A ferry Ride to Valdez, a Goat Trail Hike and a Fish Hatchery Tour

 

Our ferry ride arrives in Whittier on a fine Saturday.

Cruising through the Prince William sound.

Departing the Port of Whittier.

The end terminal of the Alaskan Pipeline in Valdez.

Bridal Veil Falls, Valdez

An interesting story and an excellent hike. This trail was built by the army in 1898 during the Gold Rush as an alternative to hiking over the Valdez Glacier to reach the interior. How these settlers carried all their gear over this trail is beyond me.

Bridal Falls from a little elevation.

A long drop.

                                                A glacial flow.

A sometimes hidden trail.

The end of the trail. There is a collapsed bridge to reach the other side back in 1898. No longer passable.

A fascinating salmon hatchery. The Sea of Alaska on the top side of the fish weir (elevated gate) where salmon live the last year of their life then return to freshwater, on the bottom side of the weir, to spawn and die.

The height is adjusted for the tide. Salmon swim aggressively upstream (natural to them) into the freshwater to spawn. Depending on the type of salmon (silver or coho) they spend 1-2 years living in freshwater pens before being released into the saltwater. They return here one year later to spawn and then die.

A feast for the walrusses and bears.

Interesting videos of salmon swimming upstream and providing a feast for predators.

                                                Bridal Veil Falls.

The end of the Goat Hike. It used to extend way into the interior but a bridge on this section collapsed in 2006. The collapsed section is shown in this video.