Valdez “DIY Paddling + Fish Diet” 48 h Cheat-Sheet

🗓 6/21-6/22 Valdez Checklist Mood: mosquito-brave, budget-happy Must-do: self-guided kayak on Valdez Glacier Lake → save 60 % vs guided tour, score secret blue-ice caves 🛶 RENTAL DETAILS Operator: “Self-Guided Valdez Glacier Kayaking” (online booking) Cost: $130 / tandem kayak / 3 h (life-vest + dry-skirt + map included) Meet-up: actual lake shore, 25 min drive from town (paved + gravel last 2 mi) Pro-tip: 9 a.m. slot = glass water + zero wind; afternoon = 15 mph katabatic gusts What you get: Maze of floating icebergs → natural dodge-hem game 🧩 Mini blue-ice caves (stand-up height) → IG gold, no filter 💙📸 Absolute silence broken only by dripping melt-water = ASMR heaven Mosquito Index: T-Rex level 🦟🦟🦟 Defense: 100 % DEET on cotton hoodie (synthetic = bee magnet) Head-net from Dollar Store = best $2.50 ever spent Light-coloured long sleeve + yoga tights under shorts = bite-free legs 🏞 AFTERNOON PROGRAM 1️⃣ Solomon Gulch Hatchery (free, 10 min drive) Late June = pre-spawn, so NO seal banquet 🦭❌, but 10 k gulls create white tornado overhead. Across road: 80-ft waterfall mist = natural AC. Bonus: watch hatchery workers toss 30 lb salmon into truck like rugby balls. 2️⃣ Shoup Bay Trail (easy 4 mi RT) Board-walk start → wild-flower tunnel 🌼🌻 Ends at pebble beach; across bay = Shoup Glacier calving mini-bergs. Mosquito hat ON or you’ll inhale 5 protein snacks by accident. 🍽 FISH-A-THON CONTINUES… Lunch: Nat’s Shack Halibut tacos + chipotle ranch = $12, eat on picnic bench, bees will audition for your food. Dinner: The Potato Signature “spud boat” = baked potato hollowed, filled with salmon curry, topped with cheddar & green onion. Carb coma guaranteed; still cheaper than cruise-ship buffet. Night-cap: hostel kitchen → steam whole 3 lb rock-fish with ginger & scallion, because you bought too much at Anchorage Costco 😅 🌧 6/23 RETURN TO ANCHORAGE Weather flips: pea-soup fog + drizzle = zero visibility on Thompson Pass. Silver lining: Keystone Canyon waterfalls (mile 14-18) become fire-hose dramatic. Horsetail Falls pull-out: 2-min walk to cave behind cascade = natural power-shower 💦 Bridal Veil Falls: 0.3 mi trail, splash echo inside basalt chamber = better than Shoup Bay if you’re short on time. Fuel stop: Glennallen Tesoro → cheapest diesel between Valdez & Palmer. Drive time: 5 h 45 m wheels-moving, 6.5 h with photo/pee breaks. 💸 48 h SPEND SHEET (per person, duo share) Kayak ............... $65 Food (2 meals) ...... $35 Fuel (RT) ........... $40 Misc. parking ....... free TOTAL = $140 vs guided glacier paddle $400+ → you just financed tomorrow’s king-crab leg! 🧳 QUICK PACK 24 oz thermos (lake water = 33 °F, you’ll need hot reward) Microfiber towel (kayak drip + waterfall mist) Bear bell for trail (moose ≠ teddy, clap anyway) TL;DR Valdez in June = blueberry ice-maze + salmon rehab centre + curry-stuffed potato. Do the DIY paddle, DEET-up, chase waterfalls on exit. Weather gods moody → flex timing. Now forward this to your travel buddy before they over-pay for another tour! #US #Valdez #Alaska