Chugach National Forest, Valdez

We camped at a small turn out on Loose Rocks ponds that was very popular. A great place to boondock. We hiked to Byron glacier which is an easy 2 miles round trip, and Portage glacier which was much more difficult especially the first 3/4 of a mile ,but worth it.

Wonderful place with several hiking trails! The temperature might be a bit low when you get higher, make sure to pack some warm clothes!

We went through the Chugach National Forest for the Portage Glacier Cruise and a visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Our first stop was at the Anchorage Overlook where you can seethe whole city of Anchorage below the tall mountains. Along the highway you can see bear and moose as well as different seabirds. If you look high up in the mountains you can sometimes see Dali Sheep. Did not have time for any hiking on this trip but there are many hiking trails in the area. Would love to come back and do some more exploring.

West side glacier is retreating rapidly. East side of Columbia glacier is gorgeous. It's reachable by small boats and hence very quiet most of the time. We took 6 days of kayaking and camped between East and west glaciers. Once in a lifetime experience when only 3 people enjoyed the enormous glaciers.

We make two stops off the Alaskan Railroad, one on Whittier to camp and the next night at the Spencer Creek Glacier trails. It was wonderful weather in August, we hiked about 10 miles each day with plenty to view, we hiked to the Spencer Cabin to have lunch and it had wonderful views, we met a group that helicoptered in to the top of the mountain and hiked down, and met many other great individuals. There were many rafters and and kayakers that looks to be having a great time!