Valdez, the Switzerland of Alaska

We left Victory Bible Camp on Wednesday, July 24 and drove the rest of the Glenn Highway to the junction with the Richardson Highway in Glennallen, Alaska. Glennallen gets it name from Major Edwin Glenn and Lt. Henry Allen, both leaders in the early explorations of the Copper River region. The name was originally written as two names, but later made into one word by the post office. This .was our fuel and propane fill stop before continuing south to our eventual destination of Valdez, AK (209 miles) almost 4 hours of driving away.

The Richardson Highway is probably the most picturesque part of our journey yet. Leaving Glennallen you are presented with Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve to the east. According to the Crown of the Continent film produced for the National Park Service; "Soar above mountains and glacier-carved valleys still emerging from the Ice Age. With calving glaciers in hidden fjords, wildlife wandering a vast land and countless unnamed peaks, Wrangell-St. Elias fulfills the romantic, mythic image of Alaska. This single national park contains the greatest concentration of glaciers outside the polar ice caps, nine of the 16 highest peaks in the United States, the largest piedmont glacier and the highest coastal range in the world."

We continued south over the Thompson Pass, a 2,600 foot-high gap in the Chugach Mountains northeast of Valdez, Alaska. It is the snowiest weather station in Alaska, recording 500 inches of snow per year on average. One of the most noteworthy sites and popular stops on Thompson Pass is Worthington Glacier. Worthington Glacier is one of Alaska’s most accessible glaciers, easily seen right from the road when traveling down the Richardson Highway. At four miles long and encompassing a whopping 5,744 acres, Worthington Glacier is a valley glacier.

We considered camping at Blueberry Lake Campground located in Thompson Pass, 24 miles north of Valdez. It is an Alpine Lake with Arctic grayling & rainbow trout. 25 Dry Campsites were indicated but after driving through it was apparent to us the sites were too small to accommodate us comfortably, so we pressed on.

Next we passed through Keystone Canyon. It is a place of spectacular waterfalls, magnificent geology and fascinating history. Keystone Canyon is located at miles 14 through 17 on the Richardson Highway. This is home to two incredible waterfalls; Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls.

Bridal Veil Falls, on the left side of the hightway, cascade down hundreds of feet through the canyon and into the Lowe River. In the wintertime, the falls freeze into a towering column of ice. Horsetail Falls is on the right of the Richardson Highway next to a convenient turnout. The entire route is decorated with wildflowers including bright magenta colored Fireweed.

Just before the Dayville Road turn to the Solomon Gulch Hatchery we spotted an abandoned truck weigh station with a huge turnout. it looked perfect for two RV's and provided us enough room to park with our trailer doors facing each other. This is where we would park for the next four days unless someone chased us off.

In Alaska, it is commonplace to see RV's of all shapes and sizes parked on paved and gravel turnouts. The freedom to not be crammed into RV parks with limited space is considerably more desirable. The benefits of plenty of battery power, fresh water and empty black/gray water tanks affords us the luxury to pick a more remote but comfortable venue close enough to town but for free.

The next four days in Valdez were going to be a truly an Alaskan treat. Starting on Thursday, July 25 we booked a trip with Captain Fred Rodolf on board the Lu-Lu Belle. He takes you to the mighty Columbia Glacier, the second-largest tidewater glacier in North America and the largest in Prince William Sound. We hoped to experience some of the most spectacular calving events in the world from the decks on the Lu-Lu Belle, seeing for ourselves the ice falling into the sea causing thunderous explosions resulting in massive plumes of spray and wave activity. He is known to stay at the glacier for at least an hour to make sure everyone has a chance to photograph and/or record some of those amazing events. So stay tuned!