Valdez

Hidden Gem of Alaska

Valdez takes some time getting to and it takes some fuel supply. There are long stretches of zero cell coverage, zero radio tunes but miles of peaks, mountainous terrain and wildlife. The drive is a very scenic one with waterfalls around every corner. A few places you can walk along a glacier and take a dip in was fresh, cold water.

The hidden aspect of it, although it has some serious impact on the state and a infamous history is that there is nothing in between one community and another. No rest stops, no service stations, no phone service, no tourist shops. The 5.5 hours of driving from Palmer to head to a town that has a population in the 3000 range makes it a tough decision, when there are larger cities, much closer in proximity to one another.

The City of Valdez is cute; a few shops, one grocery store, no stop lights but instead a “blinky light” makes this a quaint little fishing community that refines the states oil. Such importance, such significance, but such size that it can be deceiving.

Make your way to the harbor where you can eat a plethora of foods, from ethic to seafood to good ‘ol american burgers! Get a bloody at the Fat Mermaid.