September 24, 2026

Whittier is one of Alaska’s most unusual towns—a small port tucked between steep mountains and Prince William Sound. Developed as a military port during World War II, its history and isolation help explain its unusual buildings and tunnels.

Heavily damaged during the huge 1964 Good Friday earthquake, Whittier rebuilt, but condensed into two primary living quarters – the 14-story Begich Towers (originally built for military housing) and Whittier Manor. Individual homes are pretty much non-existent.

There are underground pedestrian tunnels that connect the living quarters to the school which allows children to reach class without facing the harsh weather. There is also a public pedestrian tunnel beneath the railroad tracks connecting the waterfront side of town with the main residential area.

Our bus tour today was aimed at driving us through the mountain tunnel (more on that in a minute), along Turnagain Arm, a viewing stop at Potter Marsh, and a visit to The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.

We had a few extra minutes before our scheduled time slot for the tunnel, so our bus driver gave us a quick (and I do mean quick) “tour” of the town. We went up one road, turned, came back down the other street and we had seen it all.

The Whittier Tunnel (Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel) – The town itself is completely cut off, except by a 2.5 mile, one-way tunnel that serves car, truck, bus and train traffic. The key here is that being only one lane, there is a controlled entry time for each direction. For example, we left town in the 10:00 exit slot, and were scheduled to reenter on the 2:30 inbound slot. Trains have a priority.

This link about the Portage Glacier Highway has some more interesting information about the tunnel for anyone interested.

After going through the tunnel (dark, very narrow and a little confining for anyone with claustrophobia), we took the Seward Highway towards Anchorage. Off to our left was Turnagain Arm, a long, narrow branch of Cook Inlet. And to our right, as shown below, amazing but harsh landscape.

After roughly an hours ride we arrived at our first stop, Potter Marsh.

Potter Marsh is a peaceful wetland at the southern edge of Anchorage, where elevated wooden boardwalks allow visitors to explore without disturbing the habitat. Part of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, it offers opportunities to spot waterfowl, bald eagles and occasionally moose.

I think we were a little late in the season. I managed to spot two ducks…

Time to turn around, and retrace our path. Seeing the scenery from the bus window was truly a highlight of this excursion. On the return, Turnagain Arm was on my side of the bus.

The final stop was at The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a nonprofit sanctuary that cares for injured and orphaned wildlife, including animals unable to survive independently in the wild. It is home to bears, moose, a grey wolf (it’s actually white), musk oxen, wood bison, caribou, reindeer, a wise owl and a very cute marten.

I don’t particularly care to photograph animals through a wire fence and much prefer seeing them in their natural habitat. However, I made an exception for this sweet looking marten.

The Wildlife Center has a wonderful success story of raising and reintroducing wood bison back into the wild. If you have been fortunate to have seen the American Bison in Yellowstone NP, you will appreciate how big they are. The endangered Wood Bison is 15% larger!

GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I’m grateful for having the opportunity to witness the amazing beauty and grandeur of Alaska. I also appreciate the wonderful work that the Wildlife Conservation Center is doing to take care of orphaned animals as well as helping rebuild the threatened wood bison population.