Paddling on the Prince William Sound

Prince William Sound - I’ve started from Chenega Village three times and had memorable trips. You can paddle north toward Knight Island Passage or south to the Gulf of Alaska. It is about 150 miles back to Whittier. There are no campgrounds and all the camping is on beaches. Whales, sea otters, seals, sea lions, porpoises, black and brown bears, bald eagles, puffins, and many types of sea birds can be seen along the way. There are opportunities to visit calving glaciers and paddle through ice bergs. Few kayakers venture to this remote area.

Prince William Sound - I’ve started from Valdez 4 times and had memorable trips. It is about 150 miles back to Whittier. There are no campgrounds and all the camping is on beaches. Whales, sea otters, seals, sea lions, porpoises, black and brown bears, bald eagles, puffins, and many types of sea birds can be seen along the way. There are opportunities to visit calving glaciers and paddle through ice bergs. Few kayakers venture to this remote area.

Prince William Sound - The paddle to the Columbia glacier is about 50 miles. There are no campgrounds and all the camping is on beaches. I did the the trip in mid-July 2021 taking 4 days to get to the glacier, one day touring around the ice and 3 days paddling back to Valdez. The weather varied from sun to rain and calm to wind. The glacier was active with lots of ice floating 3 miles from the glacial face. I carefully paddled through the ice without any trouble. I saw a lot of animals along the way. Sea otters with pups were common all along the paddle. Mid-July is when salmon are schooling along the coast. This brings in sea lions and seals hunting for these fish. Also commercial fishing boats are operatiing along the coast. Whales, porpoises, black and brown bears, bald eagles, puffins, and many types of sea birds can also be seen.