A Cold War relic, Whittier is reached after a drive down the stunning Turnagain Arm from Anchorage. Watch for white beluga whales, tidal bores and hanging glaciers – there is a surprising amount to do within a short distance.
Fifi (our Ford Fiesta) thought she was going home but we weren’t quite finished. On a glorious blue sky August day we left Anchorage on the Seward Highway which winds along the north shore of Turnagain Arm and ultimately provides access to the Kenai Peninsula. This has been called Alaska’s playground and the road always seems to be busy.
Our first stop was Potter Marsh / Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge (11.9), where broad walkways allow for pleasant birding. The 564 acre marsh was created during the construction of the Alaska railroad in 1916-17 when an embankment was built for the tracks so creating a pond and marsh environment.
It is a mix of largely fresh water with the occasional salt infusion at very high tides and over the years has become an important bird habitat. There are two walks stretching to either side from the car park; the shorter one led towards the shelter of the forest with views over picturesque duck ponds.
One of the creeks we crossed contained spawning salmon, languidly moving in the current. We spoke to a man who had his camera trained on a bald eagle’s nest although the sole youngster within was annoyingly keeping its head down.
“He’s got only child syndrome: he just sleeps and eats!” he complained.
In the other direction, tall grasses sheltered hidden creeks where the only frog in Alaska is found: the wood frog achieves an incredible feat of suspended animation in the winter when the heart and breathing stop and the blood, eyeballs and the water in it’s body freeze. However, it utilizes glucose as a form of antifreeze within its cells which is enough to enable its survival so that when warm weather thaws it out in the spring it can hop to a shallow pond and start breeding!
Chugach Park Headquarters a little further on has the historic home of a crew of Alaska railroad workers with house, outhouse and moose hanging larder. They maintained the track between Seward and Anchorage in the days of coal and stream driven locomotives.
There is a huge rotary snowplough engine on display which helped keep the line clear which was especially prone to avalanches; it was in use until 1985 and they still have a backup one today. The info on it proudly says that its teeth could chew up snow, logs and frozen moose!
Now we were really entering Turnagain Arm, a huge 48 mile long estuary which stretches from the mouth of the Placer River to the head of Cook Inlet.
It was named River Turnagain in 1778 by Cook when he found no eastern outlet and had to turn back. A glaciated fjord, it has accumulated vast quantities of silt and the mud flats can be very treacherous to walk on when exposed.
We stopped at Beluga Point (16.7) which is a prominent headland with some rugged outcrops which offer good views over the Arm. Many people come to watch the bore tides which are highest around the full and new moon and occur when the surging incoming water hits the shallow, narrow confines of the Arm. They usually occur about 2 hours after low tide – the difference between high and low tide can be as much as 35 feet.
Bird Point Scenic Overlook (30.5) offered fine views up the Arm with snowy mountains to the east, but it was at the 33.7 and 35.5 Mile turnout that we had an exciting glimpse of the rare white Beluga whales which are permanent residents of the Cook Inlet.
The calves are greyer in colour but the adults are a snowy white and their vivid bodies were quite easy to see in the water. Apparently they are known as the “canary of the sea” as they are a very talkative whale. Sadly, they are now endangered.
Girdwood
The Alyeska Highway junction (37) takes a 4.1 mile side trip to Girdwood and its ski resort of Mount Alyeska in the Chugach Mountains.
Girdwood has the usual varied history of Alaskan towns, having started out as the gold mining Glacier City. Spurred on by the railroad and later a road connection between Seward and Anchorage, today it is one of the posher areas of Alaska, both as a ski resort and as a commuter town.
The skiing side of things dates back to 1960 when a used ski lift was imported from France. The 1964 Good Friday earthquake set things back a bit and Girdwood had to move 2.5 miles up the valley.
There is a small downtown area where the Grind Coffee Shop is a good down to earth spot and the Double Musky Inn is a long time favourite for its Cajun inspired seafood and steaks. However, for an unusual fine dining experience take the aerial tram to the Seven Glaciers restaurant high on Mt Alyeska at 2,300 feet – seven glaciers can be seen from the huge windows if the weather cooperates!
There is a tasting menu for $139 with wine pairings from $60, and being Alaska, they have no dress code, stating that one can turn up in furs and heels or jeans and work boots – they even suggest a hike first.
The Alyeska Resort at base level offers a similar standard in accommodation and includes a spa.
The Gold Creek road branches off just before town and wends through spruce forests to a scenic bowl in the mountains with great glacier viewing on the way. Waterfalls and rushing streams are found near the carpark at the end and there are picnic tables and loos.
It is here that the Crow Pass trail leaves for Eagle River, a scenic 23 mile hike. An historic trail used for mining, mushing and mail, there is a public-use cabin on Crystal Lake after 3.5 miles. Another .4 mile will take one to the pass and Raven glacier.
Portage Valley
The Kenai Peninsula has 29 species of land mammals but if you are not confident of seeing them in the wild (and it is virtually impossible), the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Centre at Milepost 79 has 200 acres of enclosures containing them.
