Location: Valdez
Top Things to do in Valdez
8 Budget-friendly Things to do in Valdez That You Shouldn't Miss
Valdez /vælˈdiːz/,/vəlˈdɛz/ (Alutiiq: Suacit) is a city in Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city is 3,976. The city was named in 1790 after the Spanish Navy Minister Antonio Valdés y Fernández Bazán. A former Gold Rush town, it is located at the head of a fjord on the eastern side of Prince William Sound. The port did not flourish until after the road link to Fairbanks was constructed in 1899. It suffered huge damage during the 1964 Alaska earthquake, and is located near the site of the disastrous 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill. Today it is one of the most important ports in Alaska, a commercial fishing port as well as a freight terminal.
Restaurants in Valdez
1. Keystone Canyon
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 179 reviews
Area known for great river rafting.
Reviewed By andreamV2711SW
The drive around to Valdez is spectacular and I've seen lots of spectacular scenery. A must do experience. I selected January 2020 but it was actually 20+ years ago.
2. Maxine & Jesse Whitney Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 102 reviews
Reviewed By 123Shane - Calgary, Canada
A incredible private collection of Alaskan artefacts and taxidermy that is very well presented. The Museum is small but the large collection is well laid out. There is a nice collection of rocks for anyone interested in Geology and my wife enjoyed the clothing, basket weaving and jewellery. I was impressed by the Taxidermy specimens which were expertly done and you get a true size of the animals. The staff was also very friendly and informative willing to answer questions about the Whitney's and their amazing collection.
3. Valdez Water Taxi and Charters
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 29 reviews
Salmon fishing, Rock Fish, Ling Cod in pristine Prince William Sound. Valdez is the jump off point for some of the best fishing experiences in. Alaska. Salmon runs start mid July to mid August onwards. Other fish can be caught anytime. Water taxi services to any Prince William Sound destination also available April through to October. Sightseeing and hiking available April through October as well.
4. Worthington Glacier
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 488 reviews
An accessible glacier with a hiking trail that offers spectacular views.
Reviewed By seescokid - Grand Rapids, United States
The drive down to the Worthington glacier from Glen Ellen is awesome and the ride into Valdese the same just spectacular scenery on the most beautiful drives. A nice little stop off point and you can walk up fairly close and get a good look at the remaining glacier just an awesome place
5. Lu Lu Belle Glacier Wildlife Cruises
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 163 reviews
Join Captain Fred Rodolf on board the Lu-Lu Belle, as he takes you to the mighty Columbia Glacier, the second-largest tidewater glacier in North America and largest in Prince William Sound. Experience some of the most spectacular calving events in the world, from the decks on the Lu-Lu Belle. See for yourself as the ice falls into the sea causing thunderous explosions resulting in massive plumes of spray and wave activity. We will stay at the glacier for at least an hour to make sure you have a chance to photograph and/or record some of those amazing events.
6. The Valdez Museum and Historical Archive
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 192 reviews
The Valdez Museum preserves and presents the heritage and culture of Valdez, the Copper River Basin, and Prince William Sound.
Reviewed By briand790 - Denver, United States
I love this museum. It has great artifacts and is very well planned out. The museum takes you chronologically through the entire history of Valdez from native beginnings to modern life. It chronicles the development of the town and how it became a destination for living as well as visiting. Many interesting artifacts are presented that tie to the stories that are shown throughout the museum. You'll see history of the native Alaskan people, the gold miners, the development of roads and highways, the earthquake, the building of the Alaska pipeline, a sinking cruise ship rescue, the world famous oil spill, and the associated recovery that is still underway today. The staff was very nice and helpful at the museum and they have an excellent souvenir gift shop with a great selection of books and other items. I found the Shrimp Whisperer postcards and calendar here! Fun and unique items like this, not to be missed. If you are visiting Valdez, you need to stop in here for the full history of this great town. Don't forget to look out front on the lawn for the permanent resident bunnies that roam free in Valdez.
7. The Solomon Gulch Hatchery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 257 reviews
VFDA built the Solomon Gulch Hatchery (SGH) in 1981, and released its first pink salmon fry in 1982. It has operated consistently since then. The water for the hatchery is provided by the Solomon Gulch Hydroelectric Plant, owned by the Copper Valley Electric Association through a cooperative agreement. VFDA employs a hatchery crew of twelve full and part-time employees, and is directed by Hatchery Manager Rob Unger. Other staff includes an assistant manager, fish culturists, maintenance support staff, and night watchmen. The hatchery staff lives in the Valdez community. SGH has a permitted green egg capacity to incubate 230 million pink salmon and 2 million coho salmon each year. These egg capacities are strictly controlled by the State of Alaska. With this capacity, VFDA achieves annual releases of approximately 218 million pink salmon fry, and 1.75 million coho salmon smolt. Egg take or spawning happens in late summer. Hatchery staff may spawn as many as 16,000 adult brood stock each day. These fish return to the hatchery spawning building by entering the facility using a fish ladder, which carry the fish from salt water to raceways on shore. Over the winter, the hatchery staff tends to the eggs as they hatch into alevin and settle into simulated gravel to subsist from their yolk sacs. In early spring, the fry emerge and are ready to go to sea. VFDA pumps the fry to net pens off shore where they are fed using commercial salmon feeds until they reach a target weight of at least 0.5 grams. From there, the smolts are released to complete their life cycle in the open sea. This process is known as ocean ranching. The adults, which average about 3.5 pounds each, return the following summer, and the process starts all over again. Average adult returns to the hatchery are approximately 13 million adult pink, and 160,000 coho salmon. After harvesting a small percentage of the return for cost recovery and brood stock, the remainder is harvested primarily by the commercial purse seine fishermen. While the hatchery walking tour is open all summer, the absolute best time to visit is during one of the salmon runs. Pink salmon return to the hatchery in July and coho (silver) salmon return in August. This also allows for the best opportunity to view Alaska wildlife as all manner of animals come to the hatchery to feed on returning salmon. You can see seals, sea lions, black and brown bears, eagles and other birds and much more. There is a large paved parking lot located just west of the hatchery site with plenty of parking for guests as there is no parking allowed on the site. The walking tour is wheelchair accessible and paved. While there is no fishing allowed directly in front of the hatchery, many anglers catch their limit of wild Alaska salmon on the east and west sides. It is a must-see attraction in Valdez.
Reviewed By darwinmoore - Spring, United States
This might be boring if the salmon aren't running, but if they are, then this place is eye popping. So many salmon! They are stopped by the fish weir and "steered" up the fish ladder, so you can watch them work their way up. If you go during working hours, you'll get to see the workers processing the fish and harvesting eggs and sperm. There are information boards that explain the migration and the whole hatchery and salmon raising process, and it's all fascinating. You can also watch the gulls fighting over salmon and feeding on those they can get at. The mass of fish just has to be seen.
8. Valdez Glacier Lake
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 33 reviews
Reviewed By runningspots - New Orleans, United States
Its the best thing to see in Valdez. You can drive right up to the lake and park. A natural dam broke with week before from heavy rains. So the iceburgs were not only in the lake, they were on shore. Beautiful site even on a cloudy day. I wish now we'd have kayaked out to the glacier to view more of this beauty!
