Exploring Around Valdez

Please note, this post is part of a series. Click here to read it from the beginning.

From Whittier, we caught the ferry to Valdez. Once again we were incredibly fortunate with the weather and spent most of the sailing sunbathing on the top deck. There were more whale sightings, icebergs in the water and the most sea lions I have ever seen together on one of the islands. I have to admit, I was a little relieved that this would be my last ferry journey in Alaska. I worked out I’d spent close to five days in total on the Alaska Marine Highway.

The town of Valdez isn’t particularly scenic or interesting. It’s an oil town, and is unfortunately famous for the Exxon Valdez oil spill. You don’t have to venture far out of Valdez, though, to find beautiful scenery and great outdoor activities. We hiked up to a reservoir and ate our packed lunches looking out over the calm water.

We also stopped at the Worthington Glacier. Unlike other glaciers in Alaska, Worthington is easy to walk to the bottom of. You can actually touch the ice, although it made me a little nervous to get so close that I could hear the ice cracking. Seeing the ice close up is like an out-of-this-world experience, and the bright blue colour is just incredible. As it is so accessible, this glacier can get busy. A massive tour group turned up just before us,slightly ruining the serene atmosphere close to the ice.