Prince William Sound & Copper Basin Day Tours & Attractions
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Day Tours & Attractions
Glacier Cruises View All
Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise, out of Whittier, will take you to 26 different glaciers in just 5.5 hours. Enjoy cozy comforts on the high-speed catamaran and wander its outdoor decks as you come within 300 feet of massive tidewater glaciers. In addition to glaciers, the captain will be on the lookout for wildlife like otters, whales, harbor seals, and marine birds. The trip takes place in the afternoon, and a hot lunch is included in your tour. ...more
This family-run company operating out of Valdez will show you the best glaciers, with great customer service along the way. On any given day trip you’ll likely see huge rafts of sea otters, horned and tufted puffins, cormorants, humpback whales, or even bald eagles. Stan Stephens offers two daily tours, one of which features Columbia Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in Southcentral Alaska.
Lazy Otter offers classic tours, but this is a water taxi, so they’ll also take you anywhere you want to go within Price William Sound — or just customize a tour to whatever you want to see. Maybe that’s glaciers, or whales, — or maybe it’s quiet time on a secluded beach. Lazy Otter can also help facilitate taking you and your family on a camping trip. You’re not held to any strict schedule, either: if, on a day tour, you can spend more time in one ...more
Jet Ski Tours View All
Touring the spectacular tidewater glaciers of Prince William Sound is even more exciting when you do it on a Jet Ski. Go with Alaska Wild Guides out of Whittier to experience the area’s unique sights and sounds while skimming across the top of the water on your own personal watercraft.
Faster than a kayak and more intimate than a day cruise, the Jet Ski is a great way to get up close and personal with Alaska’s gorgeous scenery. Go with Whittier-based Glacier Jet Ski Adventures and you’ll be taking your machine out on the water to explore the stunning glaciers and wildlife of Blackstone Bay. All equipment is provided and no experience is necessary on this unique 4.5‑hour journey.
Sea Kayaking Tours View All
Lazy Otter offers offers double and single kayak rentals, and transportation to secluded areas of Prince William Sound. Not ready to kayak alone? Opt for a guided trip. The calm waters have a gorgeous backdrop of the Chugach Mountains’ serrated peaks. Keep an eye out for the creatures that walk the shores and swim in the sea: orcas, humpback whales, sea lions, puffins, seals, sea otters, eagles, goats, and bears.
Throughout the decades, Anadyr has carefully tailored its trips to offer an option for just about anyone. Never kayaked before? Try the Valdez Glacier Tour for a relaxing paddle on a lake with an easy hike to the glacier. You’ll explore icebergs and even kayak into a glacial cave. Got a six year old that can’t wait to get out there? At 3 – 4 hours, the Duck Flats tour offers a mix of wildlife (sea lions and otters are common) and Valdez history. ...more
Sailing & Private Yacht Charters View All
Immerse yourself in a multi-day Alaskan adventure that promises incredible views and jaw-dropping bear viewing in Katmai National Park, along with a warm camaraderie that only a small group expedition can create. Explore from your home base on the Island C, a research vessel that gets you close to the action while providing comfortable lodging and delicious meals.
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Custom
Cruise Ship Type: Small Ship Cruises
Ship Name: The Sea Mist
Design your exclusive itinerary then set sail into the vast open waters and wildlife-rich shorelines of Prince William Sound aboard your own spacious and private yacht. Up to six passengers can sit back, relax, and experience an intimate tour. Most guests enjoy the 5‑day/4‑night trips, but you can also opt for 3‑day/2‑night outings or even 10-day/9‑night expeditions.
$4,500+ (Inside Passage starting at $1,320)
5 days / 4 nights
Cruise Ship Type: Small Ship Cruises
Ship Name: M/V Sea Star
Set sail for 5 days and 4 nights with the crew of the M/V Sea Star for small ship adventure cruising in Prince William Sound, Kenai Peninsula or along the Inside Passage. The well-appointed yacht accommodates just 12 guests, allowing for a personalized experience where you are the explorer! Unplug from day-to-day life and soak up the wonders of Alaska’s amazing coastline. All meals prepared by an on-board chef and featuring fresh local ...more
Fairs & Festivals View All
Considered one of Alaska’s top birding events, this annual festival during early May celebrates the arrival of more than 5 million migratory birds on the Copper River Delta east of Cordova.
It’s only fitting that an Alaska fishing village throws a great salmon festival. Every year in July, the town of Cordova takes a break from fishing to turn out for the Copper River Salmon Jam. This festival aims to celebrate salmon and promote the health and sustainability of local salmon runs.
Visitor Information Centers View All
The Crooked Creek Information Center and salmon viewing platform are located on the outskirts of Valdez at Mile 0.5 of the Richardson Highway. Pink and chum salmon return to this clear water stream each summer to spawn with peak numbers seen in mid-August. Occasionally, black or brown bear can be observed feasting on the returning fish.
The Alaska Avalanche Information Center works to increase public awareness and safety through avalanche education, and the networking of avalanche professionals. It is entirely run by volunteers who are passionate about the outdoors.
Why go The Forest Service’s Begich, Boggs Visitor Center is located in Portage Valley, one of Alaska’s most visited recreation areas. The valley is a showcase of glacial activity with a number of “hanging” glaciers gracing the encircling mountains. The visitor center is located on the northwestern shore of Portage Lake, and was built on the terminal moraine left behind by Portage Glacier almost a century ago. The Trail of Blue Ice, Byron… ...more
Historic Parks & Sites View All
The area of Whittier has long served as passage between Prince William Sound and Turnagain Arm. The Alaska Engineering Expedition envisioned a rail line out to this largely unsettled area back in 1914, but it was the U.S. Army that made Whittier where and what it is.
