Girdwood/Portage Glacier/Whittier

Girdwood

View Google map of Girdwood

There's lots to see and do in the town of Girdwood. For ideas and information, visit the Alaska.org Girdwood page.

We'll be offering two hikes in the Girdwood area, led by our marine recreation and tourism specialist, Terry Johnson.

The Girdwood Chamber of Commerce website has lots of information about this former gold-rush town, now a year-round resort community.

The Glacier Valley Transit shuttle service runs from the Hotel Alyeska to the Seward Highway, with stops at points of interest in Girdwood.

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is just a few miles south of Girdwood. See moose, wolves, lynx, bears, eagles and more!

Portage Glacier

Portage Glacier

Portage Glacier is just south of Girdwood down the Seward Highway. The 2012 season glacier cruises run until just before Sea Grant Week through Portage Glacier Cruises.

The USFWS Begich, Boggs Visitor Center, Portage Valley, offers exhibits and hikes. The gift shop sells Alaska Sea Grant books.

From Whittier, the Portage Pass Trail offers an aerial view of the glacier.

Whittier

Whittier harbor
Whittier Harbor by Kurt Byers

The city of Whittier, on the western shores of Prince William Sound, is about 25 miles south of Alyeska Resort off the Seward Highway and through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel (see below). Whittier is a small town of less than 300 people, described as a "photographer's paradise."

Whittier Shuttle Service (warning: animation and sound play automatically once this page loads) offers sightseeing packages between Anchorage and Whittier.

Whittier Tunnel

Drive the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, the longest (2.5 miles) combined vehicle-railroad tunnel in North America! (And be careful about that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.) When you emerge from the tunnel, enjoy the splendor of beautiful Whittier Harbor at the foot of the Chugach Mountains, where you can walk the docks and kick back in restaurants and bars. The beautiful Inn at Whittier offers fine dining overlooking the bay.

Take a virtual drive of the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel.