Six Days in Prince William Sound by Road & Ferry

This six-day tour of coastal towns in Southcentral Alaska guides you through two different port communities overlooking the calm, protected waters of Prince William Sound. The area's bays, fjords, and islands are home to stunning scenery, abundant wildlife, and around 150 glaciers. 

Day 1: Anchorage

Start your trip in Anchorage and pick up a rental car. Anchorage’s combination of big-city luxuries and plentiful sightseeing and wildlife viewing opportunities makes it the perfect home base for any vacation in Southcentral Alaska. Book a charter flight from Anchorage to go bear viewing in world-renowned Katmai National Park, or go flightseeing around 20,310-foot Denali, North America’s tallest peak. Overnight in Anchorage.

Day 2: Whittier

Start the day off bright and early and drive 50 miles south on the scenic Seward Highway. Your first destination is the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a conversation facility that houses brown bears, black bears, elk, wolves, bald eagles, and other animals in a natural setting. From there, it’s another 12 miles to the port town of Whittier, which is accessible only via the longest combined rail and roadway tunnel in North America.

Nestled against the mountains of Prince William Sound, Whittier was first built as a secret military installation. Now, it’s a small, quirky town where almost the entire town lives in one large building. Take a glacier and wildlife cruise to view more than two dozen glaciers in western Prince William Sound. When the tour concludes, enjoy locally caught fish and chips and other seafood at a local restaurant before you tuck in for the night at Whittier's hotel or a B&B. 

Day 3: Whittier to Valdez

Get up early and start your day with a hike on the Portage Pass trail. After just a mile of hiking (with just a bit of steep ascent), you’ll crest the pass and be rewarded with views of Portage Glacier. You can hike another mile and a half to the shores of Portage Lake, or head back to town. In the afternoon, you’ll board an Alaska Marine Highway ferry for the six hour sailing to Valdez. You can drive your vehicle right on the ferry, but we recommend booking your tickets well in advance to ensure there is space for you and your vehicle. Please note that sailings may not be scheduled every day of the week and that schedules can change from year to year, so be sure to check the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry website for the most up-to-date schedule information. Along the way, you’ll be treated to spectacular coastal scenery. Keep an eye out for marine wildlife, including humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, sea otters, seabirds, and more from the deck. Upon arrival in Valdez, check into a local hotel and enjoy a late dinner.

Day 4: Valdez

This friendly little town located on the shores of Prince William Sound is famous for its abundant outdoor recreation. It’s also the southern terminus for the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline. Today you’ll take another day cruise or a kayaking trip, this time through the eastern half of Prince William Sound for views of either the Columbia or Meares Glaciers, along with plenty of wildlife viewing along the way. Enjoy a meal of fresh, locally caught wild seafood and get a good night’s rest.

Day 5: Valdez

Today you can take to the waters of Prince William Sound again for a day of fishing for salmon, halibut, cod, and more on a local fishing charter. Or, you can join a guided hiking, biking, rock climbing, or ice climbing tour to explore the area’s glaciers and trails. For a milder adventure, spend the day touring Valdez’s three small but impressive museums, walking along the harbor, and hiking one of the local trails. Enjoy another night in Valdez. 

Day 6: Valdez to Anchorage

You have two options to get back to Anchorage: either board the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry again to return to Whittier and then drive to Anchorage, or drive back to Anchorage via the Richardson and Glenn Highways. If you choose the latter, this 6-hour drive features many scenic stops along the way, including Keystone Canyon, Worthington Glacier, and Thompson Pass outside of Valdez, the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Visitor Center in Copper Center, and Matanuska Glacier along the Glenn Highway.