Valdez
Practical Travel Advice for Seniors: Valdez, Alaska
The Hubbard glacier is truly a marvel at 76 miles long and 400 feet high! It is one of the glaciers that is still advancing instead of rapidly contracting. It is also one of the more active glaciers, frequently calving, though we weren’t lucky enough to view that. It is truly pristine and beautiful, snow-covered mountains and clear aqua blue glacier emptying into Disenchantment Bay. There are no roads to it, you have to view it by ship or by flight seeing, another reason to book a cruise! Just awe inspiring.
It’s also kind of nice to have a loaf-y day on the ship. A good day to line out some massages, soak in the spa, grab a lounge chair by the pool (all sides including a retractable roof) or have afternoon tea. Also, reminder to book the starboard (right) side of the ship heading toward Alaska from Vancouver, our booking agent said that this provided the best views, though some on the ocean-side (port) did see some whales. But not to worry, all you have to do is go up top or to the bow (front) of the ship to see all of the sights and take good pictures. Sometimes it’s nice to have a “day off” of sightseeing, though you are still getting the views from the ship! Win-win! There is also something strangely fun about getting a suntan in port surrounded by snow-capped mountains!
Our next stop was at Valdez, home to the terminus of the Trans-Alaska pipeline, which is itself another type of marvel. It carries oil south from Prudhoe Bay in the north. Interestingly, it is one of Alaska’s year-round ice-free ports, making it very popular indeed.
Don’t miss the opportunity to take a firsthand look at the pipeline and do stop by the Maxine and Jesse Whitney Museum for a look at their interesting collection of Alaskan collectibles and assortment of taxidermy native animals. Yes, that polar bear is BIG!
There are plenty of things to do around Valdez as well: The Columbia Glacier is close by, and you can cruise or take a helicopter to view it. There are plenty of kayaking opportunities including whitewater rafting down the Lowe River through the Chugach Forest.
Valdez sits on the edge of Prince William Sound and there is a good opportunity to see whales and other wildlife onboard boats in the Sound. Hiking and UTV rides are also plentiful into the forest. Stunning waterfalls are prevalent and popular to view as well as a fish hatchery in the area.
Plenty to do in the area and not the verrrry last place to go flight seeing, but unless you are going further interior on the land part of the tour, you may want to make arrangements. You really don’t want to miss taking a flight over the glaciers. It’s one of the very best ways to see them and while pricey, definitely worthwhile.
Onward to our last stop on the cruise portion of our trip….Seward.
Where we stayed: On board a small cruise ship. Limited accessibility: Wide aisles and elevators, but only some penthouses have accessible restrooms. Also, in rough seas mobility in the aisle ways can be tricky.
How we got there: Flight from US to Vancouver, then sailing through the Inside Passage and up to Seward. This was part of an eleven-day Inside Passage cruise followed by a seven-day land tour from Seward to Denali National Park and Fairbanks.
General Accessibility Information: Alaska is in the US, so most sights, hotels, shops, restaurants and infrastructure are accessible. But it is still best to call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements. Some of the towns, sights and excursions may have uneven ground and some of the conveyances (small planes, kayaks, etc.) may not be accessible. Larger cities will have curb cuts, etc, but some smaller towns may not. See our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.
