Girdwood Things to Do

Glacier Valley Transit is the shuttle bus that takes everyone from the hotel to the restaurants and shops. The shuttle is a great place to meet and talk to locals. If you don't know where you want to go or what you want to do, it's perfectly fine to just ride on the bus and have a look around. The drivers are very friendly and are happy to point out all of the dining and shopping options on the shuttle route. The round trip takes about half an hour. Shuttles run every 20 minutes in the summer. The shuttle costs a dollar a ride, unless you are a hotel guest, then it's free. Do tip the driver if you enjoy your shuttle ride! I know it sounds weird that a shuttle ride can be a memorable experience, but once you get to Girdwood, you'll understand.

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We went to go to Prince William Sound via helicopter and had so much fun that we decided to go Summer Dog Sledding too. Everything was incredible! It is a bit pricy but worth every penny! All of the views were once in a life time and totaly made our entire trip! The only bad thing is that after our trips everything paled in comparison. We are planning to go back in the winter so that we can see everything covered in snow. So much fun! I guess they are even taking people back to get married on the Glaciers too, what will they think of next?

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The Alyeska Ski Resort has an average of 631 inches of snowfall every year and covers 1,000 acres with a 2500 foot vertical drop. Alyeska is where Olympic Gold Medalist Tommy Moe trained. There are two certified (International Ski Federation) downhill courses. Alyeska has wide open bowls, and long top to bottom runs. There are 10 black diamond trails and 5 double diamond trails. All 68 runs are open to snowboarders. Here is the online trail guide.

Wikipedia tells us that Mount Alyeska is the biggest ski mountain in the state of Alaska. The Alyeska Ski Corporation was founded in 1954, and the first chair lift and day lodge were opened in 1959. The Roundhouse ski lodge and ski patrol station at the top of the mountain began construction in 1960, and is still standing today. Currently, Alyeska has 6 chair lifts and one high-speed tram. Of the 6 chairlifts, one is co-owned by Alyeska and the Tanaka Corporation (Chair 5). Chair 6 is a high-speed bubble-quad, while Chairs 4 and 7 are normal quads. Chair 1 is the oldest chair lift on the mountain, and leads all the way up to the Roundhouse. Chair 6 goes to the highest skiable point on the mountain. However, plans to make a new chair lift higher up the mountain have been announced. Alyeska was bought in December of 2006 by John Byrne III, who says he plans to make many new improvements to the resort, concentrating on people who come to ski for the day.

Summer or winter, the ride up the Tramway is a great experience. The views of the valley and all the way out to Turnagain Arm are breathtaking. The Tramway holds about 30 people and starts behind the Alyeska Prince Hotel and goes up to the view platform at 2300'.

Tram runs at half speed during the summer and take 8 minutes so you can take it all in.
$15 per adult guests of the hotel or $16 for non-guests.
Free if you are having dinner at the Seven Glaciers Restaurant which is a very good deal.

You can arrange for a tandem paraglide ride from the platform to the valley floor for about $100 including the tram ride.

An upscale resort worth visiting even if not staying here. Very picturesque but a little dark inside.

Activities: Tram runs year round & holds 60 passengers. World famous "Seven Glaciers Restaurant" at top of mountain. There is also a cafeteria. Those that wish to hike the 2 miles can take the tram down for free.

My husband & I tried to reserve a couple of nights stay but their website indicated the resort was full. Friends I travelled with tried the same to no avail. When we stopped by enroute to Seward the resort was almost deserted. Not good marketing on their part as they lost a couple of customers.

The Mountain looks much different in summer without the layers of snow. Peggy, Diane, and myself rode up the tram to to chalet on Mt Alyeska. Interestingly enough, they had heard about the cable car from a women's magazine they had gotten in the check-out line of their grocery store.

Get your inspiration from anywhere you can.

Here is a view on the ride up the cable car in August of the Turnagain Arm and the Kenai Peninsula. It looks different in the summer. Alyeska and Alaska are beautiful anytime you choose to visit.

As you can see we are not all frozen tundra, we have trees at least south of the permafrost.

Here is another view looking out over the townsite of Girdwood to the coast road (Seward Highway) the Turnagain Arm, and the Kenai Peninsula beyond. Alaska is a beautiful place to visit especially in the winter!

I like looking down on the clouds in this picture.