Believe it or not, but this area used to be covered by tall trees!
This railroad tunnel was hand-cut starting in 1905. Nine companies were battling to take advantage of the short route from the coast to copper country. Progress on the tunnel was interrupted and after a gun battle, construction halted and the tunnel was never finished. You can read about the tunnel and these events in Rex Beach’s novel, The Iron Trail.
About 75 Miles Southeast of Anchorage
Whittier was built as a deepwater port and railroad terminus to transport fuel and supplies during World War II. Come inside the Anchor Inn where a small but fascinating museum gives a glimpse of Whittier’s interesting history.
Glaciers are formed when more snow accumulates than melts through the seasons. The weight of the snow creates pressure that turns snowflakes into dense, rivers of ice that shape the land.
This was the original port and city of Valdez. The city was moved to its current location 4 miles down the road after it was devastated by the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake.
Museums & Cultural Centers View All
This cozy, well-regarded museum in the heart of downtown Cordova will bring you up to speed on the community’s natural history, Native and pioneer heritage, and a tumultuous modern era that included the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 and the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound.
Whittier was built as a deepwater port and railroad terminus to transport fuel and supplies during World War II. Come inside the Anchor Inn where a small but fascinating museum gives a glimpse of Whittier’s interesting history.
The Maxine and Jesse Whitney Museum has one of the world’s largest collections of Native Alaskan art and artifacts. Displays include Trophy Class Taxidermy mounts, Native Alaskan dolls, beadwork, baskets, masks, archaeological artifacts, and a large collection of ivory carvings and tools. Hours Summer: Daily 9am-7pm Winter: Mon-Fri 9am-12pm, 1pm-5pm, excluding college holidays. Admission Adults: $5, Seniors over 60 and military: $4, Children… ...more
The museum portrays the community’s unique and colorful history from European exploration in the 1700s to contemporary oil transportation. Permanent exhibits are accented by temporary exhibitions of arts and crafts. Major artifacts include a 19th century Fresnel Lighthouse Lens, a beautifully restored 1907 Ahrens “Continental” steam fire engine and a companion 1880s Gleason & Bailey hand-pumped fire engine, saltwater aquariums with the… ...more
With exhibits, lore and its own orca whale skeleton, this museum on the Cordova waterfront celebrates the culture, art, history and ecological wisdom of the region’s rich Native heritage.
Points of Interest View All
How and where to find Alaska’s glaciers — some of the state’s most beautiful natural attractions
Driving from Anchorage to Whittier to play in Prince William Sound? You’ll go through Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel — the longest (2.5 miles) highway tunnel in North America, and the first designed for ‑40 Fahrenheit temperatures and 150 mph winds! The one-lane tunnel must be shared by cars and trains traveling in both directions, and it usually needs to be aired out in between trips (with jet turbine ventilation, another first!). This unique… ...more
The area of Whittier has long served as passage between Prince William Sound and Turnagain Arm. The Alaska Engineering Expedition envisioned a rail line out to this largely unsettled area back in 1914, but it was the U.S. Army that made Whittier where and what it is.
If you’ve yet to set eyes on an iceberg, here’s your chance. This lake sits at the terminus of the Valdez Glacier and is often home to chunks of ice that are making a go of it on their own. It’s a nice place to get unimpeded views of the Chugach Mountains and the Valdez Glacier. And with the warming climate, it’s a place worth seeing before the glacier retracts farther than it already has.In fact, the ice on this glacier has been more or less… ...more
In 1899, the Harriman Glacier extended all the way to here, leaving only a tight passage through which the ship could fit. Harriman made the gutsy decision to sail through it, allowing them to be the first explorers and probably the first humans to see this magnificent fjord. The glacial moraine still extends from the shore out to this point and you can see it just 6 feet below the surface at low tide.
It’s free to go this far by car, and you’ll get a picture-perfect shot of Portage Glacier.
Harbor seals and sea otters are common sights in the Whittier Small Boat Harbor. You might also see salmon enthusiastically leaping from the water, a sight that cues locals to run for their fishing poles. King salmon run from May through early-July. From late-July through early-September, a run of silver salmon brings anglers from throughout Southcentral Alaska.
Coghill Point is the terminus of the Coghill River, a world-famous red salmon fishery. During the sockeye salmon opener (mid-July to early-August), hundreds of commercial gill netters scatter across the area pulling in the bounty.
Technically, Portage is no longer a roadside glacier, as it recedes an average of one foot a day and is now no longer visible from the road, but its big blue icebergs are often found along the shore of the lake, right in front of the parking area. On Byron, ice worms are common, if you get down and look. There are also beautiful ice caves and rivulets to see, but be careful not to walk too far onto the ice of this tempting glacier. You can see… ...more
This point separates College Fjord and Barry Arm. You can see dead spruce trees which stand as silent testimony to the destruction of the 1964 earthquake. The land sunk more than 6 feet exposing the roots to saltwater and drowning the trees.
Built during WWII as a top-secret military project, today Whittier is a great jumping-off place to explore Prince William Sound. To connect Whittier with the rest of the Alaska Railroad, during the war the military constructed a massive tunnel. Today the expanded tunnel is the longest combined rail and highway tunnel in North America.