Alaska-Canada Adventure Ride
Day 17 - Seven Mile Lake, Alaska to Valdez, Alaska (247 miles)
After reaching Paxson, we then headed south on the Richardson Highway (4). Stopping at Glenn Allen for gas and a coffee, we then proceeded
on to Valdez at Prince William Sound. The Worthington Glacier and
surrounding rocky crags near the top of the pass before dropping into Valdez
are worth a stop. It is notable to see the evidence of how much this glacier has receded in more recent times.
With more time, one can take a hike up to the edge of the glacier to get a
better vantage point.
After the start of the descent into Valdez more rain started coming down. It appears that this area gets a lot of precipitation due to a steep ridge of mountains that captures many of the storm clouds blowing in off the ocean.
After sweeping through the town of Valdez and looking at the relatively overpriced campsgrounds there (and more oriented toward travel trailers and RVs), we ended up doubling back and camping outside of town at the Glacier Campground (up Airport Road), located near the Valdez Glacier and its lake. The town of Valdez and its surroundings are quite scenic. It is also the southern terminus of the Alaskan Pipeline that runs all the way to Prudhoe Bay.
We explored the shores of the Valdez Glacier Lake, checking out some of the floating ice chunks in these waters as deposited by the glacier beyond. After that we then rode to the other side of the bay to the Solomon Gulch Hatchery and the end of the public road that terminates at the oil tanker pier service entrance. The hatchery is known to have bears that commonly frequent the area and surrounding beaches foraging for food. Unfortunately for us, no such luck in getting any close-up wildlife sightings. Again, the presence of bears tends to be tied to the salmon activity, and they had not started running in any significant numbers yet. Being there on 7/14, apparently we were too early.
After returning from the far side of the bay, we then cut back across to the west and explored the dirt road up Mineral Creek at the northwest corner of town. It is reported to be quite scenic via a rocky and narrow road up a steep canyon. But we got only a couple of miles before having to turn back due to a deeper and rocky water crossing that none of us felt comfortable trying with our loaded down bikes. With the amount of recent rains, the stream current seemed to be fairly swift.
While talking to one of the locals, I got a recommendation to eat at the Nat Shack on the main drag (N Harbor Drive) for some fish tacos. Any excuse to avoid more camp food is a good thing, so I tried it out. It did not disappoint, and a place I would recommend if passing through Valdez in the future.
Given Valdez is a major harbor, If one wanted to spend more time here, you could take a day boat ride to see the Columbia Glacier further west in Prince William Sound, or just explore some of the local glaciers on foot via some of the hiking trails.
Images (click to select the larger view at bottom)
All content and images are property of Stephen Fischer Photography, copyright 2019 - 2020. Last updated: 1/10/2020