The Town in Alaska Under One Roof: Whittier, Alaska & Hiking Portage Glacier

I know Alaskan towns are remote and small, but when I first heard that there existed a town where every resident lived in the same one building, it seemed crazy. To add to that, this same condominium hosts other public facilities such as its own grocery store, post office, church, and tunnel to the local school. Nicknamed the “town under one roof”, the small town of Whittier is the head of the Passage Canal in Alaska and still visited by thousands of tourists yearly for its glaciers and marine life.

About Whittier, AK

Similar to many other Alaskan towns, the small town of Whittier is not as easy to get to as other US towns. Whittier is only accessible by water or tunnel, making it a memorable destination. It is a popular cruise destination to visit Prince William Sound and offers many adventure activities, such as glacier kayaking, wildlife viewing, hiking, and fishing.

Fun fact: on a clear day, you can spot 26 glaciers from Whittier!

History

During World War II, the area of Whittier was chosen to be a military harbor and logistics base for the U.S. Army. After the war, the army port was abandoned until the Cold War reactivated the town. During the Cold War, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers quickly constructed 7 buildings for housing and indoor recreational space to host the headquarters, which includes the 14-story Begich Towers (then Hodge Building) and the now abandoned Buckner Building—the only two buildings completed from their plan. The Great Alaskan Earthquake and Tsunami (Good Friday earthquake) hit in 1964, but the Hodge Building was transformed into a public building with several functions and businesses. In 1972, Whittier purchased the Cold War buildings and renamed the building to Begich Towers Condominium, which leads to today, where most of the citizens still live in this same building.

Getting to Whittier

Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel

From Anchorage, Whittier is only about an hour and half drive away. The only land access to Whittier is by the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel that connects the town to the Seward Highway. It is the longest highway tunnel in North America at 2.5 miles (4 km) long. The highway tunnel is shared between vehicles and trains and is only one way, so sometimes you might be waiting a long while for the other side to come out or the train to go through!

By car

Tickets can be purchased online and are bought as roundtrip tickets ($13 USD as of 2025)—as obviously if you’re going in, you have to get out somehow. Checking the website for the schedule and timing will help minimize delays. You can leave the Whittier every hour and the last tunnel opening is at 11 PM.

By Bus

If you’re in Alaska without a car, traveling on a coach bus is a good alternative as the buses are timed to sync with the tunnel openings, so you don’t have to worry about waiting at the tunnel entrance for it to open!

By Train

Similar to the bus, the trains run on a timed schedule, so no need to many delays with the one-way tunnel. The scenery is just as beautiful as the road, but the only downside is the train is the most expensive option and takes the longest time.

Cruises and Boats

As a passageway between Prince William Sound and Turnagain Arm, Whittier is a very popular destination for cruise ships, because it is used as the “turn around” point and gateway to Prince William Sound.

Whittier is also part of the Alaska Marine Highway System, the main public ferry system that connects many Alaskan towns (we took the one from Skagway to Juneau and even brought my caravan!). Whittier is connected to Valdez, another town for visiting Prince William Sound, and the ferry ride takes almost 6 hours. You can even get to Whittier from Bellingham, Washington, but unsurprisingly, this would require a multiple day journey through Alaska’s Inner Passage.

Know Before You Go

How much time do I need?

We only spent a day (and didn’t spend the night) and thought it was enough time, but I think you could easily spend two! Especially considering if you do other tours such as Prince William Sound or jet skiing or kayaking, which we didn’t because ~budget~, I think at least two days would definitely be needed.

When to go?

As with the rest of Alaska, the best time to visit is the summer (May-September). Although it is the peak tourist season, you don’t want to be caught in the cold or especially snow, if you’re driving. The summer offers longer daylight hours, warm weather, and towns/shops/restaurants being open. Just watch out for the mosquitoes!

If you know me, you know I love traveling in shoulder seasons. Shoulder season (April/May and September/October) is better for less crowds, but watch the weather because snow was already starting to fall when I was leaving Alaska in late September.

Prince William Sound

One of the most popular experiences from Whittier is to visit Prince William Sound, on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. This sound can also be visited from Valdez, which is its largest port.

