Valdez to Anchorage

An Alaskan Road Trip

by Robert Painter

If you’ve always thought of Alaska as a cruise destination you may not have considered the possibility of an Alaskan road trip.  I certainly agree that Alaska is a great cruise destination and I can highly recommend cruising for your first visit to Alaska.  But, that doesn’t mean there are no other alternatives.  Also, once you make that first visit and fall in love with Alaska you’ll want to go back and see more of this enormous and fabulous state.

Indeed you could take a very nice motor coach tour of the state. You could even combine that with a bit of rail travel, but I’m going to suggest renting a car and doing a little driving. If you enjoy taking photos there is no better way to get exactly the shots you want and have beautiful remembrances of your visit to this vast and overwhelming land. And you can still hop on a train for part of your journey.

Let’s begin in Anchorage. It’s the right place to start since that’s where your plane is going to land.  When you get off your plane you can head over to the car rental counter, pick up your ride for the week and head into town. Anchorage has a number of nice hotels right down town. On my last visit I stayed at the Westmark and found it very comfortable and convenient. Since you’ll likely end up in Anchorage, you may want to just walk around the city a bit and retire early so you can rest up from your flight and get an early start on your drive to Valdez in the morning. Be sure and stop by the visitor’s center and see the quaint little log cabin and the flowers and plants surrounding it.  If you walk on down the street you’ll come to a small park with a nice surprise.

Because of the long summer days the vegetables in Alaska can get very large.  In the park you’ll see giant cabbages being grown as decorative plants and they are pretty spectacular.  You may wonder, as I did, if someone ends up eating them at the end of summer.  Ask at the visitor’s center – I was going to, but forgot.

The drive down to Valdez is impressive. You’ll begin to get a feeling for the incredible vastness of the land.  The mountains that loom so large in front of you are just a preview of what is to come. Waterfalls will have you pulling off the road to exercise your camera.  Wildflowers will tempt you to stop to enjoy their beauty. And, when you reach the Worthington Glacier, you’ll be hard pressed to keep on driving.

If you’re taking photos, you definitely want to take a few shots along the way – who knows, it could be raining when you come back by.  But, consider where the sun is and try to keep it behind you for most of your shots.  It could well be that you’ll get better photos on the return trip. Yes, you’ll be backtracking a bit on this part of the journey.  Valdez is the end of the road and you’ll be this way again.

If you got an early start you may want to explore Worthington Glacier along the way.  If you’re running a bit late, plan for this stop on the way back. But, allow at least an hour.  Once you park your car you can actually follow a path that will lead you right onto the glacier and you can walk on it as far as you like.  Just be careful – remember it is ice!

Next stop – Valdez.  You’ve heard of it because of the terrible oil spill some years ago.  Don’t worry, it has been cleaned up and is a lovely little town on the water’s edge. Plan on staying here a couple of days.  I borrowed a mountain bike and got into the back country a bit. There are some great trails for hiking and biking.  You really should take a cruise to the Columbia Glacier. You’ll not only visit the glacier, but you’ll see lots of Prince William Sound’s wildlife. The Bull Head Sea Lion haul out is a great opportunity to learn about these magnificent creatures and to get more photos. If you take the Stan Stephens cruise you’ll learn a lot of the history of the region and enjoy a light meal along the way. 

I happened to be in Valdez right in the middle of the annual Halibut Derby and actually saw the winning halibut just after it was caught.  The 312 pound monster had just been hung up on the dock at the weighing station as I was walking through looking at the boats and visiting with the fishermen. Sign up for a charter and catch your own. Either a halibut or salmon will be good eating. You can get it cleaned on the dock and find a park with a grill for a picnic.

Valdez is small enough that you can park your car and walk almost everywhere you need to go.  If you stay at the Valdez Harbor Inn, you’ll be right beside the docks and several restaurants. The city publishes a nice little Trail Map Guide so be sure and pick up a copy and do some exploring. Just a reminder – Alaska is bear country – be smart and heed any warnings and guidelines.

Aside from the oil spill of 1989, Valdez experienced an earthquake in 1964 that pretty much wiped out the little town.  With Alaskan determination and will, the city was rebuilt and is a wonderful place to visit – both summer and winter.  With over 300 inches of snow each year you can imagine that it is an outdoors winter paradise.  I understand that people come from all over the state for ice climbing here.  If you enjoy Nordic skiing you will love Valdez.  The nearby Thompson Pass records between 600 and 900 inches annually and you can access the areas by helicopter, snowcat or on foot – with snowshoes or skis, of course.

And, remember also that Valdez is the terminus of the Alaskan Pipeline.  You have plenty of opportunities to examine the pipeline up close, so stop and take a good look.

