WELCOME TO WHITTIER, ALASKA

Just an hour’s drive south of Anchorage lies Whittier, a very colorful Alaskan town with a unique history. Once a secret World War II military base, it’s remained virtually off the map and unchanged to this very day.

The majority of Whittier’s 300 year-round residents live together in one building, The Begich Towers, earning us the distinction of being “Alaska’s Only Town Under One Roof.”

How do I get to Whittier?

Whittier is accessed through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel.

With a distance of 2.5 miles, this innovative roadway has the distinction of being the longest combined rail/highway tunnel in North America.

Travelers can drive a single direction through the tunnel once per hour. During our summer months, these tunnel openings begin early in the morning and stretch late into the evening. The Alaska Department of Transportation provides a schedule for tunnel use on its website. Please note there is a small toll to enter the tunnel.

The following quick links will help you find the most important details concerning Tunnel travel:

• Download a PDF of the Full Tunnel Schedule
• Download a PDF of the Tunnel Toll Rates
• Take a Virtual Drive!
• Read about the Tunnel’s History

Travel Options

• Alaska Highway Conditions
• The Seward Highway
• Alaska Marine Highway System
• Ted Stevens International Airport

Staying in Whittier

Whittier has a range of accommodations both within town or nearby communities:

• Anchor Inn Hotel
• June’s Bed & Breakfast
• Sound View Getaway B&B Waterfront Condo Suites
• The Inn at Whittier

If the great outdoors is more your style, the city campground can be found behind the Begich Towers. In the past, other visitors have chosen to set up camp on the beach at the head of Portage Canal.

During the summer season, there are a number of great places to dine out in Whittier. Your options include fresh-caught local seafood (and awesome blues music) at Varley’s Swiftwater Cafe, the wonderful cuisine at China Sea Restaurant, gourmet west-coast fare at the Inn at Whittier, or the tastiest burger in town (among other things) at the Wild Catch Cafe. Whittier might be small, but there’s no shortage of good eating here!

Recreational activities include day cruises to tidewater glaciers, kayak rentals, flight-seeing, fishing charters, hiking and so much more.

For the most comprehensive information on our area, we definitely recommend that you visit the following sites first:

The City of Whittier, Alaska

The Whittier Business Map: Created by the Whittier Chamber of Commerce, this colorful PDF document provides an excellent look at the locations ofall of the businesses, recreational activities, and events in Whittier.

The Greater Whittier Chamber of Commerce

Whittier Webcams

The city’s webcams are perfect for getting a quick glimpse of the local weather. “Camera 1” is located on the 14th floor of the Begich Towers. It usually overlooks Whittier and Passage Canal in a northerly direction, but will change from time to time over the summer months to showcase the harbor or the cruise ship dock.

“Camera 2” generally faces east and is located on the 10th floor of the Begich Towers. It primarily shows the Lynden Transport barge docking facility. There are usually two arrivals each week, one from Seattle and another from Canada, bringing in supplies and goods to be distributed across the entire state of Alaska.