We branched off on the Portage Glacier / Whittier Access Road wanting to explore the unusual Cold War town of Whittier. This is reached by a 2.5 mile tunnel which is now shared by both road and rail traffic (it was only modified to traffic in 2000).
The 6 miles between the turnoff and the tunnel have some very pretty country and an easy .8 mile walk to Byron Glacier lookout which shadows the river and wends through thick stands of salmonberries – sadly over in August but the blueberries were out. It is possible to walk further up the valley to get a closer look, although it does involve scrambling over a huge rock field left by the retreating glacier.
The road ends 0.3 miles further on at the dock for the Portage Glacier Cruises which do a one hour tour of the lake and include the glacier. This has retreated dramatically since the 1999’s, much to the detriment of the Begich, Biggs Visitor Center on Portage Lake which was built beside it in 1986! It is a popular stop but presently is only open Thursday through Sunday and we missed it – maybe more of Trump’s economies!?
We found a lovely campsite on Tangle Pond which had superb reflections of the mountains in its mirrored surface.
Portage Pass Trail
The next morning we took the 2.5 miles Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel towards Whittier, which is the longest highway tunnel in North America and shared with the Alaska Railway. It works on a one way system: in on the half hour, out on the hour (subject to trains). A car cost $13 return.
It reminded me of some of the long dark tunnels in Iceland, being no bigger than it had to be and roughly hewn out of the rock much as when it was opened in 1943 for train transport to the base. With the railway tracks running through it, it made for a more comfortable trip if one straddled them. Motorcyclists would have to be very careful not to get stuck in the tracks!
It was a fine morning so we turned right immediately on exiting the tunnel for the Portage Pass Trail. It is a 5.2 mile round trip to Portage glacier, gaining 935 feet, although if one just did the first mile (albeit steeply uphill) to the pass, that view alone is worth the walk.
It is a wide gravel track whose origins lie in providing a link between the Cook Inlet and the Passage Canal. Behind there are superb views over Whittier and the deep blue waters of the fjord, complete with a cruise ship on our visit.
At the pass there is a little lake and jumbled mountains; ahead lies the white mass of the glacier and Portage Lake. The trail wends on to emerge on the shore of the lake, which appears to be a popular camping spot. Bear left to walk along the shore towards the base of the glacier, but there is a river to cross so it depends on water levels as to whether you can reach it. There is also a waterfall a little way up the valley but it requires some scrambling to reach.
We picniced on the edge of the river and then meandered back; it really is a very stunning walk with lots of diverse scenery.
There are another couple of walk options near Whittier, including the easy 2 mile return walk to Horsetail Falls (570 feet gain) – whilst the falls aren’t that spectacular, one does get a good view over the town and the Canal.
The Emerald Cove trail was inaccessible on our visit as they were rebuilding the access road but it is a 4.3.mile return walk (650 feet gain) that encompasses a waterfall and 3 coves, the second of which sounds the prettiest. It is supposed to be quite muddy and overgrown so watch out for bears, especially in salmon season.
Whittier
What can I say – the Passage Canal is beautiful but Whittier was built by the army in WW2, extended by them in the Cold War years then mothballed in 1960 – not one of which is a recipe for anything of beauty.
The place is fairly grim and the only reason I can see for going there is to get on a boat: the Alaska Marine Highway to Valdez and Cordova, a cruise ship, a sightseeing tour of the nearby glaciers or fishing.
Sadly there is little to invite lingering, the smarter looking hotel was obviously half unused and it was generally scrappy. One can wander the harbour in about 10 minutes and other than a quirky coffee shop and a couple of food outlets, there isn’t much happening unless you want to hire a kayak or book a tour.
Whittier has been called a one-house town: the 272 strong population live in the giant 14 storey Begich Tower apartment block which was built as a barracks in 1957. It was then called the Hodge Building; it now includes a grocery store, clinic, church and a police station – there are even underground tunnels between other buildings, such as the school.
It is fully self contained, and designed to withstand a nuclear blast so the residents may yet have the last laugh.
Although more such buildings were planned, only one other was completed and that is now standing derelict with every window shot out and signs warning about asbestos. The Buckner Building is now a complete eyesore but it once held 1,200 people and had a bowling alley, a theatre and a bakery.
There are a few other remnants in the town: the base of the Anchor Inn Motel survives from WW2 – it was a signal corps post and today is probably the best everyday accommodation option in town. The supermarket used to be the U.S. command headquarters and telephone exchange whilst the building opposite was a workshop garage complex.
I left it with some relief; I’m afraid the place left me totally cold which is a shame as the country around about is stunning. There are a couple of big cruise’ ship docks – if you are unlucky enough to end up there I would recommend the glacier walk: it leaves from virtually opposite the cruise ship harbour!
NOTES
Whittier is approximately 60 miles from Anchorage by road. It is possible to do a long day trip on the Alaska Railway Glacier Discovery Route between Anchorage and Whittier to fit in with the 26 Glacier cruise.
