Visiting Valdez, Alaska | My experience whale watching in Prince William Sound
Valdez, Alaska Mountains on a Summer Day
Living in Juneau, Alaska, there’s a high chance of seeing humpback whales every time I leave Statter Harbor (Auke Bay). The feeding grounds are close-by and the whales are more prevalent during the summer. I was curious if Juneau was truly the best place to see humpback whales (if you ask any of the whale watching vendors they will say it is), so to test this , I set out to try to see humpback whales throughout other parts of Alaska. My goal was to understand if humpback whales were as prevalent (or more / less prevalent) in other parts of Alaska as they are in Juneau.
First stop on my list, Prince William Sound.
To my understanding, there are two primary ways to see humpback whales in the Prince William Sound. You either embark on a whale watching cruise from Whittier, Alaska or Valdez, Alaska. After quickly researching both places online, I decided to try Valdez first.
I took a direct flight from Juneau to Anchorage (just about 90 mins) on Alaska Airlines and rented a car. The drive from Anchorage to Valdez was about 5 1/2 hours one way so I decided to overnight in Anchorage and then head to Valdez the next morning. The sunset in Anchorage was stunning. If your schedule allows, explore Anchorage - while it’s one of Alaska’s bigger cities, it has a lot of nature / wildlife within close proximity of the downtown area.
Anchorage, Alaska Sunset
Before getting on the road in the early hours, I grabbed a coffee and breakfast in Eagle Creek and started along the AK-1 highway. As predicted (from reading many other blogs), the views were spectacular. If you have someone who is willing to go with you and split the driving, I would highly recommend. Not because the drive is so long but because the views are so great that you will not want to be focused on the road. In addition to the little pull offs along the road, Matanuska Glacier is a key stop that attracts a lot of people. Overall, it took me over 6 hours to get from Anchorage to Valdez especially because I was making several stops along the way. Here are a few images of what you can expect along your drive.
Notes:
I fueled up just before leaving Wasilla and refueled in Glenn Allen (did not have any issues running out of gas in the small SUV I was driving)
When to visit: Personally, I would only make the drive during the summer months. This helps avoid slick roads (you go through several mountain ranges and varying levels of elevation) and the views are absolutely breathtaking
Visiting Valdez, Alaska
Right before you get to more civilization, you drive through mountains that are pouring waterfalls down the sides. One of the most famous waterfalls is ‘Bridal Veil Falls’ and well worth the stop. Enjoy the winding road through the mountains as the road will open up for a few miles before you enter the city proper. Valdez’s population (according to worldpopulationreview.com) in 2020 was just under 4,000 and one of the major employers in this city is the Trans-Alaska pipeline.
Although the city is small, the people of Valdez seem to take their food seriously. During my time there, I had the opportunity to try the following places (spoiler alert - they were all great)! Here were my favorites:
Fat Mermaid: Small indoor space and it also offers outdoor seating. Located on the ‘main drag’ (harbor on one side, shops on the other), the Fat Mermaid has a home-town feel but they understand the need to have creative dishes on their menu. I tried the ‘It’s a Thai’ pizza which came highly recommended by the locals and it was bursting with flavor. The hospitality was warm and you got the vibe that more locals were there than travelers.
The Stampmill: Not going to lie - I was skeptical of this place at first. Why? The Stampmill’s overall location was mediocre (little further down the road than most restaurants) but as soon as you walked in, the vibe was a mix of pub + pizza + Alaska. The space had almost an ‘underground’ feel, a darker atmosphere and it was quaint. I sat at the bar area and there may have been 3-4 more seats (some of which were occupied by the locals) and there were several Alaskan beers on tap. The food was delicious - and it may be my favorite ‘off the beaten path’ place to dine.
Valdez Brewing: While the beer was great and the atmosphere felt more light and open, I would say overall the vibe lacked uniqueness (for me personally). In my mind, I made the long drive to Valdez, through winding roads, various weather conditions and quite frankly, a long time on the road. I expected a brewery to feel that way - a mix between comfort, hearty and slightly rustic. Instead, it felt like a brewery that could have been located in Seattle, Anchorage or Juneau and you wouldn’t have known the difference. The beer itself was decent; there was a berry beer on the menu when I was there but I would not recommend it. Someone in my party tried their home made sodas and raved about them.
Valdez Whale Watching Tour | Stans Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Cruises
The next morning, I had the delightful opportunity of joining the Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruises on their 7.5-8 hour tour to the Meares Glacier. The cruise disembarked from the Valdez Port (across the street from the Fat Mermaid) in the morning after a quick check-in at the ticket office. The check-in process was simple, straightforward and easy to navigate.
As we left the port (and after the safety briefing), the captain provided an educational overview as we cruised past meaningful areas. Everything from the structure of the town, to how much snow fall the city receives, to the trans-alaska pipeline, to wildlife we might see along the way, etc. He was knowledgable about the area and you could tell that he was still excited about what the day held (even if he had years of experience operating the same boat).
As we left the Port of Valdez and rounded the corner into the Valdez Arm, the captain slowed down so we could see a Bald Eagle that had landed on top of a rock structure. It was nice for the captain to recognize that several of us had cameras (all of us had cell phone cameras) and that wildlife was a priority for everyone.
During my trip, it happened to be a Salmon Opener. In the Valdez Arm, there were at least 50+ commercial fishermen spreading their nets. It reminded me of something you would see on National Geographic or BBC.
As we moved out of the Valdez arm, by Glacier Island and up Unakwik Inlet, the water was fairly calm (e.g., no one onboard got seasick). Our captain cruised the ship by beautiful scenery and we passed an adorable sea otter raft. The curious sea otters watched us as we slowly moved by them at a safe distance. Our eyes didn’t stay focused on the sea otters for too long because up on the mountain, we saw 2-3 black bears walking around! They were pretty far up the mountain but if you had a long camera lens or binoculars, you were in luck!
We arrived at Meares Glacier and the view was stunning. The blue and white ice was breathtaking and there were several seals resting on chunks of ice as they floated by. Every once in awhile, the glacier would calve and a chunk of it would slide down into the ocean. One thing you learn quickly is that when you hear the sound of the glacier calving, most likely it has already calved and is in the process of sliding into the water. The sound is delayed getting to your ears; it’s better to keep your eyes peeled.
We stayed at the glacier for about :45 mins taking in the sights, sounds and even touching a piece of the glacier that one of the crew members brought safely onboard. We headed back towards Valdez with our cameras full and we were fed a delightful lunch as we got underway.
On our way back, a group of Dahl’s porpoises accompanied our boat. As we cruised along, the porpoises would come up for oxygen alongside us putting on a beautiful show. We swung by Glacier Island and saw sea lions, puffins and other bird species. Unfortunately we did not see any humpback whales or orcas on the day that I went out with Stan’s Stephens - but often times they do see them.
Overall, the trip was worth it! The atmosphere could not have been better! The captain and crew knew what they were doing and I felt 100% safe at all times. The food, restrooms and length of trip were perfect. I was happy with the amount of wildlife that we saw, the breathtaking landscapes and the attention to detail the captain and crew provided.
