Valdez Vacations, Valdez Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Valdez Vacation Guide

Valdez is a fishing port, both for commercial and sport fishing. Freight moves through Valdez bound for the interior of Alaska. Sightseeing of the marine life and glaciers, together with both deep-sea freshwater fishing, and heli skiing support a tourist industry in Valdez. The oil from the Trans-Alaska pipeline is loaded onto ships at the Valdez oil terminal. The natural setting for Valdez is one of the most beautiful on Earth, and it has been called the Switzerland of Alaska.

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company is one of the biggest employers in town but it started to move several positions to its headquarters in Anchorage since the town council passed a resolution charging a tax to all the tankers coming into the port to be loaded with oil. This has had an impact in the population size and the economy.
Valdez is connected to the interior of Alaska by the Richardson Highway, and is a port of call in the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system. Just north of Valdez on the highway is Thompson Pass, which has spectacular waterfalls and glaciers next to the highway. Thompson Pass is also known for treacherous driving conditions during the winter.

Valdez is also known as the "North Shore" of heli-skiing and is home to no less than five heli-ski operations.

Valdez is also home to several World Extreme Skiing Champs such as Dean Cummings of H2O Guides.