Prince William Sound Cruises, Excursions & Tours - Valdez, Alaska
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Valdez
 Alaska's Little Switzerland


About Valdez Alaska

Valdez is a picturesque community located on Prince WilliamValdez is located on scenic Prince William Sound Sound.  The surrounding coastal mountains have been compared to views of the Swiss Alps.

On March 27, 1964 an earthquake that measured 9.2 on the Richter Scale struck Alaska.  The quake lasted over four minutes and was centered a mere 45 miles from Valdez.  Since its gold rush days, Valdez has evolved into an important shipping center See wildlife on cruises and kayaking toursbecause it is the most northerly year-round, ice-free port in the western hemisphere.

Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was completed in 1977 and Valdez was chosen as the terminus for the 800 mile pipeline out of Prudhoe Bay.  During the construction phase of the pipeline, Valdez’s population surged to 10,000.  When it was completed and the oil started flowing, the population settled to its current level of about 4,000 year-round residents.

 

 

IMPORTANT: If you are arriving by cruise ship, please include ship name on your reservation form! 

 Prices listed include all taxes and fees.

Valdez Vacation PackageFly Era Aviation to visit Valdez

2 days / 1 night - Tour 396

 

Day 1: Anchorage to Valdez

This morning your Era Aviation flight departs from Anchorage airport. On arrival transfer provided to your hotel.  At noon, board your comfortable excursion vessel to begin a cruise on Prince William Sound.  Experience Columbia Bay with the spectacular icebergs from Columbia Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in South-central Alaska. View cascading waterfalls and the Sound's amazing wildlife. Cruise through the glacier-carved fjords and passageways of Prince William Sound. Listen to the boisterous sea lions at Bull's Head. Enjoy a light meal on board as you cruise the protected waters. Complete your cruise with a marine tour of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Terminal. Approximately 70 miles round-trip. Overnight Valdez.

 

Day 2: Valdez to Anchorage

Today explore Valdez on your own.  Valdez is a picture-postcard town ringed by tall mountains, is also the northernmost ice-free harbor in the United States, making it an ideal location for the southern terminus of the 800-mile oil pipeline.  This evening transfer to the airport for the return flight to Anchorage on Era Aviation.

Extend your stay! Valdez offers many choices for glacier viewing tours, sea kayaking, and world class sport fishing. 

 

Tour Note:  If you prefer a longer stay in Valdez, please contact us and we will be happy to customize this tour for you.

Round trip flights from Anchorage to Valdez on Era Aviation, 1 night accommodation, 6-hour Columbia Glacier cruise (including a light meal), and all taxes.

 

May 15 - September 15, 2008:  Daily departures

Price Per Person

 

2008 Rates

 Single

Double

Triple

Child**
$599 $489 $469 $325

** Children 11 years & under staying with 2 full paying adults in room with existing bedding.

Kayak in front of Shoup Glacier for an exhilirating day!

SHOUP GLACIER KAYAKING Tour 393

$169 adult, $152 child (6-13 years)
Perfect for children, beginners and more experienced kayakers. This tour offers an intimate experience at one of Prince William Sounds' many calving tide water glaciers. Climb aboard a motor boat for a taxi ride to Shoup Bay where your scenic journey begins. Over the course of the day you will paddle past floating ice, past a nesting colony of Black-Legged Kittiwakes, and up to the face of the glacier. Wildlife abounds in the area - marine mammals, birds, ducks, sea otters and harbor seals are common. Enjoy a short walk on the beach and a lunch spot with a colorful glacier view (lunch not included). At the end of the paddle you will be returned to Valdez by motorboat.

Duration: 8 hours, including 40 minute one-way transfer.

Departure Time: anytime between 8am and 12pm, depending on tides.

Daily Departures: May 15 - September 10, 2008.

 

DUCK FLATS KAYAKING Tour 392

$55 adult, $50 child (6-13 years)

Enjoy an exciting and educational paddle over the calm waters of duck flats in a double or triple person sea kayak. From the small boat harbor in Valdez, you and your group will paddle into the calm protected waters of Duck Flats. The path of the tour will follow a chain of small Islands recognized for their nesting birds and sun bathing seals. Paddling into the depths of Duck Flats brings you to the nesting sites of Bald Eagles and ravens. Your guide will relate information about the town's unique past, from its early Gold Rush days to the destruction of the original town site by the 1964 earthquake. This is a wonderful paddle for first time paddlers and those with limited time. Tour includes instruction and guided sea kayaking.

