Hello and welcome back to Nomad Dad Life! Today we will continue with our travels around Alaska. If you haven’t read the previous post, please do so here. We will be focusing on some of our favorite places just outside of Anchorage. Alaska is full of amazing places and amazing views. We didn’t have to travel far out of Anchorage to see a lot of these. Some of these places we were able to visit before summer, and some of them we had to wait until the state was fully open.
Girdwood/Alyeska
Located about 35 miles south of Anchorage is the town of Girdwood. Girdwood is the top skiing and snowboarding destination in the state. It is home to Alyeska Ski Resort and offers one of the longest skiing seasons of any mountain in the United States. Even if you aren’t a skier or snowboarder there is a lot to do in Girdwood. There is an aerial tram at the resort that will take you to Seven Glaciers, which is a bar and restaurant on Mt. Alyeska.
There are a surprising number of restaurants as well as a brewery in Girdwood. Most restaurants focus on local food so there are a lot of seafood options, as well as reindeer and bison. During the summer Girdwood has a Forest Festival. This festival features 200 vendors and 50 bands throughout the weekend. The event tries to be free of moral conflict by promoting no dogs, no politics, and no religion. Food trucks and breweries offer plenty of options for food and beverages around the fairgrounds.
Portage Lake/Byron Glacier
Not far from Girdwood, on the way to Whittier, is Portage Lake. It is a glacial lake that has only been visible since 1914 when the Portage Glacier retreated enough for the lake to be seen. There is a large parking lot on the western side of the lake that provides easy access to the lake. The lake is almost a mile wide, 3 miles long and about 600 feet deep. It has a trail along the shore to get some great views of the lake and surrounding mountains.
Not far from Portage Lake is the Byron Glacier. This glacier is known for the ice cave it creates. We couldn’t go into the ice cave as it had recently snowed and collapsed the cave temporarily. The summer months make the hike easier and the ice cave larger, but the winter has safer conditions for exploring the cave as long as it isn’t after a heavy snowfall. We went before the state was fully open so we had to park in the parking lot at Portage Lake and walk down Byron Glacier road. This isn’t a road that is maintained in the winter, so it is blocked off from traffic for most of the year.
Animal tracks were all around the trail, including some fresh wolf tracks. Bears were still hibernating when we were there, so those were pretty much the only animal tracks we didn’t see. It’s one of the easier hikes to a glacier in Alaska and the most accessible glacier on the Kenai Peninsula.
Whittier
We did make a quick trip through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel to get to Whittier. The tunnel is the longest highway tunnel at 2.5 miles long. It is designed to withstand -40-degree Fahrenheit temperatures and up to 150 mile per hour winds! The 16 foot wide one lane tunnel is shared by cars and trains traveling in both directions, so there is a schedule for what time and direction you can use the tunnel.
Whittier is located on the Prince William Sound and was created as a strategic military base in World War II. It was created because it met 3 requirements; ice-free deep-water port, natural protection against air raids, and radar unfriendly topography. The military withdrawal began in 1964 when an earthquake caused significant damage to the port and railroad. Nowadays, Whittier is home to about 220 people with 85% of them living in Begich Tower.
This is a former military building that now functions as the all-one-in building for the town. In addition to 85% of the population living in this building there is also a school, post office, mayor’s office, grocery store, bowling alley, and movie theater all in one building. The other 15% of the population reside in Whittier Manor. Because everything is in these two buildings, there isn’t a lot to see in Whittier so we didn’t spend much time here.
Eagle River/Eklutna Lake
Eagle River is a suburb of Anchorage heading toward inland Alaska. It was only a 15-minute drive from where we were staying so we ended up spending a lot of time around the area. Eagle River Nature Center has around 30 miles of trails through Chugach State Park. It’s been called a mini-Yosemite, and it is an amazing place. The first time we came here the black bears were out making themselves known. One blocked the trail for a good 20 minutes before we turned around to head back. Not more than 100 yards from the bear was a moose rummaging through the trees. On the way back to the parking lot we spotted a black bear at the very top of a tree, just swaying in the wind!
A little further inland is Eklutna Lake. It’s also located in Chugach State Park. Eklutna Lake is about a mile wide and 7 miles long and is fed by the Eklutna Glacier, giving it that unforgettable turquoise blue color. The lake is the main water source for Anchorage, and provides most of its electricity via the hydroelectric dam on the Eklutna River. The lake is a hot spot for kayaking, ATV tours, and hiking. Near Eklutna lake is Thunderbird Falls, another popular hike just outside of Anchorage.
Thunderbird Falls is usually the first hike for people who come to Anchorage, especially those with children. It is a mile one way hike along the Eklutna River canyon that leads to a 200-foot waterfall. These two destinations are very popular because, unlike most things in the state, they are close to Anchorage. We will end this post here today. The next will continue with our Alaskan adventures and continue with what we did and saw in this amazing state. If you haven’t done so already, please follow our journey on social media as well by clicking one of the links below!
Comments by christopherrylander
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