Alaska's Prince William Sound
The Sound is a special place for viewing wildlife, kayaking, and fishing. The towns of Whittier on the West and Valdez on the East provide access for touring Prince William Sound.
View Traveler's Guide to Prince William Sound, Alaska in a larger map
The wildlife you might see around the sound -
- Marine Mammals (orca and humpback whales, otters, seals, porpoise, and stellar sea lions)
- Birds (kittiwake, cormorant, merganser, loon, gull, arctic tern, puffin, and, of course, plenty of raven and eagle)
- Land Mammals - black bear, brown bear, marmot, porcupine, river otter, sitka deer, and mountain goat.
- Fishes - Halibut, Lingcod, Salmon Shark, Rockfish, Salmon, Herring
- Habitats - boreal forest, shore-zone (intertidal to shallow sub-tidal),alpine, sub-alpine
The geographic features in this slideshow are: Towns of Whittier, Valdez, and Cordova, Port Wells, Harrimann Fiord, College Fiord, Unakwik Inlet, Esther Island, Columbia Glacier, Heather Island, Glacier Island, Sawmill bay, Jack Bay, the Valdez Arm, Port Fidalgo, Port Gravina, Orca Bay, Bligh Reef, Hinchinbrook and Montague Islands.
The Alaska State Parks are well represented in Prince William Sound. There are SMP (State Marine Parks) located near the access towns of Whittier, Valdez and Cordova. Here are the parks:
Near Cordova: Canoe Passage State Marine Park, Boswell Bay State Marine Park, Kayak Island State Marine Park
Near Whittier: Decision Point State Marine Park, Entry Cove State Marine Park, Surprise Cove State Marine Park, Ziegler Cove State Marine Park, Granite Bay State Marine Park, South Esther Island State Marine Park, Bettles Bay State Marine Park, Horseshoe Bay State Marine Park
Near Valdez: Shoup Bay State Marine Park, Sawmill Bay State Marine Park, Jack Bay State Marine Park
State Parks also offer cabins for reservation at Shoup Bay ( McAllister Creek Cabin, Kittiwake Cabin, and Moraine Cabin) and at Decision Point (Decision Point Cabin)
Prince William Sound is within the boundaries of the Chugach National Forest and the Forest service manages cabins here as well.
- Harrison Lagoon Cabin
- Beach River Cabin
- Coghill Lake Cabin
- Double Bay Cabin
- Goose Bay Cabin
- Green Island Cabin
- Hook Point Cabin
- Jack Bay Cabin
- Log Jam Bay Cabin
- Paulson Bay Cabin
- Pigot Bay Cabin
- Port Chalmers Cabin
- San Juan Bay Cabin
- Shrode Lake Cabin
Please enjoy the Prince William Sound slideshow!
Click a picture to see a larger view.
The businesses mentioned here:
Glacier and Wildlife Tours :
- Prince William Sound Cruises and Tours
- Stan Stephens Cruises
- Sound Eco Adventures - biologist guided boat tours for small groups
- Auklet Charter Services - scientific research and adventure cruises
Seakayaking:
- Pangaea Adventures - Valdez
- Anadyr Adventures - Valdez
- Alaska Vision Quest - Whittier
- Epic Charters - Whittier
Fishing:
Water Taxi:
- Kimberlin's Water Taxi & Tours - Valdez
- Anadyr Adventures - Valdez - Kayak rentals
- Aquetec - Whittier Water Taxi - Whittier
- Lazy Otter Charters - Whittier - Kayak rentals
Alaska Wilderness Lodges and Cabin rentals
- Eshamy Bay Lodge and Prince William Sound Rental Cabins
- located 50 boat miles from Whittier. Offers wilderness lodging very far away from the crowds and an authenic
alaskan lodge experience. Rugged activities - sea kayaking, beachcombing, fishing and hunting - with luxury
Accommodations - beds, hot water, included meals, and flush toliets.
For more information:
