Easiest from Cozihaus in Spenard

A day in Whittier

You reach Whittier through a single-lane tunnel shared with the railroad, which runs one direction at a time on a schedule. On the other side is an odd, likeable little port town with glacier and sound access — and a real, unusual history. The U.S. Army built Whittier in the early 1940s as a secret, fog-shrouded deepwater port (chosen specifically because persistent cloud cover hid it from enemy reconnaissance), and the town still shows it: most of its year-round population lives in one large building, Begich Towers, a former Army barracks converted to condos.

Who this suits

A full day away, the best route to glacier and sound scenery without flying, and — for guests curious about it — one of Alaska's most genuinely unusual town stories.

A plan that works

Check the tunnel schedule before you leave, and plan both your entry and your return window around it.
Drive Turnagain Arm and through Portage Valley — the drive itself is a large part of the day.
Book a wildlife or glacier cruise, or a guided sea-kayak trip, in advance if that is the goal.
If a guest is curious why Whittier looks the way it does, mention the WWII origin and Begich Towers on the way in — it takes one minute and changes how the town reads for the rest of the day.
Leave buffer before the return tunnel window. Missing it means waiting for the next one.

Drive and timing, honestly

Roughly an hour from Cozihaus in Spenard; about an hour and fifteen from Cozihaus on Blodgett Lake — before the tunnel wait.
The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel — originally bored in 1943 as a military railroad tunnel, converted to shared vehicle and rail use in 2000 — is the longest combined vehicle-and-railroad tunnel in North America. It is one lane, alternates direction on a published schedule, and trains take precedence over vehicle traffic; your real timing is set by the tunnel, not the drive.
Turnagain Arm is beautiful and slow. Do not plan this as a half day.

What we won’t promise

We cannot promise wildlife. Cruises describe what lives in the sound, not what you will see on your sailing.
We cannot promise cruise or kayak availability — operators run seasonal schedules and cancel for weather and sea state.
We cannot promise tunnel timing. Schedules change seasonally and for maintenance.
We cannot promise glacier visibility or clear weather on the Sound.

Practical notes

Cruise and kayak costs vary a lot by operator and trip length. Book ahead in summer.
There is a toll for the tunnel.
Weather on the Sound can be entirely different from Anchorage weather the same morning.
Most of Whittier's year-round population — a large majority, though not literally everyone — lives in Begich Towers, a converted Army barracks that also holds city offices, a store, and a clinic. It's a real, functioning residential building, not a museum or tour stop; view it from the outside, don't expect to go in.
The Buckner Building, the other large Army-era structure in town, has been abandoned since 1966 and is genuinely unsafe — fenced off, with real hazardous-materials contamination. It's visible from the road as part of the town's own story, but it is not a place to walk into.

Eat & drink in Whittier

Swiftwater CafeCozihaus Pick
Whittier small boat harbor · Eat
Whittier's original seafood cafe, open since 1997, with deck seating right over the harbor — the town's own clearest food identity.
Our take
Whittier's own harbor-deck seafood spot
Lazy Otter Cafe
Whittier small boat harbor · Coffee & bakery
A harborfront grab-and-go — espresso, bagels, pastries — built for a guest working around a charter or the tunnel schedule.
Our take
Quick coffee before a charter or the tunnel
Anchor Inn
Whittier · Eat
The one restaurant in Whittier that stays open year-round — the practical fallback outside peak summer season or off-hours.
Our take
The reliable year-round option
Oceanfront Cafe
Whittier · Coffee & bakery
Espresso, baked goods, and a light lunch menu with harbor and Passage Canal views — a second real quick stop beyond the harbor triangle.
Our take
A quieter alternative to the harbor-triangle rush
DirectionsWebsite

Where this experience fits

Both Cozihaus homes are on the map. This experience runs easier from Spenard.

Approximate areas, drawn for direction rather than to scale. Exact addresses are shared once a stay is confirmed.

Cozihaus on Blodgett LakeA natural base for Valley and northbound exploring — Hatcher Pass, Palmer, Talkeetna, and beyond.
Cozihaus in SpenardA natural base for Anchorage and Turnagain Arm — city experiences, the Chugach, Girdwood, Portage, and Whittier.

Southcentral places, from Cozihaus in Spenard

You are here

Whittier

About an hour from Spenard; about an hour fifteen from Blodgett Lake — before the tunnel wait, which sets the real timing.