A Day in Valdez

Valdez is likely my favorite town in Alaska, and there’s fun to be had any time you visit! I don’t fish, so I can’t provide any information on that (I’m sure there’s already a ton online), but here are some ideas on how to spend a day in town:

Homestead Trail: This is a short, 1 mile roundtrip trail at the edge of town. It follows a creek (lots of salmon in the summer) through a forest and leads you to these unbeatable views. The trail is well-packed/groomed in the winter making it very manageable, and you can connect it with other trails for some cross country skiing. Always be bear aware when hiking around Valdez in the summer!

Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery: This is free to walk around and see the hundreds of thousands of salmon and the huge sea lions that perch at the base of the fish ladder and feast all day. Definitely worth a stop!

Dayville Road: The fish hatchery is also off this road, and the abundance of fish makes this a great area to go bear watching (from the safety of your car). The road is only open for about 5 miles, but we pulled over to take pictures of bears almost 10 times in that short distance.

Dock Point Trail: This is another approx. 1 mile trail near the harbor. Follow the board walks to look at the wildflowers in the area, and they lead to a couple overlooks across Valdez Bay. You can also see Duck Flats from this trail at low tide.

Valdez Glacier Campground: This campground is located about 10 minutes outside of town and just down the road from Valdez Glacier Lake. It’s a large campground with tons of sites, picnic shelters, and a waterfall in the middle of the campground! You don’t have to be military to stay here.

This barely scratches the surface of activities to be done in Valdez. Visit my Valdez page to learn of other ways to recreate in this gem of a town! Don’t forget to make a stop at Valdez Brewing for a beer. They allow dogs inside during the winter or on a rainy summer day!