Valdez is a remote Alaskan fishing port nestled at the end of a fjord. It’s surrounded by glaciers as tall as buildings and teeming marine wildlife: whales, orcas, porpoises, sea lions, seals, otters, salmon, puffins, bald eagles. [Almost] no one was missing during our cruise in Valdez, through Prince William Sound in the Gulf of Alaska!
Tuesday, August 2, 2022
After 10 days on the incredible Kenai Peninsula, which we completely fell in love with, we continue our road trip through Alaska. 485 km (300 miles) separate Anchorage, the largest city in the state, from Valdez, a fishing port on the edge of Prince William Sound. The journey begins in the rain, with surrounding mountains and glaciers barely visible through the mist. But as the day goes on, the fog clears and the sun makes a few timid appearances, allowing us to admire the vast boreal forest, Alaska’s mountain ranges, and Worthington Glacier.
We arrive in Valdez at 6 PM after a full day on the road. Under a beautiful sun, we discover this very touristy fishing village. Unlike nearby Cordova, farther south, Valdez is accessible by road, which has allowed it to develop its tourism industry…and all the activities that come with it! Our dream is to go kayaking among icebergs, but the prices are outrageous! However, we find more affordable options than in Seward, where we were a few days ago, so we book a cruise in Valdez. Now we just have to hope tomorrow will be a beautiful and wildlife-filled day! 🤞
Wednesday, August 3
Clear skies. Radiant sunshine. Not a breeze of wind. In short, THE perfect day for a cruise in Valdez and a sea expedition. We are excited and eager as we board the Valdez Spirit at 9 a.m. Let’s go for eight hours of wonder, amazement, and excitement. We immediately settle on the upper deck, facing the sea, ready to spend a day that we hope will be exceptional.
And unforgettable it was! Here is a photo summary of our day by Rémi!
Seals
Seals rest and sunbathe on ocean buoys and icebergs. Their round heads and large eyes turn toward us as we pass, but they don’t move a muscle.
Otters
Otters rest in the open sea, grooming themselves as they floated on their backs, rocking gently with the current and waves. It is very funny to watch! Some carry their pups on their bellies. Otters are the largest rodents in North America, and males can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lbs). We ‘d love floating like an otter with the current 😆. When the boat gets too close, they dive headfirst and disapear.
Bald Eagles
As we cruise along the coast in search of bears or seabirds, bald eagles are easy to spot in the trees: just look for a white spot in the green vegetation. This emblematic bird of the United States is everywhere around Valdez, almost always perched very high, out of reach.
Puffins
Another seabird, much smaller: puffins. They either float on the water or fly skimming just above the surface.
Sea Lions
Sea lions sunbathe on the rocks and beaches along the shore. We hear the grunts of the whole colony as we pass along the cliffs. There are some rather impressive specimens! The largest males weigh an average of 545 kg (1,200 lbs). We like them, but we wouldn’t mind an orca coming by for a snack 😁.
Humpback Whales
A splash in the distance! The boat makes a sudden turn as it abruptly changes course. A humpback whale! They travel 9,600 km (6,000 miles) to spend the summer feeding in Alaska’s nutrient-rich waters, then head down to the warm waters of Mexico to spend the winter and reproduce. When they are in Alaska, their only goal is to feed and gain strength: they can eat up to one ton of food per day, mostly plankton and krill. The one we see seems playful: it leaps out of the water with a big splash and shows its fins before diving back into the depths. Hard to keep track of it!
Porpoises
Splashes on the horizon. The boat races through the water and stops at a respectful distance from a group of porpoises. We can see only their dorsal fins as they swim together without really moving forward. Then suddenly, the entire group rushes toward us! “Hold on,” says the captain, “they may swim with us.” Indeed, the porpoises begin swimming alongside the boat for several meters. A magical moment for us, especially since we were right at the bow, in the front row!
Meares Glacier
The highlight of the show, and the main reason we are taking this cruise in Valdez: Meares Glacier. It suddenly appears around a bend in the fjord, immense and majestic. We’ve seen many glaciers since arriving in Alaska, but this one is particularly impressive. As tall as a multi-story building, its massive form stretchs across the end of the fjord. What is rare about Meares Glacier: it’s advancing! Unlike its neighbor, Columbia Glacier, the second largest glacier in North America, which has retreated by 22 km (14 miles) in just 20 years! 😱
The captain approaches as close as possible, though keeps at a safe distance because of the frequent icefalls from the glacier’s face. “Hold on,” he says, “it’s teasing us.” The boat engines have fallen silent. We wait for an hour, listening to the glacier’s impressive cracking sounds and watching chunks of ice fall. Then suddenly: a huge block breaks off and falls into the sea, shaking the boat with a big wave. Wow!
Alaska in All Its Splendor
Beyond the wildlife, the landscapes are also a feast for the eyes as they slowly drift by. Once again: this is Alaska in all its splendor, just as we imagined it, but seen from the sea!
We return from our cruise in Valdez with stars in our eyes. But the day isn’t over! While chatting with other passengers, we heard about a place where it is possible to see sea lions fishing. So we head to the Valdez Hatchery, an artificial salmon breeding facility. The tide was going out. Hundreds, no, thousands, of salmon have returned to the hatchery where they were born. They are blocked by metal grates, yet driven by an incredible instinct, they keep trying in vain to swim upstream.
This abundance of salmon is a feast for seagulls, eagles, and sea lions, who are gorging themselves. Poor salmon! It is a rather tragic sight: many are dead from exhaustion, others struggle in vain to pass the grates, while others are eaten alive. It’s not easy being a salmon! 😬
It is 10 p.m. We are settled by the river. Rémi has just lit the campfire, and the tea and coffee is still steaming. The dishes are being done. That’s when we get a message from Marie and Brian: a bear at the hatchery!! Without hesitation, we douse the fire with our tea/coffee, and ten minutes later, we are on our way. But when we arrive, it is too late, the bear is gone. What a disappointment. We hang out there for a while, chatting with our friends and feeling sorry for the fate of all these poor salmon, whose hundreds of carcasses litter the ground at low tide, devoured by gulls and eagles.
But on the way back: we finally see it! A beautiful brown bear comes to catch grab a salmon the gulls have missed. The moment is too short to capture, but we are thrilled to have seen a bear, even briefly. We spend the night by a lake with Marie and Brian. As we chat in front of the Jeep, I suddenly notice a new sticker, a Denali sticker! Marie and Brian had stuck it on while we were on the cruise to replace the one that had been stolen from us. Thank you again, friends!!! 😍
It’s already time for us to leave Valdez. We spent some incredible days here, discovering amazing Alaskan landscapes and the wildlife that inhabits its rich waters. Believe it or not, our next destination is not another fishing port! Indeed, we are heading deep into Alaska’s remote wilderness to explore a ghost town: the Kennecott Mine.
