- Willow Lake
Willow Lake views are easy to access. There is a pull-off right on the highway where you can park and take in aerial views of the lake down below and the Wrangell Mountain volcanoes in the distance. There are also two viewing decks with historical information. This was a great stop to stretch our legs and I was able to take Max on a short walk along the parking area.
2. Worthington Glacier
You will pull into a large parking lot to access Worthington Glacier and walk down a paved path to an observation deck. Beside the observation deck is a somewhat obscure path that goes around the deck and then down and out to a river, a lake, and the glacier. It is easy to miss. The closer you get to the glacier, the colder and windier the weather becomes. With a raging river flowing from it, it was not possible to touch the glacier, but you can still get quite close. Despite the popularity of Worthington Glacier, I only saw one other group there.
3. Thompson Pass
Thompson Pass Lookout was both Max and my favorite stop along the Richardson Scenic Byway. We ended up doing this stop twice and it was even better the second time around. Thompson Pass is in the Chugach Mountains. There is a pull-out right off the highway where you can park and view the mountain terrain, but for the best 360 degree views I recommend walking down the trail further out. There is also a rocky road where I saw a car drive out and camp. There were indeed campfires out on the rocks as well. I didn’t trust my driving skills, so Max and I parked and walked down the trail. Some of the view can be obscured by clouds and it can be quite windy and chilly, but it was still worth the walk out to view the mountains.
4. Rudleston Falls
Located in Keystone Canyon, Rudleston Falls is also just right off the highway. There is a large parking lot that serves as parking for both Rudleston Falls and the Old Railroad Tunnel. The waterfall is easy to miss, but if you walk towards the river, you will see it tucked behind the far end of the parking lot.
5. Old Railroad Tunnel
In the same parking lot as Rudleston Falls and easier to spot is the Old Railroad Tunnel. This tunnel is where excavating had once begun to build a railroad for copper transportation to Valdez, but the efforts were abandoned when a dispute broke out between railroad builders. We did not go inside the tunnel, as the bottom was deep in water.
6. Bridalveil Falls
Only a short distance from Rudleston Falls is Bridalveil Falls. There is a paved parking lot right off the highway, but the waterfall is across the highway on the other side of the road. It can be sketchy to walk across the highway to get up close to the waterfall, so Max and I just observed it from the parking lot.
7. Horsetail Falls
So close to Bridalveil Falls that you could just walk over, Horsetail Falls is another waterfall right on the highway with a paved parking lot. This parking lot, however, is right next to the falls so you can go right up to it. This was a quick stop along the Richardson Highway for us to jump out of the car and check out the waterfall quickly before moving on.
8. Glacier View Park
Located about 5 miles outside of Valdez, Glacier View Park is accessible down a pothole ridden dirt road, just past the airport. Up until the 1950’s, Valdez Glacier extended all the way to Glacier View Park. Now, only a small shelf of rocks is visible on the far shore. Icebergs can be seen in the lake all year long and some even float to shore in the summertime. While there, I saw a company drive up to the lake and drop off kayaks for people. I’m not sure if they kayaks are dog-friendly, but this would be a really cool experience if they are.
9. Highway Views
The best part of Richardson byway is that you don’t even have to get out of the car for the best views. Max had his head out the window the whole ride and so did I. The whole drive is filled with breathtaking views of waterfalls, lakes, and mountains. Driving the byway in September, we also got to view colorful autumn foliage.
