Valdez Day Tours & Attractions
Day Cruises View All
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.
Sea Kayaking Tours View All
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
Flightseeing Tours View All
Explore the area’s glaciers, waterfalls, and wildlife
Discover the Alaska of your imagination from up above — a helicopter tour out of Valdez with VS Helicopter Tours takes you to explore the area’s treasure trove of glaciers, waterfalls, and wildlife. Their most popular tour includes a glacier landing so you can walk around on the ancient ice and explore its features like moulins and deep blue melt pools.
Parks & Trails View All
This trail has a split personality: It’s broken out into two different sections that will appeal to two different kinds of hikers! Section A is the tame sibling — a 6.5‑mile moderate round-trip that takes about 4 hours. Section B is the wild child: A full 12.6 miles out and back, this stretch takes 10 hours or so to hike and is difficult.
If you’re interested in seeing remnants of Alaska’s Gold Rush heritage, you’ll find some fantastic ruins from that era along this 12.2‑mile trail that follows an old gravel road and takes about 6 hours. Don’t want to walk it all? Rent a bike in Valdez and pedal your way.
Bridal Veil Falls and the Valdez Goat Trail: This two-mile-long hike is a restored section of the Trans-Alaska Military Pack-train Trail that was the first glacier-free route from Valdez to the interior of Alaska. There’s a fantastic overlook about a mile down the trail.
One of the most visited natural attractions along the Richardson Highway, this four-mile-long glacier descends almost to pavement and is easy to approach on foot. The state recreation site features parking, pit toilets, and a covered pavilion with a model of the glacier and interpretive signs, all close to small lake.
This easy loop trail — just 0.8 miles long with less than 500 feet in elevation gain — offers probably the best bang for your buck in Valdez. It’s close to town yet feels immersed in nature, comes with awesome views, and you can do it in just 30 – 45 minutes at a leisurely pace.
About four miles in, there is a fish hatchery on this trail. The trail was created to provide a close look at the hatchery’s dam, lake, and aqueducts. It also offers a good view of the Port of Valdez. It can be a step hike at times.
There are only a few places where you can spend time along the Lowe River without the sound of cars and motor homes — this unmarked turnoff is one of them. From here you can explore a little bit upstream and find a nice place to relax next to the river. And the only people you may see are local rafters, as this is used as a pickup spot after floating through Keystone Canyon.Just one warning: don’t fall into the water! Alaskan water temperatures… ...more
Hike uphill until you reach about 3100ft where you will find a good place to cross the stream. At 3500ft you will need to cross yet another stream. Walk alongside the hill until you reach a laks. The trail opens for many options here, all with excellent views of glaciers, ravines, and peaks.
Paddle around a quiet lagoon with the impressive Shoup Glacier at one end and icebergs that have calved from the glacier, marvel at the lively black-legged Kittiwake Rookery, and take in the feeling of being somewhere remote — even if you’re only 5 miles from town.
Museums & Cultural Centers View All
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
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
Historic Park or Site View All
During the winter of 1907 the A.J. Meals Co. freighted a 70-ton steamboat over Marshall Pass from Valdez. The steamer was carried piece-by-piece on horse-drawn sled to the Copper River, 31 miles east. The 110-foot-long ship traveled 170 miles of the Copper and Chitna Rivers.
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.
Eight signs will guide you through the Copper River watershed landscape. See if you can visit all eight signs on your tour through this upriver basin formed by the ancient, glacial Lake Atna!
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.
This roadstop honors Lt. “Billy” Mitchell, considered the father of the modern air force, and showcases the mountain named in his honor.
Points of Interest View All
If you’ve yet to set eyes on an iceberg, this is your chance: Gorgeous Valdez Glacier Lake is often home to large chunks of floating ice that have calved off from the Valdez Glacier. Appreciate the chunks of ice from shore, or join a guided kayak expedition to paddle around the ice
Visit one of the best nature and wildlife areas close to Valdez. The flats offer nesting grounds for waterfowl, so it’s a popular spot for birding. It’s also a rearing ground for pink salmon, and you may also spot black and brown bears who feast on them.
One of the most visited natural attractions along the Richardson Highway, this four-mile-long glacier descends almost to pavement and is easy to approach on foot. The state recreation site features parking, pit toilets, and a covered pavilion with a model of the glacier and interpretive signs, all close to small lake.
When the salmon spawn from mid-June through August, the waters of the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery run thick with pink and Coho salmon. Their presence attracts creatures who love to eat these delicious fish, so you may also spot sea lions out in the water, swimming with fish in their mouths. You may also see black and brown bears fishing from shore, especially at low tide.
In Prince William Sound you’ll find some 150 glaciers packed into an area just 70 miles wide. These are the few that you shouldn’t miss!
Bald eagles. Brown bears. Black bears. Humpback whales. Orcas. Stellar sea lions. Harbor seals. Sea otters. Moose. Wolves. 200,000 seabirds of over 220 different species. You can find this impressive collection of iconic Alaskan animals right in Prince William Sound. Here’s where to go in each town for the best wildlife-viewing opportunities!
Alpine tundra often brings unimpeded views, easy walking, and an indescribable lightness of being. It also usually requires several hours of hiking to reach. But what if you could skip the exhausting hike and just drive there? The Thompson Pass is a great opportunity, rain or shine, to take advantage of easy access to this special environment — make the time for a stop. There are spots to pull over on either side of the road-cut that marks the… ...more
Eight signs will guide you through the Copper River watershed landscape. See if you can visit all eight signs on your tour through this upriver basin formed by the ancient, glacial Lake Atna!
Visitor Information Centers View All
First time visiting Valdez? Or been before and want to discover something new? These are great sources for finding local hot spots
Stuffed bears and musk ox: The Valdez Visitors Center serves up some unexpected exhibits, along with all the information you need to know to have a great experience in town. The knowledgeable locals who staff the center can help answer questions, hand out town maps and visitor guides, and direct you to the wealth of brochures on tour operators and hotels.
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.
Operated by the U.S. Forest Service and open only in summertime, it’s staffed by guides who can help you understand the area. There’s also a stream that runs thick with pink and chum salmon when they return each summer to spawn. Thanks to a footbridge over the stream and the clear Alaskan water, it’s easy to see the fish. (The best viewing is from mid-July through October.) You may also see black bears, who come to feast on the fish.
Winter Activities View All
Discover Alaska from up above in a helicopter
Discover the Alaska of your imagination from up above — a helicopter tour out of Valdez with VS Helicopter Tours takes you to explore the area’s treasure trove of glaciers, waterfalls, and wildlife. Their most popular tour includes a glacier landing so you can walk around on the ancient ice and explore its features like moulins and deep blue melt pools.