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Alaska USA

Road Tripping to Sublime Whittier, Alaska

Alaska is a stunningly beautiful place. It’s like one giant national park, but, unfortunately, really seeing it needs a car, especially if you’re based out of Anchorage, as I was during my recent trip there. What to do, what to do? No sooner had my buddy Teresa and I started talking about renting a car before I received an enticing offer from Nicki, a Twitter follower of mine who I had never met… “Why don’t I show you around?” A chance to see what a local thinks is best?? Yes please!

Nicki picked us up bright and early at the Hilton Garden Inn, which was kind enough to host my stay in Anchorage. It was dreadfully overcast and rainy day, not the best for sightseeing. But Nicki was determined to get us out-of-town.

Turnagain Arm and the Chugach State Park

Turnagain Arm

And so, we set off! The second we left Anchorage we found ourselves in the massive Chugach State Park, with its towering peaks, reflected beautifully in the waters of the mind numbingly twisty (and aptly named) Turnagain Arm, which opens on one end to the Cook Inlet. But we were going the other way. As we drove along through forests of evergreens, we were treated to gorgeous vistas, even as the clouds lay low, giving a the landscape a strange, mystical quality.

Turnagain Arm

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Nicki had no real destination in mind other that to explore. We saw clouded over ski resorts and even made a little detour into the interesting Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a zoo, of sorts, for creatures native to Alaska. There, moose roam, grazing on tree branches, bears chill out and a cute little porcupine named “Snickers” snacks away. It was a pretty fantastic detour!

Porcupine

Looking up at the clouds, Nicki made a bet. She was going to take us to Whittier, a port city surrounded by enormous mountains that’s famed for its beauty, but also for the fact that it only gets an average of 42 days of sun per year! Would this bet really pay off?

Into the Unknown

Like many cities in Alaska, Whittier is not an easy place to access. You can fly in or take the Alaska Marine Highway (also known as the state-run ferry system). Cruise ships also dock here. Or, you can access the town through a one-way, 2.5 mile (4km) long car and train tunnel.

Whittier Tunnel

How does that work, exactly? Well the tunnel was originally built as a railroad tunnel to get supplies around Alaska during World War II. A vehicular road opened over the railroad tracks in 2000, but, given the single tunnel, cars can only go one direction at a time. The direction is changed every half hour. And then sometimes everyone has to wait so a train can pass through! Nicki explained that there were several shelters located inside the tunnel stocked full of supplies, just in case an avalanche or landslide trapped drivers in the tunnel for the time being!

Whittier

Mountains in Whittier

When we emerged from the tunnel, we were greeted with something completely unexpected… a beautiful sunny day! It was a world away from the cloudy day we had left on the other side of the mountain. And as we moved into Whittier, the true beauty of this place dawned on us. And man, oh man, was it unbelievable!

Mountains in Whittier

Everywhere you looked in this small town, majestic peaks shot up into the air. It may have been August, but snow dotted the scenery around and glaciers peaked through, occasionally spurring waterfalls from their runoff. Prince William Sound provided the one opening out to the rest of the world.

Glacier Runoff

And up ahead, gleaming in the afternoon sun, lay the harbor, filled with small boats just waiting to be used. As we stopped to take photos and walk along the waterfront, it was hard to keep my jaw from constantly dropping at the picture-perfect scenery in front me. It was just like staring at a glossy National Geographic shot, but the crisp, cold air reminded us that we really were standing in Whittier on one of its ever-so-rare sunny days.

Whittier Harbor

Given the tunnel schedule, you have to plan your exit time from Whittier carefully, so we drove around town to take in the sites. From dry docked boats to a smattering of fresh seafood restaurants (insert any type of Pacific fish with chips and you can probably find it there), this was clearly a sea town. Though one bizarre place stood ominously overlooking the harbor. Two old condominium buildings (now condemned) and an old hospital building looked like they belonged in a horror film, with their glass-less windows and an almost burned look to them.

Boats in Dry Dock

Leaving Whittier

As we left Whittier, driving once again through the lengthy tunnel, we emerged to discover that the sunny day had now spread back to the Turnagain Arm. Directly outside the tunnel stood Portage Lake, created from runoff from the Portage Glacier, which provided an impressive photo opportunity

Portage Lake

Before we knew it, our adventure with Nicki had come to a close as she dropped us back at the Hilton Garden Inn. But that day sticks out in my head as the day that I really fell in love with Alaska. I’m a real sucker for natural scenery and the epic peaks reminded me of the last time mountains amazed me so… the Himalayas, as seen from my journey on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. This day left no doubt in my mind that I simply had to come back to this incredible state, for its sheer scope and beauty is enough to make an outdoor enthusiast like myself very, very happy!

Boat Leaves Whittier

What About You?

Have you been to Whittier before? What did you think?

Though Hilton Garden Inn graciously hosted my stay in Alaska, all opinions expressed here are my own. 

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By Aaron

Hey there! I'm Aaron and this is my travel site, where I document my adventures to all corners of the world. My love for travel started at the ripe old age of four, when a midlife crisis uprooted my family to Ecuador for five years. Since then, I've been to countries on 4 different continents. When I'm not blissfully on the road, I reside in New York City, where I become the ultimate travel junkie and spend my days dreaming up my next great adventure! Read More...

8 replies on “Road Tripping to Sublime Whittier, Alaska”

It sounds like you had a lovely day out in Alaska! Alaska is definitely a place I would like to one day visit. Having the local touch makes such a difference.

Quite a few years ago I visited Christchurch in New Zealand as a solo traveller and I decided to watch a winter procession which was on that evening. I got talking with the family beside me and they offered to take me for a drive the following day. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the drive around the scenic drive to Lyttleton Harbour which was fabulous!!

It was so nice that when I re-visited Christchurch 2 years ago I took my family for the same drive and they also loved it.

That sounds really fantastic! And you’re right! Having a local viewpoint about what’s good to see anywhere in the world is a truly priceless experience! That’s a large part of why I’m such a big proponent of CouchSurfing. A local to show you around for free? What could be better than that?

I’ve never been to Whittier but I’ve been to Alaska. I stayed with a friend in Wasilla, so I explored Anchorage a bit too. Also, once at almost midnight, we decided to drive a couple hours to see the sun SET over the mountains. The beauty of Alaska in the summer!

I was hoping to see the midnight sun but when I visited Anchorage in late August, the sun was setting around 9:30pm. Apparently at that point they were lising a whopping 5 minutes of daylight every day!

I can’t even begin to tell you how spectacular it was! It’s definitely a place to put on your list. And that porcupine? Totally adorable. I don’t suppose the fact that it’s named “Snickers” helps either…

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