The Ultimate Guide to 3 Days in Valdez, Alaska

If you are planning an epic Alaska vacation for you or your family, a stop in Valdez, Alaska is definitely worth a few days in your vacation itinerary. We visited Valdez for two nights in 2022 and it was absolutely one of the highlights of our Alaska vacation. Check out this ultimate guide to 3 Days in Valdez, Alaska to see what we did, as well as other options that might interest your travel interests!

Valdez, Alaska Overview

Located at the Southern terminus of the Richardson Highway (Highway 4), Valdez, Alaska is a scenic coastal town tucked into the corner of Prince William Sound and surrounded by the Chugach Mountains and the Chugach National Forest.

Valdez honestly couldn’t be any more picturesque, even if it tried. It is a great vacation spot for adventure seekers but also has numerous activities for tourists who want or need a less adventurous but equally thrilling experience.

If you are a Gen X’er, you probably have heard of Valdez, Alaska due to the horrific Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. The environmental impact of that accident was horrendous, but the State of Alaska, Exxon, and Valdez have since made ecological and environmental concerns a top priority.

Apart from the tourist draw, Valdez remains an oil hub, as it is the terminus for the trans-Alaska pipeline. It is also a large port used for fishing.

How many days should I spend in Valdez, Alaska?

I would say 2-3 nights (or 1-2 full days) would be the ideal time to spend in Valdez if your Alaska vacation includes many of the other popular areas of Central Alaska. If your trip is 7-10 days, one day in Valdez is more than enough to get a great experience. Adding 1-2 more full days just gives you options for more adventures!

We spent one full day, two nights, and one 1/2 day in Valdez. I could have spent more time easily, but we were super happy with the activities we did on the short trip.

Valdez, Alaska Day Trip and Excursions options

If you are visiting Valdez, Alaska the best bang for your buck is to pick one of the full day excursions that are offered. These are some of the more popular options.

Glacier and wildlife Viewing Day Cruise

Glacier and Wildlife Viewing Day Cruises are really popular and for a great reason– they are thrilling but are not physically taxing. This makes them accessible for pretty much anyone (more information below). Both cruise operators sail to Columbia Glacier and on the way you get to see a ton of animals and maritime wildlife.

There are two main day cruise operations that operate out of the Valdez Small Boat Harbor.

For our day cruise we booked with Lu-Lu Belle. Hands down this was such a spectacular experience! I would highly recommend Lu-Lu Belle and you can read my in-depth review of the day cruise here. The Lu-Lu Belle has a much smaller capacity of 40 people. This makes the experience super intimate. But I am not sure if they are wheelchair accessible.

Stan Stephens Day Cruises accommodate up to 149 passengers, making this a much bigger ship. That can have its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is Stan Stephens can accommodate wheelchairs, including a wheelchair accessible restroom on board. The disadvantage of course is that there are 3x as many people so the cruise could get crowded.

But both tours are highly rated and they both basically sail to the same locations.

Kayaking Adventures

If you want to try your hand at kayaking, Pangaea Adventures is absolutely the way to go! They offer kayaking day trips, multi-day trips, whitewater rafting, and more. We originally booked this tour because it just sounded so cool to kayak to a glacier. And then the fact that none of us had ever kayaked before sunk in.. and we changed our plans to the day cruise. If you want a great review of Pangaea, check out Earth Trekkers experience!

Fishing Charters

Valdez is a prime location for daily fishing charters. Due to it’s location in the Prince William Sound, fishing trips can focus on halibut, silver salmon, or even fresh water fishing.

The main fishing charter companies include:

flightseeing

Another great day trip option for Valdez would be flightseeing, although this might be the priciest option. Honestly, if your budget allowed for flightseeing, I would opt for a more remote area like Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

But if you love flightseeing or you want a shorter adventure so you can do more activities in a single day, flightseeing is a great option. VS Helicopters (Alpine Air Alaska) offers a number of options for airplane or helicopter to get really close to the glaciers. There are other operators that are based in Anchorage, but VS Helicopters seems like the best option for Valdez.

Non- Day Trip Things to Do in Valdez, Alaska

There are quite a few things to do in Valdez that won’t take more than an hour (or less). A number of the activities are also on the way in and out of Valdez, with access right from Richardson Highway!

Worthington Glacier State Recreation Site

There are really so many glaciers you can visit in Alaska. There aren’t many that you can visit from a quick pitstop on the road!

Worthington Glacier State Recreation Site is a 113-acre park with numerous trails and viewpoints where you can get a good look at Worthington Glacier. There is a ADA accessible paved trail to a viewing point from the parking lot.

This state park is located 28 miles north of Valdez and makes a great stop coming into town (or leaving). Plus there are public restrooms. Note: There is a $5 parking fee.

Thompson Pass

Worthington Glacier is actually part of the Thompson Pass area. Thompson Pass is a 2,678 ft. pass through the Chugach Mountains and if North America ever held a contest for most beautiful alpine scenery, my vote would probably go to Thompson Pass. It’s really that spectacular. On a clear day you can also see Keystone Glacier.

