Columbia Glacier
This is the star glacial attraction in Prince William Sound – a large sea inlet named by British colonizers after a young English prince in the eighteenth…
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Valdez
There are two Valdezs. The cool contemporary town – an irresistible lure for adventure sportspeople redolent of Boulder, Colorado or Bend, Oregon – and the town that existed pre-1964, before the second-strongest earthquake in recorded history sent its docks sliding into the sea.
Valdez was quickly rebuilt on more stable ground 5 miles to the west before it was hit again, this time by a human-made disaster, the catastrophic Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989 that killed marine life, disrupted ecosystems and ruined livelihoods.
It is a testament to Valdez’ feisty Alaskan spirit that it has managed not only to survive, but bounce back, despite its isolation from the lucrative cruise-ship economy. Founded by gold-rush-era prospectors in 1897, the town has tough antecedents and it still draws in the brawny and brave, who love to fish in its iceberg-punctuated seas and heli-ski in the precipitous mountains that surround it.
Explore Valdez
- Columbia Glacier
This is the star glacial attraction in Prince William Sound – a large sea inlet named by British colonizers after a young English prince in the eighteenth…
- VValdez Museum
This lovingly curated museum includes an ornate, steam-powered antique fire engine, a 19th-century saloon bar and the ceremonial first barrel of oil to…
- OOld Valdez
Old Valdez is like a wilder, starker, less trammeled version of Italy's Pompeii. This is where the town stood before the devastating 1964 earthquake…
- VValdez Museum Annex
This annex of the Valdez Museum is dominated by a scale model of the Old Valdez township. Each home destroyed in the Good Friday Earthquake has been…
- SSmall-boat Harbor
Valdez’ harbor is a classic: raucous with gulls and eagles, reeking of fish guts, sea salt and creosote, and home to all manner of vessels. The benches…
- MMaxine & Jesse Whitney Museum
For a small town Valdez has several wonderful museums, including this one, the private collection of an American couple who settled in Alaska in 1947 and…
- TTrail of the Whispering Giants
A huge 25ft-high rendering of an Alaska Native in Sitka spruce warily guards Prince William Sound College. The sculpture by Peter Wolf Toth is one in a…
- TTrans-Alaska Pipeline Terminal
Across the inlet from town, Valdez’ ever-pumping heart once welcomed visitors, but since September 11, 2001, stricter security protocols have closed it to…
- CCivic Center
The Civic Center sits amid greenery with picnic tables, a small lake and the short Overlook Trail in close proximity.
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Valdez.
- See
Columbia Glacier
This is the star glacial attraction in Prince William Sound – a large sea inlet named by British colonizers after a young English prince in the eighteenth…
- See
Valdez Museum
This lovingly curated museum includes an ornate, steam-powered antique fire engine, a 19th-century saloon bar and the ceremonial first barrel of oil to…
- See
Old Valdez
Old Valdez is like a wilder, starker, less trammeled version of Italy's Pompeii. This is where the town stood before the devastating 1964 earthquake…
- See
Valdez Museum Annex
This annex of the Valdez Museum is dominated by a scale model of the Old Valdez township. Each home destroyed in the Good Friday Earthquake has been…
- See
Small-boat Harbor
Valdez’ harbor is a classic: raucous with gulls and eagles, reeking of fish guts, sea salt and creosote, and home to all manner of vessels. The benches…
- See
Maxine & Jesse Whitney Museum
For a small town Valdez has several wonderful museums, including this one, the private collection of an American couple who settled in Alaska in 1947 and…
- See
Trail of the Whispering Giants
A huge 25ft-high rendering of an Alaska Native in Sitka spruce warily guards Prince William Sound College. The sculpture by Peter Wolf Toth is one in a…
- See
Trans-Alaska Pipeline Terminal
Across the inlet from town, Valdez’ ever-pumping heart once welcomed visitors, but since September 11, 2001, stricter security protocols have closed it to…
- See
Civic Center
The Civic Center sits amid greenery with picnic tables, a small lake and the short Overlook Trail in close proximity.
