Day Trip from Anchorage: Portage and Girdwood
When visiting South-central Alaska there is never enough time
to accomplish everything you want to see and do. With the long summer days and a little bit of
luck from the weather it is possible to get a wide variety of activities
done in one day. In late April we went down to the
Girdwood and Portage areas for a fun day trip.
We always recommend these activities (as well as many others) for guests traveling south to the Kenai
Peninsula or for guests just looking for a fun day from the Anchorage area. Girdwood is about 45 minutes outside of
Anchorage, and Portage is another 10 miles south from Girdwood.
|
Heading out of Anchorage
through Potter's Marsh |
We started the day leaving at 8:00 am (for our guests, we do
offer an early 7:30 breakfast seating for those looking to get a fast start to
their day! For earlier departures we do pack a prepared bag breakfast with homemade breads, yogurt, granola, cheeses, and often a few small desserts for later in the day!). Once out of Anchorage the Seward Highway skirts the Cook Inlet the
whole way down, offering beautiful views of the Alaska Range and the Chugach
Mountains. Although not able to pull
over and stop for pictures we did catch a couple of moose on the way out of
town, as well as some Dall’s Sheep on the steep cliffs just outside of
Anchorage, as well as a dozen or so Bald eagles. These are somewhat common to see along the
highway. Rare sightings of beluga whales can also be had, however they are most
commonly seen in the late summer in these parts of the inlet.
|
Byron Glacier Trailhead |
9:45 am: Our first stop was Byron glacier, located by the Begich
Visitor Center before heading into the town of Whittier. The 1.5 mile round trip trail leads you to
the face of Byron Glacier.
We actually
hiked this trail in late 2015 and since then an avalanche has completely filled the
valley. Where once you could cross a
small stream to hike to the face of the glacier, now a 50 foot high wall of
snow, ice, and rock block the path. It
is highly advisable to not walk on this as the snow and ice can be thin. This took
about 1 hour, including a 15 minute break exploring the new avalanche filled
area. The trail is well maintained,
well-traveled, and relatively flat.
|
Brown bear at the Wildlife
Conservation Center |
11:15 am: Our next stop was the Portage Wildlife
Conservation Center located right off the Seward Highway and the intersection
towards Byron glacier. The Wildlife Conservation Center is a rehabilitation
center for Alaskan wildlife and provides the opportunity to get close to
brown/black bears, moose,
|
Red Fox |
Musk ox, Wood bison, caribou, elk, and wolves, as
well as some other small mammals and birds. One of the great successes has been
the release of a herd of Wood bison in the northwest area of Alaska, and it
just so happened that the day we went here, the first wild offspring of the
herd had been spotted. We spent about an hour here before heading north towards
Girdwood.
|
Jack Sprat Yam Fries! |
12:45 pm: As we started to get hungry we headed up to
Girdwood for a late brunch at Jack Sprat.
On the weekends they offer a great brunch menu. Their dinner is also wonderful with a wide
variety of options. We always go for their yam fries! Unfortunately on weekdays
Jack Sprat is closed until dinner service.
But just up the hill is another great spot, the Bake Shop. They may be most known for their breakfast
(and sourdough cinnamon rolls!), they have a wonderful variety sandwich, soups,
and salads.
|
Maintained Winner Creek Trail |
2:00 pm: After fueling up, we drove into the Alyeska resort
area to get onto the Winner Creek trail.
Girdwood is in a more rainforest environment, and offers landscapes
similar to those found in southeastern Alaska.
Large fir and cedar trees cover the landscape. The first half of the Winner Creek Trail is a
fairly flat trail and is also well-traveled.
The second half does have some elevation changes as you approach the
streams, but it is not terribly steep.
Although closed for winter maintenance, there is a hand tram at 2.5
miles in that you can use to cross over the gorge. We turned around here to
head back towards the resort. The tram
goes over a stream and is a unique feature of the trail. We stopped at the tram and headed back to the
resort area, about 2.5 hours in total and about 5 miles of hiking.
|
Hand Tram to cross the gorge
on the Winner Creek Trail |
5:00 pm: We made our way back up to Anchorage in the early
evening. With the sun not setting now
until 10 PM, we had plenty of sun light.
We didn’t see as much wildlife on the way back, but did catch some
locals in the inlet wind surfing. Guests
could easily have a nice dinner back in Anchorage after this itinerary.
This itinerary is great for guests who don’t want to have to
book tours months in advance, but still have flexibility throughout their
day. There are many more hikes in the
area and Girdwood does have more activities, especially at the resort. We are
more than happy to provide our guests some other recommendations for things to
do within a day’s drive of Anchorage. We can’t promise you’ll check everything
off on your list, but we will do our best to make sure your time is well spent
offering the greatest variety and most unique activities for your interests.
No comments:
Post a Comment