Kayaking
You can leave out of Whittier (1 hour from Anchorage), Seward (3 hours south) or Valdez (8 hours north, then south.) Whittier is probably the more spectacular - at least you'll have very close access to glaciers - but also more expensive. The best way to do the trip (most go to Blackstone Bay) is to have a water taxi drop you off (approx. $250) and then either paddle back to town or get picked up again. Seward is also beautiful and you can leave right from town but it will take a few miles to get past either the end of the road (on the west side) or the state prison (on the east side). . If you reserve mid week and a bit early, you can probably rent the state cabin at Thumb's Cove - a nice spot. In either case, you'll see lots of sea otters and possibly whales. Valdez is logisticallymore involved but you can very close to glaciers. A good trip is to drive to Valdez north from Anchorage (along the loop [link]) we describe and stop for a day or two of kayaking.
A note on companies:
Whittier has one choice for both kayak rentals and water taxis – they are next door to each other and work together often. Note: if coming from Anchorage, there is a one-way tunnel (the longest in North America) that has particular schedules for each direction
Whittier Tunnel Schedule is here.
Valdez: We went kayaking here years ago and don’t remember the company. Sorry.
Seward has various options but if you can swing it, avoid Miller’s Landing. They could be super cool and helpful but somehow they are cranky and not cool. In fact, they almost seem resentful of inquiries and customers. They’ve been reliable enough with us for pickups but we’ve had two sets of friends they arrived very late for (in one case, 8 hours; in another a full day late.) For water taxis we prefer Aquatec – the fellow who runs it is also cranky but he’s cheaper and very reliable.
For More Info:
Aquatec
Miller’s Landing