Of course, if it’s cloudy (which it is a lot) you won’t see anything. We were incredibly lucky to get a mostly clear day. There are parking areas off of Richardson Highway on mile marker 25.5, 25.7, and 27.

If you have more time and hiking is your jam, the Thompson Pass Pack Trail is a 6 mile hike that gives even better views of the Chugach Mountains.

We didn’t see berries, but apparently in the summer months you can pick berries here as well!

Keystone Canyon

Keystone Canyon is located between mile 14-17 on the Richardson Highway. The canyon itself is really gorgeous with rock walls rising up on either side of you as you work your way to or from Valdez.

There are numerous rock climbing (and ice climbing the winter) opportunities. You can also kayak or whitewater raft in this area.

For hikers, both the Valdez Goat Trail and Keystone Canyon Pack Trail are great options.

The main attractions for Keystone Canyon though are the waterfalls! These waterfalls are literally right on the side of the road so they make a super easy and impressive pit stop coming into or out of Valdez.

Bridal Veil Falls

The Bridal Veil Falls is really a lot taller than you can imagine from these photos. This waterfall tumbles 100’s of feet into the Lowe River.

Bridal Veil falls is located at mile marker 13.5 and the best pull out is from across the street (on the right side coming south) at mile marker 13.9.

Horsetail Falls

The Horsetail Falls parking area is at mile marker 13.5, right off the side of the highway. This is also a really huge waterfall and the parking area is big enough for an RV. You can easily walk to the base of the falls from the parking area.

Short Hikes

In addition to the stops and hikes listed above, here are some additional short hikes to consider:

Overlook Trail- short trail with great views of the mountains and Port Valdez
Meals Hill- a great trail for viewpoints of Port Valdez
Homestead Trail- this trail leads to where Mineral Creek connects with Port Valdez
Mineral Creek Trail- this is a 6 mile trail but the first part leads to a number of waterfalls
Dock Point- this is only a mile long and loops around Duck Flats and Harbor Cove

Valdez Small Boat Harbor

The Valdez Small Boat Harbor is almost unmissable. Pretty much every day cruise, adventure cruise, and notable restaurant is located here.

Still, it would be criminal to visit Valdez and not visit because the small boat harbor area is so picturesque.

Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery

The Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery is another ‘must-do’ but easy access activity in Valdez, Alaska. There is a free self-guided tour available most of the time, unless there is bear activity.

But honestly, the reason to visit the fish hatchery is for the chance to see wildlife.

Due to the salmon at the hatchery you can often see sea lions, bears, sea otters, seagulls, and more! Even if you don’t see wildlife, the views are still spectacular!

If you want to see bears, the best time to visit is when the salmon return to the hatchery. The times really depend, but typically in the summer months (we did not see anything other than birds). When there is a salmon run visit at high tide or during early morning or late evening times.

It’s really fun to explore the hatchery area even if there aren’t animals there.

Valdez, Alaska Museums

There are two museums in Valdez that visitors enjoy the most.

The Maxine & Jess Whitney Museum is a FREE museum that displays information about animals and native arts.
Valdez Museum and Historical Archive is the most comprehensive museum on the history of Valdez.

Where to Stay and Eat in Valdez, Alaska

Lodging Options

If you are looking for a decent hotel here are a few of the recommended options:

We stayed at the Totem Hotel and Suites and thoroughly enjoyed it!

The rooms were comfortable and the hotel was clean. They have a nice breakfast buffet every morning from 6-9am, as well as an indoor pool and a fitness center.

My daughter really loved the Alaskan wildlike taxidermy sprinkled throughout the hotel. It really seemed like a mini museum.

The best part of the Totem Hotel though was the location. We were less than a 5 minute walk to the small boat harbor, and many of the restaurants and tour offices.

Restaurants in Valdez, Alaska

For such a small town, Valdez really has a ton of amazing food options.

Here are some of the best reviewed restaurants to consider:

Old Town Diner– customers rave about the burgers
Magpies on the Fly Cafe– great atmosphere and amazing desserts
Poor Betty’s– Food truck with excellent creole and cajun food
The Wheelhouse Bar and Grill– excellent salmon. Even better view!
The Fat Mermaid— everything about The Fat Mermaid is awesome. This is where we ate!

The Fat Mermaid definitely has a vibe. If there is a favorite restaurant for the locals, this has to be it! The entire restaurant was packed but we didn’t wait long for a table.

And the food was so delicious! We shared the hummus appetizer and the bread was toasted just perfectly. I could have gobbled up another 10 slices of it! For the main course I opted for the Red Salmon sandwich and it was so delicious. Imagine a perfectly baked salmon filet in between a huge crusty bun, thick slice of tomato, and thick steak cut fries. I highly recommend eating a meal at The Fat Mermaid!

The Ultimate Guide to 3 Days in Valdez, Alaska

Valdez, Alaska Overview

How many days should I spend in Valdez, Alaska?