Whittier Tunnel

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• Definitely, a unique adventure to be experienced in your car! This tunnel is a oneway tunnel shared by cars and trains.
• This one lane tunnel spans 2.5 miles -longest highway tunnel in North America.
• Make sure you check the tunnel schedule so you don’t miss your time slot. The tunnel schedule does change in the winter vs summer and for any planned maintenance.

Local’s  Tips

• To Whittier: Cars depart at the top of the hour (for a 15 min window).
  • Summer Hours: 5:30am to 10:30pm
• From Whittier: Cars depart at the bottom of the hour (for a 15 min window)
  • Summer Hours:  6am to 11pm
• The tunnel suggests arriving 10 minutes prior to your opening. It’s definitely NOT a waste of time to arrive early. Both staging areas offer plenty of beautiful scenery for you to soak up.
• When planning out which tunnel you should take keep in mind there can be a delay in the opening. To be safe, give yourself 20-30 minutes to get through the tunnel.
• Meeting a cruise ship? It’s highly suggested to allow yourself a minimum of one hour to drive from Anchorage to the tunnel opening. With summer traffic, you may want to allow up to 1.5 hours. Plan to catch the tunnel opening that is 1.5 hours before your cruise ship leaves. Ex. Cruise departs at 9am – plan to catch the 7:30am to 7:45am tunnel.  If you arrive early, there are a couple nice restaurants and coffee shops to check out with a bonus of spectacular scenery to take in.

Whittier Tunnel Ticket COST:

Tickets start at $13

• All tickets are round trip. Check out the tunnels fees for different sized vehicles.

Whittier Tunnel HISTORY:

Check out the unique history of this tunnel on the State of Alaska’s website. 

Whittier Tunnel Summer Schedule:

Whittier Tunnel Winter Schedule:

Things to do in Whittier | Whittier Day Trips

Alaska Wild Guides

• Glacier Jet-Ski (Personal Water Craft) Tours
• Sailing Sea Kayak Day Tours
• Multi-day adventures out of Whittier during the summer months all of which take your breath away!
• View all their summer tours HERE.
• Learn more about Alaska Wild Guides HERE.

Glacier Jet Ski

• SEADOO watercraft, equipped with the latest eco-friendly and noise reduction technology!
• FREE Parking!
• Once in a lifetime jet ski adventure with your friends and family!
• Learn more about Glacier Jet Ski HERE.

Portage Pass Trial

• Great day hike or overnight hike.
• Trailhead accessed on Whittier side of Tunnel.
• 1.5 miles (one way) to the pass – Moderate Difficulty
• 3 miles (one way) to the lake – Moderate Difficulty
• Learn more about Portage Pass Trail HERE.

Alaska Rail Road

• If you don’t have a rental car, you can get to Whittier by Train.
• There is a Girdwood Train Depot – note though there are no services here. You must purchase your ticket ahead of time online.  Learn more about the Girdwood Train Depot HERE.
• Purchase a train ticket last minute at the Portage Train Station.  This is just 15 minutes southeast of Girdwood.

Beigh Boggs Visitor Center | USFS Portage Visitor Center

• Located on the Bear Valley Side of the Tunnel.
• Run by the USFS
• Free information and for a small fee you can view their museum and watch a really cool movie on the history of the area.
• Family-friendly museum.
• Learn more about the Begich Boggs Visitor Center HERE.

Portage River

• You will drive parallel to Portage River as you make your way to the Whittier Tunnel.
• You can hire a local tour company like Chugach Adventures to take you on a scenic float trip down Portage River.
• Learn more about Portage River HERE.

Byron Glacier Hike

• Short Family Friendly Hike on the Bear Valley Side of the Whittier Tunnel.
• 1.4 miles  Round trip.  Easy walk for all ages.
• Budget yourself about 1 hr (20 minutes to walk in, 20 minutes to look and play, 20 minutes to walk out)
• Offers views of Byron Glacier
• Learn more about Byron Glacier Hike HERE.