sound Company bookstore and other businesses inspired by killer whales.
The downtown is small but pleasant, all concentrated on First Street and the streets perpendicular to it. A short walk will allow you to discover the authentic life of this fishing village, stopping for a drink or eating the typical fish tacos. From a museum point of view, the town offers fewer alternatives than other Alaskan places, but even here there are some places to visit.
- Ilanka Cultural Center: small museum on native cultures, interesting especially because it preserves one of the few complete skeletons of orca existing in the world. There are also other very special objects, such as a bag made of swan legs. (Address: 110 Nicholoff Way).
- Cordova Historical Museum: Here you can learn about the history of Cordova and its city life, as well as about the 195-mile-long railway that was built at the beginning of the 20th century by copper miners to connect the port of Cordova with the Wrangell-St. Elias mountains. (Address: 601 First Street).
- Prince William Sound Science Center: on the harbor dock, where city life is concentrated, this center offers information on the flora, fauna and geology of the area. There’s not much to see per se, but it’s the best place to acquire information about the area. (Address: 300 Breakwater Avenue).
The main reason why it is worth going to Cordova is the Copper Delta, to which the town is the only gateway. The best month to come here is May, when the annual festival of waders is celebrated, the Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival.
All year round the delta’s marshes are the habitat of hundreds of thousands of water birds, but in spring and autumn this area is literally invaded by millions of migratory waders who make a long stopover to feed and rest. On this occasion, excursions and lessons are organized, but there are also dinners and parades that animate the city.
Numerous paths depart from Cordova, which penetrate the particular ecosystem where sea and mountain join in a combination of forest and swamp. The most famous path is the Heney Ridge Trail, less than 3 miles long (about 5.5 miles round trip) that climbs the hill from the end of Whitshed Road, and offers a magnificent view.
Whittier
Can there be a city composed of only one building? In Alaska, yes: the entire population of Whittier lives in one large apartment building and this singular characteristic has made it famous all over the world. What is currently one of the noteworthy maritime ports of call in Prince William Sound was founded in 1941 as a military base and still today the main tourist attraction of the “city” are the symbols of that period, first and foremost the Buckner Building. This crumbling building, a reminder of the Cold War, is almost eerie on evenings when the fog rises from the gulf to cover the streets.
With a few exceptions, nearly all of the 200 or so residents live in a single apartment building, Begich Towers. Built in 1956, this building is not only the home of almost all the citizens of Whittier, but it is also the nerve center of daily life. In fact, all the main services are located here: post office, hospital, school, supermarket and even a Methodist church. In short, if you live in Whittier, on cold winter days you can do everything without ever walking through the door of the apartment building.
You might imagine that there’s not much to see in the city, but Whittier is the gateway to the beauty of Prince William Sound and is a great starting point for many excursions. There’s no shortage of opportunities to rent a kayak to paddle in beautiful Blackstone Bay or to embark on a trek on some of the region’s most interesting trails, such as the Portage Pass Trail, which leads to spectacular views of the Portage Glacier.
Prince William Sound natural attractions
All of Alaska is known more for its natural beauty than its towns, and Prince William Sound is no exception. Although the small towns mentioned above are interesting to visit, the real treasures of the region are hidden in the wilderness.
Excluding the western end of the gulf, where the striking Kenai Fjords region opens up (which I discuss in a dedicated article), the two main attractions are the Columbia Glacier, which dominates the northern coast of the gulf between Valdez and Whittier, and the Copper River Delta, the undisputed star of the southeast, just a short drive from Cordova.
Prince William Sound Helicopter Tours
Columbia Glacier
Nearly 30 miles long and over 1970 feet thick, the Columbia Glacier is one of the largest and most active glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere. It seems incredible, but every day 13 million tons of ice break off from the glacier and end up in the sea. This phenomenon, dramatically increased by climate change, makes the Columbia one of the most beautiful glaciers to visit by boat.
Tours depart from Valdez and usually last all day. Embarking to visit the glacier, you’ll find yourself navigating through ice blocks of all sizes, including icebergs the size of a house and large white slabs on which seals rest. The boat stops at 2600 feet from the front of the glacier, to allow for safe viewing of the blocks of ice that break off into the sea, sometimes making a deafening noise.
The navigation towards the glacier also allows you to explore a stretch of sea populated by many animal species. Noisy eared seals and friendly puffins are always ready to welcome tourists, but it is not common to see killer whales and humpback whales emerging from the water not far from the boat.
Columbia Glacier Cruise from Valdez
Copper Delta
About 60 miles wide, the vast Copper Delta is a 283,300-hectare tangle of intertwining marshes, swamps, and streams. It is a paradise for waterfowl, who share their habitat with moose, bears, otters, and other animals. There are various possibilities for visiting the delta. An expensive, but very suggestive solution, is to take a small plane for a panoramic flight, which allows you to admire this complex ecosystem in all its grandeur. A valid alternative are boat tours, to fully enter into this world where water is an essential element.
If you want to be independent, you can take your car and drive along the Copper River Highway: a 49-mile-long road that starts from the port of Cordova and goes into the delta until you reach the Million Dollar Bridge. This 1548 feet bridge was built in 1910 for the railroad that connected the city to the copper mines and cost $1.4 million. The 1964 earthquake (the same one that razed Valdez) caused it to collapse. It has now been rebuilt, but it doesn’t lead anywhere.
The Copper River Highway initially crosses a marshy area where it’s easy to spot moose, beavers, bears and various species of waterfowl, including the distinctive trumpet swans. After about twelve miles you reach the detour that leads to the Sheridan Glacier and the Sheridan Mountain Trail (quite challenging). Shortly after, another detour leads to Alganik Slough: one of the most interesting stretches of the delta in summer, when it is full of bears and eagles hunting salmon.
At mile eighteen, there is a sign for the Haystack Trail: a 0.8-mile walkway that crosses the forest with excellent observation points. From mile 26 onwards, there are numerous bridges over the various branches of the delta, up to the last, famous, Million Dollar Bridge. After this last bridge, the road ends, but here there is a camping ground where it is possible to spend the night near the river. On the opposite bank, blocks of ice frequently break off from the Childs Glacier, generating large waves that frequently overflow the banks.
Where to stay in Prince William Sound
The towns overlooking the gulf are not very big, but they offer enough alternatives for sleeping. In Valdez I suggest the Best Western Valdez Harbor Inn for maximum comfort, or the House on the Rock if you prefer a quiet bed & breakfast atmosphere.
In Cordova, instead, particular lodgings are the Cordova Rose Lodge, built on a structure that resembles an old moored barge, with birds and otters nesting around it, and the Orca Adventure Lodge, ideal stay for those who want to be immersed in nature and start out every day on a different adventure.
In Whittier I recommend The Inn At Whittier, a hotel located in a beautiful building by the sea. If instead you want to experience the thrill of sleeping in the condominium that makes up almost the entire city, you can stay at the Glacier View Condo Suites, even if the reviews of the accommodations are not very good.
