Valdez
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Valdez is found in Southcentral Alaska on Prince William Sound. It is pronounced locally as "val-DEEZ", not like the Spanish surname.
Understand
Valdez is known as the town in Alaska with the highest annual snowfall. For example, as of late January 2012, Valdez had received more than 10 meters of snowfall, and was using extraordinary measures (such as the National Guard) to deal with it).
Media
Climate
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Get in
To reach Valdez from Anchorage, there are some options. Quickest is to fly to Valdez Airport. Flights used to be offered by Ravn Alaska (formerly Era Aviation), but they ceased operations so you should call your travel agency, or the airline. If you can get a flight, it's clear, you'll get great views of the Chugach mountains. Or in a full day you could drive the Richardson Highway. Or, you could drive or go by rail to Whittier and try and get a boat across Prince William Sound. The boat trip would take at least four hours. However, most boats from Whittier only offer day trips - glacier sight seeing and fishing - there isn't a scheduled ferry between Whittier and Valdez
Get around
No public transport. Car and bike rental are available. The new airport is a couple of miles out of town, so if arriving by air, you'll need to get a taxi into town to avoid a tedious trudge. Once in town, walking is a good way to get around, as the town itself is small.
See
Do
Popular activities are mainly outdoor pursuits and include whitewater Rafting on the Lowe River through Keystone Canyon. Sea kayaking in Prince William Sound is offered by a couple of operators will ferry you and a canoe to places such as Shoup Bay, where you can spend the day kayaking in protected waters surrounded by mountains, glaciers, and seabird colonies. Heli skiing and snowboarding are possible in Thompson Pass while, hiking and cross country skiing is available on groomed Mineral Creek trails. Other activities include ice climbing, glacier tours in Prince William Sound, and elderhostel at Prince William Sound Community College.
- Mineral Creek Trail. This easy trail is a 1.75-mile round trip through a valley filled with mountains and waterfalls. The W.L. Smith Stamp Mill, built in 1913 and used in conjunction with the nearby Mountain King Mine, is at the end of the trail.
- Copper River Salmon Charters, Mile 128.5 Richardson Highway, Gakona, ☏ +1 907 822-3664. Copper River Salmon Charters has been offering quality Chinook (King Salmon) and Sockeye (Red Salmon) Salmon charters in the tributaries to the Copper River in the beautiful Copper Valley since the early 1980s.
Buy
Eat
- Alaska Bistro, 102 N Harbor Dr, ☏ +1 907 835-5688. Large windows look out over the water and the food is mostly seafood.
Drink
Sleep
- Best Western Valdez Harbor Inn, 100 Harbor Dr, ☏ +1 907 835-3434, toll-free: +1-888-222-3440, fax: +1 907 835-2308.
- Downtown B&B Inn, PO Box 184, ☏ +1 907 835-2791. Cozy and clean rooms, private bathrooms, and great continental breakfasts.
- Mountain Sky Hotel & Suites, 100 Meals Ave., ☏ +1 907 835-4445. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Famously friendly staff. $89-179.
Go next
| Routes through Valdez |
| Glennallen ← Willow Creek ← | N  S |
→ END |