Duration: 3 hours.

Departure time: various. Daily Departures: May 15 - September 10, 2008.

 

Columbia Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in Prince William Sound

COLUMBIA GLACIER CRUISE Tour 390

$98 adult, $49 child (2-12 years)
This journey through Prince William Sound features a visit to Columbia Glacier. On board you will have a chance to view the Sound's wildlife, including sea lions and whales. You will learn about the mining, oil shipping, earthquake, and fishing history, and you will hear stories about the first people to explore and live in the area. Included in this tour is a description of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Terminal. A stop Columbia Glacier presents an excellent opportunity to witness glacial ice calving into the ocean. A light meal is served on-board (included). 80-miles round-trip.

Duration: 6.5 hours.

Departure time: 12pm. Daily departures: May 15 - September 15, 2008.

 

$133 adult, $66 child (2-12 years)
Enjoy a cruise in majestic waters of Prince William Sound to both Meares and Columbia Glaciers. On board you will have a chance to view the Sounds' wildlife including a Bull Head Sea Lion sunning area. You will learn the mining, oil, earthquake, and fishing history of Valdez, hear stories about the first people to explore and live in the Sound, and pass by the terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. A stop Columbia Glacier presents an excellent opportunity to witness glacial ice calving into the ocean. Your stop at Meares Glacier gives you the rare opportunity to see an advancing glacier tearing up trees and rocks in its path as it grows. A hot lunch and afternoon snack will be served on-board. 110 miles round-trip.

Duration: 9 hours.

Departure time: 10am. Daily departures: June 1 - August 31, 2008.

 

$ 95 per person (minimum of 2 persons)
Experience the power and beauty of the Valdez Glacier safely and intimately, via hiking and kayaking. You will be transported by van to the glacial lake where you will kayak in inflatable double kayaks between large icebergs to the face of the glacier. Here you start your hike on the glacier enjoying expansive views, crossing crevasses safely, and passing glacial streams which have cut deep ravines in the ice and formed shimmering sky blue pools on the glacier. The experienced and knowledgeable guides will conduct interpretive glaciology discussions as well as share the many tales of miners and fortune seekers who traversed the glacier during the Valdez Gold Rush of 1889. No experience is necessary.

Duration: 5 - 6 hours.

Departure time: various. Daily departures: May 20 - September 20, 2008.

 

2008 Prices Coming Soon!
per person
 A great multi-sport trip! After getting fitted into crampons, you will be driven up to Worthington Glacier via Keystone Canyon and Thompson Pass. Worthington Glacier is more strenuous than Valdez Glacier and quickly increases in elevation. Begin with a 2 hour hike, then take a lunch break, and hike back to the base of the glacier. End the day with some extra excitement and raft Keystone Canyon on the way back to Valdez, which is a one hour rafting trip. Participants may arrange to meet at Worthington glacier with advance notice. Rated moderate to strenuous.

Duration: 6 - 7 hours.

Departure time: various. Daily departures: June 10 - mid-September, 2007.

 

WORTHINGTON GLACIER HIKE & ICE CLIMB Tour 395

$129 adult, $116 child (6-13 years)
 For the more adventurous soul. Get fitted into crampons before taking the van shuttle through keystone Canyon and over Thompson Pass. A short hike brings you out to the climbable sections of the glacier. Your guide will teach basic climbing techniques and set up top ropes for safety. Each person will have several tries climbing the glacier ice wall. You will also venture off on a short hike further onto the glacier before taking a second round of ice climbing on a different wall. Participants may arrange to meet at Worthington glacier with advance notice. Rated moderate.

Duration: all day, including about 3+ hours climbing and 2 hours hiking.

Departure time: various. Daily departures: May 15 - September 10, 2008.

 

 

 

Click here to view great activities and short trips in other Alaska locations:

 

Anchorage | Girdwood | Seward | Talkeetna | Denali | Fairbanks

Homer | Kenai   | Kodiak | Cordova   | Valdez

Haines | Juneau | Ketchikan | Skagway | Sitka | Wrangell
 

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