Drive Alaska Itinerary #2, Whales & Wildlife

Anchorage, Palmer, Glenallen, Valdez Whittier

Beginning in Anchorage, travel 54 minutes north on the Glen Highway to Palmer. In Palmer, I highly recommend the Noisy Goose Cafe, a family-run restaurant that serves breakfast all day, every day. Agriculture thrives in this lush, fertile valley and the area provides produce for much of Alaska. Farms and ranches abound, and there are many hiking and historic areas to explore.

Back on Glen Highway to the town of Glenallen will take you 2.5 hours. Glennallen is known for its beautiful scenery, outstanding fishing and is gateway to Wrangell St. Elias National Park. This is the largest park in the United States with a total acreage of Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park and the country of Switzerland combined. That’s over 13 million acres to explore. Containing some of the largest volcanos in North America and with habitats ranging from temperate rainforest to barren tundra, there is much to see and do in this national park.

Photo by Judy Heller

Valdez is just over two hours from Wrangell St. Elias National Park on the Richardson Highway. Located at the end of the highway, the city is also the end of the line for the famous Alaskan pipeline. Take a cruise through Prince William Sound with Stan Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Cruises or Lulu Belle Glacier Wildlife Cruise. Both companies offer expanded tour opportunities with experienced local guides. The Lulu Belle offers a Sunday morning non-denominational service from June through August. Worship while you cruise the Sound. Prince William Sound is 3,800 miles of rugged coastline with some of the most abundant marine wildlife in the area. Home to whales, including humpback and killer whales, as well as sea lions, harbor seals, and sea otters.

There are several accommodations I recommended in Valdez, including Eagle Rest RV Park and Cabins and the Glacier Hotel.

Ferry Alaska offers ferry service to Whittier for you and your car or RV. Some ferries offer breakfast on board and there is nothing like drinking a steaming cup of coffee while you gaze out over picturesque vistas. From Whittier, take the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel back to Anchorage. The tunnel is 2.5 miles long and was designed to handle the area’s 40 degree below zero weather and 150 miles per hour winds. Traffic in the tunnel is one-way and is shared by both cars and trains. From Whittier, cars leave on the hour from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The tunnel closes every evening at 10:30 p.m. Whittier to Anchorage is 58 miles.

From Anchorage, take your return flight back to Seattle.