7 Days in Alaska

Just Get Off the Couch and Get Your Glacier On!

After 14 months of being stranded in Illinois due to the pandemic, the Salty Travelers decided to venture out to the one of the most interesting destinations in the United States- wild Alaska! If we can’t go to Tanzania, Cuba or Norway…the mountains, glaciers and wildlife in Alaska will fill our craving for adventure. I have to say, this trip did not disappoint.

While Alaska is logistically challenging (hence the reason why many tourists visit it via a cruise), we opted for planes, trains and automobiles to get around the Land of the Midnight Sun. Alaska is by far the largest state by area, with a total of 664 sq. miles, it is larger than the next three largest states combined (Texas, California and Montana.) So plan your trip well, or use a tour guide like we did- so they can do the planning for you!

The best time to travel there during the summer months are: June July and August, where the average temperatures range from a 47 degree low to a 63 degree high. It rains a lot there- so bring rain gear too. (We lucked out and only had rain on our last day!) Keep in mind if you will be doing any activities on the glacier or hiking up to altitude, the temps drop significantly- so plan accordingly.

TIP: There really IS 20 hours of sunlight during the summer- or more. We noticed that even during the dead of night it was bright outside. It never really got “dark” like we are used to. So bring a sleeping mask- it will help you adjust your sleeping patterns.

Our trip focused on the South Central Region, inclusive of Anchorage, (the most populous city in the state), Valdez/Prince William Sound area, (where the Exxon Oil Spill occurred in the 80’s) and the Wrangell St. Elias National Park (the largest, least frequently visited national park in North America.) After speaking with locals and other travelers, if we were to come back to Alaska, we would like to spend time in Girdwood (great hiking trails, lovely mountain views, and a charming town), Denali (for obvious reasons), and the Kenai Peninsula, as there is great bear watching there (especially during salmon season).

We flew into Anchorage International Airport where we picked up a rental car and hit the road. We had a 6 hour drive in front of us to reach Valdez- so we hopped on Hwy. 1 in anticipation of an early arrival. Unfortunately, we went the wrong way on Hwy 1, and headed toward Whittier, (a small fishing village within the Church National Forest, the second largest national forest in the U.S.) The GPS told us it was the fastest route- which is true- if we had booked a ferry in advance and planned our travel accordingly! The 5 hour ferry ride is between $35-$55 with a reservation. We didn’t realize this until we had waited 30 minutes to drive through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel (which is a one way tunnel opening up either side every half hour) to get through a mountain range to reach Whittier- a dead end for us. Whoops! So we turned around, went back through the tunnel (for a cool $13 round trip ticket) and made our way back to Anchorage. The good news- the southbound Hwy 1 route is one of the most scenic in all of Alaska…and we got to see it TWICE! But- the bad news is that we went 3 hours out of our way and did not arrive into Valdez until about 11pm.

TIP: There are NO fast food restaurants or rest stops along the southbound Hwy. 1 from Anchorage to Wittier. There are very FEW during the 6 hour drive to Valdez- so if you see a gas station…make a pit stop for a bio break and breakfast!

Due to all the logistical challenges in Alaska, we took the easy way out and hired a guide to arrange transportation, book excursions, and travel with us every day to avoid any more problems like we experienced on our way to Valdez.

Day 1: Pangaea Adventures guided us through the first few days of the trip. I would highly recommend using an outdoor adventure company to safely and swiftly plan your vacation. We met our guide with Pangaea at their local office across from the Valdez Harbor (hands down the most picturesque harbor I have ever seen.)

We loaded up our gear onto a touring boat and headed out onto the Prince William Sound to sea kayak around the Columbia Glacier. What a thrill! Of course we saw tons of wildlife including a black bear along the shore, bald eagles swooping around everywhere, and lazy seals sunning on a buoy. Honestly, I was a little worried about how choppy and challenging the Sound would be to kayak. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Prince William Sound is part of the Alaskan Sea- which is salt water. It was SO much easier to paddle than the fresh waters of Lake Michigan! The water was cold, of course, because of the glacier- but we were outfitted in waterproof gear so it was just fine. We spent the better part of the day paddling around and went ashore for lunch. I had to give the frozen glacier bits a taste of course. It was so refreshing! (The glacier is fresh water until it melts into the Sound, mixing with the salt water.)

Later that afternoon we were picked up via water taxi to head to The Prince William Sound Lodge, a privately owned, remote establishment right on the Sound with no electricity, no land access, and no worries. Our friendly host made us home cooked meals, told stories at the fire pit, and generally made us feel right at home. On Day 2 we hiked around the area checking out the wildlife and sea kayaked again in Prince William Sound after high tide had come in.

Day 3: A water taxi once again picked us up to head to Valdez to board a boat for a full-day whale watching excursion. How can you go to Alaska and NOT see whales? It was a “must-do” in my book. So off we went on our day long adventure with Stan Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Tours. The tour was 8 hours- in order to encompass wildlife and glacier viewing. The excursion costs approximately $170 depending on which company (there are 3 companies that offer this tour) you go with. Aside from orca whales, we saw sea otters, sea lions, seals, a bear, and of course the Mears Glacier.

If you are a fisherman- skip this tour and head out for some of the most spectacular freshwater, saltwater, fly or ice fishing in the world. With over 3 million lakes, 12,000 rivers and thousands more streams…this is your little slice of heaven.

We spent the evening in Valdez, pop. 4000, which, if you recall, is the site of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill.

There are not a lot of options for dinner- so we took the recommendation from our guide to eat at The Potato- a local “chain” that specializes in fast casual dining with a twist. I indulged in the Salmon Roll (when in Rome!), a delicious salmon sandwich and rosemary garlic fries on the side! The coolest thing about the Potato was that it is located right across from where the fresh catch of the day are cleaned. The fish are deboned, and the scraps are tossed in a long bin. This is by far the best place to see a bald eagle close up. I was within several feet of this majestic bird! It was an impressive site for sure.

TIP: There are only few places to go out for a drink here. We stopped in at 7:30pm for a pint at Valdez Brewing….and it was last call…so we quickly downed a local brew and by 8:00pm we made our way to the hot spot in town-The Best Western Bar! (NOT kidding) Clearly we missed the memo on this hot spot- it was packed! Every tourist and thirsty local were bellied up to the bar, including the local celebrity Pat Olsen. Look him up! He is a legend in these parts. Be sure you buy him a beer in exchange for some crazy stories about how to skin a fish and other oddities. He may even have some smoked herring in his pocket for you.

Day 4:

We made our way out of Valdez and drove 2 1/2 hrs to Chitina to catch a late day flight on a 6 seater prop plane (via Wrangell Mountain Air) to get some spectacular views of Wrangell St. Elias National Park, the largest and least visited national park in the United States.

Our 30 minute flight brought us to the remote town of McCarthy Kennicott, a community rich in mining history but poor in accessibility. You can only reach this town by Air Taxi or via 8 hour drive on a gravel road from Anchorage! The Kennicott Glacier Lodge was a welcome respite after a long day of traveling. The evening we arrived we booked a mine tour to get a brief, 90 minute history of the mining site that we would view from the top of Bonanza Mountain the following morning.

TIP: If you are a foodie- be sure to check out the Salmon & Bear Restaurant at McCarthy Lodge. It is a 12 course degustation menu with seriously the finest menu in all of McCarthy. The 40 people that live here year round will tell you that, too!

TIP: McCarthy is not only inconvenient to get to from Anchorage, it is also inconvenient to get to from Kennicot. There is a 4 mile gravel road linking the two tiny neighboring towns- but it is not a fun walk all downhill from Kennicot. There is a shuttle at the Kennicot Mountain Inn that runs every 30 minutes, but plain accordingly, as it stops running at 8pm. This means you may have to hitch hike back from The Golden Saloon, the only bar in town….

Day 5:

The lovely people at St. Elias Alpine Guides fitted us for cramp-ons in preparation for hiking through snow up to the top of Bonanza Peak to get a view of the abandoned mine. It was a clear day, so we had a birds-eye view of Mt. Blackburn looming far above the Kennicot Glacier Valley.

It was 6 miles up with a lunch break with a view! It took 5-6 hours to make our way up and back through snow and skree, but the view was worth it!

Can you tell this as my favorite day of the trip? (Its worthy of TWO photos!) What an epic day.

Day 6:

We spent the next day once again with the St. Elias Alpine Guides to tackle a full day of ice climbing on the the Root Glacier. We hiked out to the glacier, strapped on the cramp-ons, and made our way to find an ice cliff in the glacier. Ice climbing can be scary-look out! My Pepper and I tackled that ice wall side-by-side as we scrabbled our way to the top. Whoopee!

Day 7:

Our last day in Alaska was pretty unbelievable. It may deserve 3 photos….We hopped an air taxi back to the Chitina Airport and drove to Anchorage. We had a dog sledding excursion planned through Alpine Air Alaska in Girdwood- less than an hour outside of the city. My Pepper and I took a 15 minute scenic helicopter ride through the mountains to the Punchbowl Glacier to meet the team of Alaskan Huskies. Then we suited up in snow gear in preparation to drive the dog sled with our team of pups! Its not a cheap excursion- but super fun and well worth the expense. ($500 average per person).

Before we flew out of Anchorage we made sure to make a pit stop at The Moose’s Tooth- hands down the best pizza joint in the whole city. (Literally, everyone we asked told us to go there). yep- they were right. The food, the service and the on site brewery really were THAT good. Be prepared to wait 60-90 minutes for a table though!