One last note before leaving Valdez. Take time to visit the Whitney Museum on the campus of the Prince William Sound Community College. The collection of Alaskan lore is well displayed and this may be your first opportunity to find out how large polar and grizzly bears really are!

Driving north from Valdez to Fairbanks you’ll find yourself traveling along the edge of the largest property of our National Park System.  Even though you may have never heard of it Wrangell-St. Elias National Park has the largest collection of peaks above 16,000 feet and Mount St. Elias is the second highest peak, at 18,008 feet, in the United States.  If you have only a few hours you should at least check in to the Visitor Center.  You’ll find it uncrowded and a great place for lunch.  The exhibits are worth the visit and there are some short hikes nearby to give you a break from your drive. If you have more time, consider that the park has over 13 million acres – about 20,000 square miles.  Indeed, Alaska is truly a very large state!  You’ll probably want to stop overnight along the way and Glenallen may be your best bet.

Arriving in Fairbanks you’ll find another Westmark Hotel where you can get revitalized and head out for a great tour.  Alaska is known for its gold rush so be sure and visit Gold Dredge #8 to learn all about Alaska’s gold mining history. You can get there on a Gray Line tour that will include an all-you-can-eat miner’s lunch and even get in a little gold panning.  I would guess that just about everyone who tries it finds some “color.” And, yes, you can keep it. They’ll weigh it for you and tell you what it is worth.  If you are lucky you might even find a nice little nugget – it really happens.  At the end of the day take your car to the airport and turn it in – the driving is over.

Now it is time to get on the train and head off into the wilderness to see the highest peak in North America.  Yes, I’m talking about getting onboard the McKinley Explorer for a visit to Denali National Park and, with a little luck, a fabulous view of Mt. McKinley, more commonly known these days simply as Denali.  The McKinley Explorer is not really a separate train.  It is several privately owned cars of the Holland America line that are linked together and connected to an Alaska Railways locomotive along with a few other cars. It has all the ambiance and amenities of a private train, however, and you are free to wander as you like among the McKinley Explorer cars.

The four hour journey will provide some of the most spectacular scenery that you can imagine. Expect to see tremendous mountains, beautiful waterfalls, wild and raging rivers and valleys filled with colorful wildflowers.  Remember to keep your binoculars at your side and hopefully you will have remembered to charge your camera battery the night before. Watch for golf balls in the trees (they’ll turn out to be bald eagles when you get closer), look for large white trumpeter swans in the lakes and beaver dams in the creeks and streams.  You can do all this from your seat with large picture windows in the observation lounge or you can even stand on a platform between cars in the open air and take photos.  You might want to have some gloves and a warm jacket for that last option.

There is plenty to keep you busy in the park. You’ll probably want to do some hiking and there is a lot of room for that.  Of course, you should take the bus ride further into the interior of the park where you may get a great view of Denali. And, don’t miss the sled dog show.  It’s free and you’ll love the dogs.  After the demonstration you can walk among them and pick your favorite. Some of the bright blue eyes might surprise you. 

Yes, I’m going to get around to the shopping. It always seems that travel is at least partly about taking home remembrances from the adventure.  If you stay at the McKinley Chalet Resort you’ll find yourself just a short walk from the main shopping street. I bought a really nice long sleeved shirt with Denali National Park embroidered on the chest for only about twenty bucks. Keep your eyes open, someone is always having a sale in Alaska.  If you’re there towards the end of the season it would seem they practically give the stuff away.

I probably should mention that all the hotels where I stayed had internet access.  My suggestion, however, is that you leave the laptop at home if you possibly can.  You’ll be glad you did.  Just don’t forget your binoculars and camera. But, if you really need to get on the internet, you can use the complimentary business center computers.

On the final day of my journey I traveled on the McKinley Explorer once again – this time to Anchorage.  With a little luck you’ll probably spot a moose or two and you can be sure of spending a few hours watching the always spectacular scenery.  And, you won’t miss any of the view if you decide to dine aboard for lunch or dinner.  With an excellent menu you can enjoy your meal and hunt for moose at the same time while watching from your window side dining table.

If you spend another night at the Westmark this time you’ll know your way around, so take a little stroll about downtown Anchorage, then have a nice dinner, finish your packing and relax at the hotel.

When you are ready to cruise Alaska, Juneau would be just one of the highlights.

Keep on Traveling!

http://www.graylinealaska.com. Alaska tour information for Gray Line of Alaska.

http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises. Just in case you decide to combine an Alaskan road trip with a fabulous Holland America Alaskan cruise.

http://www.valdezalaska.org. Find out here all the ways you can get to Valdez and what else you can do when you get there.

http://www.anchorage.net. The Big Wild One – check it out.

http://www.explorefairbanks.com. Learn about the interior of Alaska.

http://www.westmarkhotels.com.  More information and reservations.

Story and Photos by Robert Painter, Adventure Travel Editor