Anchorage to Whittier
Cruise Transfer & Wildlife Tour

Tour Highlights & Itinerary

1. 01

   Turnagain Arm

   Your day begins with pickup at your Anchorage hotel, the airport, or another location of your choice, followed by a scenic drive along the breathtaking Turnagain Arm - one of the most beautiful stretches of highway in North America.

   The Seward Highway is a designated National Scenic Byway, and this stretch along Turnagain Arm is why.

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   Keep a window seat if you can. The road follows the water for miles, with pull-offs for photos when the light is good or wildlife shows up.

   
2. 02

   Beluga Point

   We'll make a stop at Beluga Point, where you may spot Dall sheep high on the cliffs or, in the right season, beluga whales gliding through the water below.

   The first place most visitors realize how big Alaska really is: mountains straight up on one side, a tidal arm of the sea on the other.

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   Look up the rock face above the road for white specks. Those are Dall sheep, and they often come close to the highway here.

   Turnagain Arm has one of the few bore tides in the United States, a single wave that rolls in with the incoming tide. It depends on the tide tables, so we can't promise it, but your guide watches for it.

   
3. 03

   Wildlife Conservation Center

   Next, we'll visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a 250-acre sanctuary where rescued bears, moose, bison, and other iconic animals roam natural enclosures.

   Sightings on the road are luck. Here they're a sure thing, and every animal has a story.

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   This up-close experience is a guest favorite and the perfect way to safely see Alaska's wildest residents.

   The center has cared for orphaned and injured Alaska animals since 1993. Many can't be released, so they live here in large, natural enclosures, and visitors help pay for that care.

   Tip: the bears are often most active in the morning and when keepers bring food. Your guide knows the best viewing spots.

   
4. 04

   Portage Valley Glaciers

   From there, we'll continue to Portage Valley, a glacially-carved landscape filled with hanging ice fields and waterfalls.

   A valley carved by ice, with glaciers still hanging from the peaks on both sides.

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   You'll enjoy a self guided walk to Byron Glacier - an easy, scenic trail along a glacial stream that leads to a spectacular view of the glacier itself.

   Portage Glacier once filled the lake you see here. It has pulled back out of sight of the road, which makes the valley a clear lesson in how fast Alaska's ice is changing.

   The Byron Glacier trail is about 0.8 miles each way and mostly flat, following a glacial stream toward the ice.

   Honest note: low cloud can hide the upper glaciers. On those days the valley floor, the waterfalls and the lake still make the stop worth it.

   
5. 05

   Girdwood to Whittier

   After soaking in the alpine beauty, we'll stop in Girdwood, a cozy mountain town where you'll have time for an optional lunch (meal not included) at one of our favorite local cafés.

   You reach Whittier through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, about 2.5 miles long and shared by cars and trains.

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   Finally, we'll pass through the famous Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel - the longest highway tunnel in North America - and descend into the remote port town of Whittier, where we'll deliver you right to your cruise terminal, relaxed and ready to set sail.

   It's the longest highway tunnel in North America and runs one direction at a time, so we plan the day around its schedule to get you to your ship on time.