Valdez doesn’t end up on most first-time Alaska itineraries. It sits at the end of its own highway, tucked between mountains that make the American Rockies look like foothills, and getting there means deliberately driving away from the places everyone else is going. That’s exactly what made it worth it for us. We spent four days in Valdez as part of our bigger Alaska road trip, and it gave us glaciers, whales, whitewater, and a 14th birthday my son will never forget, without the crowds we’d seen elsewhere.

If you’re comparing Valdez to Seward, I’ll be honest with you at the end of this post about which one I’d pick. But first, here’s exactly what we did with our four days, including the drive in, because in Valdez the drive is not just transportation. It’s one of the headliners.

Day 1: The Drive from Seward to Valdez (Yes, It Counts as a Day)

The drive from Seward to Valdez is long, about seven hours without stops, and you are going to want stops. Build a full day for this and treat it like the sightseeing day it is.

Our lunch stop was the one I’d tell you not to miss. Nummy’s Restaurant in Old Town Copper Center was genuinely delicious, the kind of small-town Alaska spot you hope to stumble into, and we grabbed a cherry pie to go for the car. I can now confirm that cherry pie tastes better when you’re eating it while staring at the Wrangell Mountains.

From Copper Center, the Richardson Highway climbs toward Thompson Pass, where the drive turns cinematic. We pulled over at the pass and just stood there. I’ve driven through the American Rockies plenty of times, and these mountains make them feel small. They are gigantic in a way photos don’t capture, rising straight up from the road with glaciers draped over their shoulders.

Just past the pass, Worthington Glacier sits practically next to the highway. It’s one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska, with a short paved path to a viewing area, and it costs nothing. Then the road drops into Keystone Canyon, where waterfalls pour down the canyon walls right beside your car. Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls both have pullouts, and we stopped for both. After seven hours in the car, the kids needed to stand under a waterfall’s mist, and honestly, so did I.

We rolled into Valdez, checked into our tiny little cabin, and hit up Loco Gringos food truck for dinner. The street tacos were so good that we didn’t feel like we were settling for food truck fare after a long day. We stretched our legs on the Dock Point Trail, an easy boardwalk loop with meadow and harbor views, and called it a night.

Day 2: Glaciers and Whales on Prince William Sound

This was our anchor day, the Stan Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Cruise on Prince William Sound, and it delivered the Alaska you picture when you close your eyes. We saw so many sea otters floating on their backs, sea lions piled on the rocks, a bald eagle, and humpback whales. The scenery from the water looked like a commercial for Alaska, or a postcard someone designed to sell you on the whole state. Mountains straight into the sea, ice in the water, wildlife around every point. Stan Stephens hosted our family for this cruise, and I’d book it again with my own money tomorrow.

We got off the boat and had a late lunch at The Fat Mermaid, right by the harbor. Then we did something completely free: the Crooked Creek salmon spawning viewing area and the Solomon Gulch Hatchery. If you visit later in July than we did, your timing will be even better, because the salmon runs really pick up as the month goes on. Even on the early side, watching the water and looking for wildlife cost us nothing and entertained everyone.

We finished the day on the newest trail in Valdez, and I mean genuinely new. Nayurluku Park at Meals Hill opened in September 2025, and the name comes from the Sugpiaq people who fished and traded on this land for centuries. It means to guard or keep safe. The trail we did was easy, 2.3 miles round trip, with overlooks facing the port on one side and town and the mountains on the other. Then ice cream from the little shop next to our campground, because vacation rules.

Day 3: A 14th Birthday, Valdez Style

My son turned 14 in Valdez, and I’m not sure we could have designed a better birthday if we’d tried.

We started with a big breakfast at Sam’s Spot inside the Eagles building, then headed out for the main event: rafting the Lowe River with Pangaea Adventures, who hosted our family for the trip. The river runs through Keystone Canyon, so you’re floating past the same waterfalls you drove by on the way in, except now you’re in the water looking up. Our guide was quiet but lovely and made sure we had a great time on the water. My son loved every minute of it, which is the only birthday review that matters.

In the afternoon, we rented bikes from the shop that operates out of The Fat Mermaid and rode the flat trail out toward the hatchery and back, somewhere between 12 and 14 miles depending on how far you push it. The trail is flat, fun, and easy, and it might be the best casual family bike ride we’ve ever done. Water on one side, mountains everywhere, zero traffic stress.

Birthday dinner was a steak at Mike’s, a Valdez institution we were told, and then we walked it off on the Homestead Trail, 1.4 miles round trip and easy, the perfect after-dinner stroll. Then ice cream again at Northern Treats.

Day 4: The Drive Out, with a National Park Bonus

We left Valdez and headed back toward Anchorage for a late-night flight home, but we squeezed in one more stop that most people miss entirely: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. It’s the largest national park in the United States, and the visitor center sits right off the Richardson Highway near Copper Center. We did the short hikes next to the visitor center, added another national park to the family list, and it cost us nothing but an hour.

If You Have More Time

If we’d had more days in the Valdez area, I would have gone deeper into Wrangell-St. Elias. We only scratched the surface at the visitor center, and the park is bigger than Switzerland. Then I would have pointed the car north to Denali for a couple of days before circling back to Anchorage. That routing turns Valdez into the hinge of a bigger interior Alaska loop, and it’s the version I’d plan if I didn’t visit Seward.

What I’d Do Differently

Here’s my honest take, the one I’d give a friend planning her own trip. Valdez and Seward overlap a bit. Both give you a glacier cruise, wildlife, waterfalls, and a walkable harbor town. Valdez gave us flatter, more family friendly trails, while most Seward trails go straight up a mountain. Seward gave us Kenai Fjords National Park and easier access from Anchorage. If I did it again, I would pick one town, not both, and skip the long repositioning day between them. If you’re trying to decide, my full 4 days in Seward itinerary is here so you can compare them side by side.

The Practical Stuff

We’re two teachers, and this whole Alaska trip happened because our flights and all of our lodging were covered with points, which freed up real cash for the experiences like the bikes and the birthday steak. If you want to learn how we do it, my free course The Blueprint walks you through it step by step, and my full Alaska trip guide with every number is here.

Stan Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Cruises and Pangaea Adventures hosted our family for those experiences. All opinions, and all of the ice cream purchases, are entirely our own.