Prince William Sound has the densest concentration of tidewater glaciers in the world, so seeing a glacier calve would be more likely (but still, if you’re lucky!). We had to pick and choose where we saw glaciers, so unfortunately we didn’t visit Prince William Sound. Hopefully next time we’re in Alaska! 🤞

There are many tours that take you from Whittier to Prince William Sound, so you can’t go wrong. The most popular is the 26 Glacier Cruise which takes you to over 26 glaciers in the area. A fitting name.

Begich Towers Condominium

Locals refer to this as “The Building.” This iconic fourteen story building is what gives Whittier one of its nicknames. While most of the residents live in this concrete building (about 95%), there are a few citizens now who reside in separate apartments now.

While the building is made up of three towers connected together, there are gaps of 7-8 inches between towers to allow the buildings to sway if there are extreme wind or earthquakes. The services, such as the post office, hospital, police station, Baptist church, hotels, conference room, school, laundromat, indoor playground, and more, are all inside or connected to the building. This is perfect for the extremes of Alaska weather, because it allows residents to remain inside for long periods of time.

The first two floors are apparently open to the public, but it kind of felt like trespassing, so we just drove around the building lol.

While you’re at Begich Towers, you can also look at the Buckner Building, which as mentioned above has been abandoned since its use during the wars. You’ll be able to tell which one it is because it doesn’t have any of its doors or windows and clearly looks abandoned.

Portage Glacier

One of the most famous tidewater glaciers in the area is Portage Glacier, within the Chugach National Forest on the Kenai Peninsula. While it’s not technically in Whittier, it’s so close and you need to cross the tunnel to reach it anyways that I consider it part of my Whittier day.

You can see the glacier one of two ways: by a glacier cruise or hike. As a budget traveler, why spend money on the cruise when you can see it for free with a little walking? (Obviously you can get closer to the glacier by being on the water, but we would be going on other Alaskan boat tours later, so can’t do everything!)

Hiking Portage Pass

The Portage Pass trail is about a 4.5 mile (7.2 km) out and back hike roundtrip, which generally takes around 3 hours. It’s a bit of a steep uphill ascent at the very beginning and end, but nothing too bad!

Throughout the hike, you’ll get views of Passage Canal, Divide Lake, and of course, Portage Glacier! As you walk along the trail, there are gorgeous views of other glaciers and mountains around you (no tree jail!), so you’ll never get bored of the views.

Once you reach the end, Portage Lake is an amazing spot to sit, have a snack, and listen to the waves crash as you take in the glacier.

If you’re looking for other hikes, Horsetail Falls is an easier option and Blackstone Bay Vista is a longer one!

Portage Glacier Cruise

There are numerous tour companies to choose from for a cruise to Portage Glacier, from booking directly on the company’s website to third-party sites like GetYourGuide and TripAdvisor. If you’re near Anchorage and don’t have much time to go to other glaciers, doing something like a cruise to Portage Glacier would be your best bet.

Stroll the Whittier Harbor

When I say downtown Whittier, I really just mean the town, because there’s not much more outside this small area!

You walk along the water’s edge and harbor, where there are numerous shops and restaurants. We stopped for a fresh fish and chips and craft beer after our hike, which is exactly what we needed for our starving appetite! Overlooking the harbor, you can get great views of the surrounding mountains and water here.

Things We Missed

Although Whittier is such a small town, there is still no way we could see everything with only one day in Whittier, so here are some things we missed.

Prince William Sound Museum – Learn about Whittier’s history and the tunnel’s construction
Jet Ski Tour – Hop on a jet ski to Blackstone Bay to see numerous glaciers and spot some wildlife
Sea Kayaking
Hiking – There are more hikes than Portage Pass!
- 2nd Salmon Run Waterfall
- Horsetail Falls
- Blackstone Bay Vista
- Emerald Cove
Lu Young Park/Cove Creek 2 Area – good for the salmon run
Fishing Expedition

What’s Next?

After spending another day hiking in the Anchorage area after our Whittier day, we will be going to Denali National Park! One thing that I’m super excited for is going flightseeing in hopes of seeing the peak of Mt. Denali! 🤩

Thanks for reading my little blog! 🙂 Have you been to Juneau or planning a trip or cruise there? Send me your thoughts about what you loved the most or are most excited about! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.