Valdez, a former gold rush town, is located at the head of a fjord in eastern Prince William Sound. It suffered catastrophic damage in the 1964 Good Friday earthquake and is near the site of the 1989 Exxon Valdex oil tanker spill at Bligh Reef. Linked by road to both Fairbanks and Anchorage, it is one of the state's most important ice-free ports and a major fishing port as well as a freight terminal.
The Trans-Alaska oil pipeline carries oil from Prudhoe Bay to a terminal in Valdez.
Keystone Canyon:
Keystone Canyon is a 5-mile long slate gorge connecting the upper and lower valleys of the Lowe River north of Valdez.
This abandoned hand-drilled railroad tunnel remains of an effort by nine companies to develop a rail line from the coast to the Kennecott copper mines.
Mineral Creek:
We rented an ATV for this excursion. This rough gravel road accesses gold mines along Mineral Creek, some still being worked.
Thompson Pass:
Thompson Pass is a 2600' gap in the Chugach Mountains northeast of Valdez. It is the snowiest place in North America, averaging 500 inches a year.
Worthington Glacier:
Worthington Glacier is a valley glacier adjacent to Thompson Pass. It is accessible by road. The glacier is receding.
Valdez Glacier:
Valdez Glacier is thinning and receding up the valley.
Prince William Sound:
Prince William Sound is mostly surrounded by the Chugach National Forest, the second largest national forest in the United States.
We explored the eastern Prince William Sound and the Meares Glacier aboard the Stan Stephens Meares Glacier cruise. Meares Glacier is a tidewater glacier at the head of Unakwik Inlet in the Chugach National Forest. The face of the glacier is one mile wide. This glacier is currently advancing.
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Last modified 19 July 2021