Hiking - Winner Creek Trail (updated summer 2016)

Dappled Light in a Temperate Rainforest

Stats

Distance:  5.5 miles (round trip)                       Difficulty: Easy                           Time:  Full-day

Summary

Blueberries

The winner creek trail is one of the best kept trails we’ve ever found in Alaska.  It’s also one of the prettiest

Adventure - Grandview Tour on the Alaska Railroad.

Glacier View from the Grandview Tour

Stats

Difficulty: Easy                                                                                                   Time:  Half-day

Summary

Carol's parents visited us in Alaska in June.  Her father can't really walk much anymore so we went looking for cool activities that don't require much walking.  Not surprisingly, there aren't that many in Alaska, but we found a winner in the Grandview Tour on the Alaska Railroad.  The Grandview Tour is pure sightseeing into area of Alaska that cannot be reached in any way other than by train.

Opinion

This is a fun trip, even for those who have no trouble

Adventure - Sightseeing on the 26 Glacier Cruise

Blackstone Glacier

Stats

Difficulty: Easy                                                                                               Time:  5+ hours

Summary

If you want a day packed with glaciers, wildlife, and flat seas, Phillips Cruises 26 Glacier Cruise out of Whittier on the M/V Klondike Express is right up your alley.  The cruise includes the 26 glaciers including a nice close-up view of 2 of them; a good chance (but no guarantee) of seals, sea lions, otters, dolphins, and whales; and a kittiwake nesting area.

Opinion

This trip is good for tourists or locals, photographers, sightseers, kids and adults.  Over the course of the five-hour, we took over 3,000 pictures!  We were actually beginning to worry about maxing out our 64 GB camera memory cards.  The company does a good job of 

Hiking - Portage Glacier Trail (all the way to the beach)

Stats

Distance:  4.7 miles                  Difficulty: Strenuous                                Time:  5 hrs

Summary

We chose to try the Portage Glacier Trail on 10 Jul 2013.  The hike goes up a nearly continuous inclined for a 750 ft elevation change, then back down (more gently) the full 750 ft to reach the portage glacier lake.  We found the hike on the National Park Service map (NPS Portage Glacier Trail).  This page is useful, but someone dated, see The Hike section of this post for updated information.

Opinion

This is a fabulous hike!  But we wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who is not at least reasonably fit.  The highlights of the hike include

Adventure - Boat Tour of the Portage Glacier on the MV Ptarmigan

Portage Glacier Cruise

Portage Glacier from the MV Ptarmigan

Stats

Difficulty: very calm water                                                                     Time:  approximately 1 hr

Summary

We chose took the Portage Glacier Cruise on the MV Ptarmigan on 29 Jul 2013 (Portage Glacier Cruises).  This is the only motorized boat authorized on Portage Glacier Lake.  The boat cruises the short distance from the docks to the glacier for a spectacular, close-up view of the Portage Glacier.  A Chugach National Park ranger narrates the trip.

Opinion

This is a great trip.  The price is surprisingly reasonable and

Hiking - Byron Glacier Game Trail (Not Recommended)

Byron Glacier Game Trail

Summary

On 24 Jun 2013 we decided to go to the Portage Glacier and take the boat to the glacier front.  Our timing was off due to road construction on Sterling Hwy and we missed the boat.  However, on the way to the cruise loading area, we passed Byron Glacier.  It was lovely, so we decided to stop and take photos at the last scenic viewing area before the Portage Glacier Cruise parking lot.  That scenic viewing area had the best view of Byron Glacier from the road.

At the edge of the parking area was a large rock.  We saw a group of people come out from behind it talking about the trail they took, so we decided to investigate.

After exploring the trail, we came to the conclusion that this was a moose game trail and NOT an actual hike.

Opinion

We don’t recommend this hike.  Although it is interesting, it is just a game trail.  The alder forest it runs through is wild and low and you spend most of the time bent over weaving through the trunks and branches.  In addition, the game trail breaks in several directions and it is easy to get lost coming back.

Hiking - Byron Glacier Trail

Stats

Distance:  1.0 miles                                    Difficulty: Easy                                          Time:  1 hr

Summary

On 24 Jun 2013 we decided to go to the Portage Glacier and take the boat to the glacier front.  Our timing was off due to road construction on Sterling Hwy and we missed the boat.  However the trip wasn't a total loss; on the way to the cruise loading area, we passed Byron Glacier.  From the road, it looked beautiful so we decided to check out the Byron Glacier Trail.

The trail is part of the Chugach National Forest.  The official web site is http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/chugach/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=6606&actid=50.  The trail is a 2-mile round trip and a very easy hike.  It brings you quite close to the face of the glacier and provides a very pleasant hike with a beautiful glacier at the end.


Opinion

This is the best easy glacier hike we’ve found so far.  The highlight of this trail are