Our one-day post-tour to Whittier starts with a ride from Anchorage on the Alaska Railroad to the small town of Whittier on Prince William Sound. Our scenic route goes through Bear Valley into the second longest highway tunnel in North America shared by cars and trains (not at the same time).
Learn more about Whittier, Alaska:
- Alaska Public Media tells us that their Indie Alaska episode on a grade school teacher in remote Whittier, AK – featured in a NewsHour blog and on All ThingsConsidered on Jan. 18, 2015 – is blowing up on YouTube.
- CNN did a story called Great American Stories: Northern Enclosure: Alaska’s One-House Town, Home to Hundreds
Upon arriving at Whittier, we will board Phillips Cruises & Tours, the m/v Klondike Express, for a 26 Glacier Cruise. This five-hour cruise travels 140 miles through Esther Passage and Harriman Fjord, where you’ll see “towering glaciers and ribbons of waterfalls.”
Here’s another opportunity to use those binoculars you brought, or rent a pair for $5 onboard. Watch for sea otters, whales, Steller sea lions, and several species of birds. A U.S. Forest Service Ranger provides a narrative about the features you are seeing, including a Kittiwake Bird Rookery, the Egg Rock Sea Lion Rookery, and too many glaciers to name here. A hot lunch will be served on board.
At the conclusion of our cruise, we will take a motorcoach for the trip back through the tunnel and up the Seward Highway to the Hotel Captain Cook where our tour ends. Join us for the adventure of a lifetime in Alaska with your NFPW friends.
Cost is $295.
Register for the Post-Conference Whittier Tour
