Most first-time visitors to Alaska don’t realize that Whittier, one of the state’s most spectacular cruise departure points, is accessible by exactly one road, one tunnel, and one set of train tracks. That’s it. Miss your tunnel window and you’re watching your glacier cruise leave without you from the wrong side of a mountain. This guide breaks down all three ways to reach the town, what each one looks and feels like in practice, and the specific timing details that make the difference between a smooth departure and a frantic one.
Why Whittier? The Case for This Departure Point
Whittier sits at the western edge of Prince William Sound, roughly 60 miles southeast of Anchorage. That location matters a lot. Prince William Sound holds 150 glaciers, 17 of which are tidewater glaciers calving ice directly into the water. The protected waters of the Sound also keep seas calm, which means departures rarely get cancelled for weather. For anyone flying into Anchorage and wanting a full glacier cruise experience the same day, Whittier is the practical choice.
Alaska’s glacier cruise market has grown sharply in recent years. According to the Alaska Travel Industry Association’s 2024 Visitor Volume Report, cruise passenger volume grew by 3.8% between summer 2023 and summer 2024, with cruise visitors accounting for 66% of all summer arrivals to the state. Those numbers explain why booking your transport to Whittier early, alongside your cruise ticket, is no longer optional advice. It’s a genuine necessity.
Option 1: Drive Through the Tunnel
The self-drive route is the most flexible option and, honestly, the most dramatic. You follow the Seward Highway south out of Anchorage along Turnagain Arm, a tidal inlet so unusual that early explorers named it out of frustration when they had to keep turning back. Pull off at Beluga Point or Bird Point and you may spot beluga whales moving with the tidal bore. Dall sheep cling to the cliffs above the highway. It’s worth leaving an hour earlier than you need to just so you’re not rushing past all of this.
At milepost 79, you exit onto Portage Glacier Road and follow it into Portage Valley. This is where the journey gets genuinely surreal. You’re heading into a mountain.
The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel is 2.5 miles long and is the longest combined vehicle-railroad tunnel in North America, according to the City of Whittier’s official tunnel resource page. It was originally built in 1943 as a World War II military supply route and later converted to shared vehicle and rail use in 2000. One lane handles traffic in both directions, alternating on a fixed schedule. You share that lane with Alaska Railroad trains.
That schedule is the most important logistical fact in this entire article. The tunnel opens toward Whittier on a timed basis, roughly every 30 minutes, and you need to be in line at least 10 minutes before your window. Give yourself an additional 20 to 30 minutes to actually clear the tunnel once you’re in. If you’re targeting a midday cruise departure, the 10:30 or 11:30 a.m. inbound windows are your safest bets. Arrive at the tunnel staging area before either window opens, get out of your car, and take in the Chugach Mountain scenery while you wait. That wait is not wasted time. It’s part of the experience.
One practical note: cell service disappears in many stretches of this drive. Download your tunnel schedule, your parking map, and your cruise directions before you leave Anchorage. You will not have reliable signal when you need them most.
Option 2: The Alaska Railroad
If the drive sounds like a lot to manage before a full-day cruise, the train is the obvious answer. And not just because it removes the logistical pressure. The Alaska Railroad’s Glacier Discovery Train covers the Anchorage-to-Whittier route in about 2.5 hours, and the track itself is worth the price of the ticket.
The route traces the northern shoreline of Turnagain Arm, a stretch of rail that twists around cliffs and coastal viewpoints. Passengers sit in Adventure Class cars with large picture windows and have access to a café car for the journey. The train passes through Girdwood, then enters Portage Valley, and eventually passes through the same 2.5-mile tunnel that road travelers use, except the train always has the right of way.
According to the Alaska Railroad’s Glacier Discovery route page, the train stops briefly in Girdwood before continuing on to Whittier, where passengers disembark directly across from the boat harbor. That’s a short walk to the cruise terminal. There’s no shuttle, no parking lot, no car to worry about. You step off the train and you’re essentially already at the dock.
Of the three options, the train is the one I’d choose if I were traveling solo or with a group that wants to relax and take photos rather than navigate. The views along Turnagain Arm from a train window, with no need to keep your eyes on the road, are genuinely hard to beat.
Option 3: Coach Service
A motorcoach from Anchorage is the most hands-off of the three options. Several operators, including cruise-specific packages from glacier tour companies departing Whittier, run dedicated coach routes from downtown Anchorage and from Girdwood. You board the bus, someone else drives, and the route follows much of the same scenic corridor as the self-drive option without any of the tunnel timing stress.
Coach is the right call for travelers who either don’t have a rental car or simply don’t want one. It’s also a good fit if your group includes people who’d rather not deal with Alaskan mountain driving on an unfamiliar highway. The bus picks you up, delivers you to the marina, and handles the return trip after your cruise. Everything is contained inside a single package. If you’re piecing together a day trip from a cruise ship or a hotel in Anchorage, this is your cleanest path.
“Whittier is the gateway to beautiful Prince William Sound, home to large glaciers and wildlife and one of Alaska’s most picturesque marine environments.”
This community consensus among Alaska travel professionals reflects how Whittier’s combination of accessibility from Anchorage and proximity to tidewater glaciers makes it the standout departure point for day cruise visitors in Southcentral Alaska.
Comparing Your Options: The Whittier Transport Framework
Here’s how the three routes stack up across the factors that actually matter for a glacier cruise day trip:
| Transport Mode | Approx. Travel Time | Best For | Key Watch-Out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Drive | 1 hr 20 min + tunnel wait | Flexible itineraries, wildlife stops, families with gear | Tunnel schedule is fixed; missing a window costs 30 minutes |
| Alaska Railroad | ~2.5 hours | Scenic experience, solo travelers, groups wanting ease | Midday arrival only; check seasonal operating dates |
| Motorcoach | ~1.5 to 2 hours | No rental car, cruise ship transfers, packaged day trips | Departure times are fixed; must coordinate with cruise schedule |
Practical Tips Before You Leave Anchorage
- Download tunnel times, marina directions, and parking details to your phone before you leave Anchorage. Many stretches of the Seward Highway have no cell coverage.
- Build in extra time on the Seward Highway. The pull-outs along Turnagain Arm are worth using, and wildlife sightings happen without warning.
- For train travelers, check in at the Anchorage depot at least one hour before departure with a government-issued photo ID.
- Coach and cruise package holders should confirm pick-up location the night before. Anchorage pick-up points vary by operator.
- Dress in layers regardless of how you travel. Temperatures on Prince William Sound run noticeably cooler than Anchorage, even in July.
If you want a full breakdown of every option for how to get to Whittier, Alaska including tunnel schedules, driving directions from Anchorage, coach pickup details, and railroad connections, Phillips Cruises maintains a dedicated getting-to-us resource that covers all of it in one place.
Download the “Know Before You Go” guide before you leave civilization, because once you’re in the Portage Valley, your signal is gone and the mountain is not waiting for you to figure it out.
Whittier rewards the people who plan ahead. Show up with a tunnel time in your head, a cruise ticket in your pocket, and a camera with a full charge. Everything else takes care of itself once you’re on the water.