Old Valdez is like a wilder, starker, less trammeled version of Italy's Pompeii. This is where the town stood before the devastating 1964 earthquake pretty much wiped it out. Today there isn't much left of the original town, bar some street signs, a few overgrown foundations and a smattering of interpretive boards.

The Earthquake Memorial, listing the names of the dead, is reached by turning off the highway onto the unsigned gravel road just south of Mark’s Repair. On the day of the quake, Valdez’ post office was here; in mere moments the ground sank so far that nowadays high tides reach the spot.

Markers show where many of the buildings used to stand, although the lots themselves have largely been returned to nature. One-hour guided walking tours of Old Valdez are organized by the Valdez Museum on selective days throughout the summer. Check the museum website for dates.


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Nearby attractions

1. Small-boat Harbor

2.64 MILES

Valdez’ harbor is a classic: raucous with gulls and eagles, reeking of fish guts, sea salt and creosote, and home to all manner of vessels. The benches…

2. Valdez Museum

2.94 MILES

This lovingly curated museum includes an ornate, steam-powered antique fire engine, a 19th-century saloon bar and the ceremonial first barrel of oil to…

3. Trail of the Whispering Giants

2.95 MILES

A huge 25ft-high rendering of an Alaska Native in Sitka spruce warily guards Prince William Sound College. The sculpture by Peter Wolf Toth is one in a…

4. Civic Center

2.98 MILES

The Civic Center sits amid greenery with picnic tables, a small lake and the short Overlook Trail in close proximity.

5. Maxine & Jesse Whitney Museum

3 MILES

For a small town Valdez has several wonderful museums, including this one, the private collection of an American couple who settled in Alaska in 1947 and…

6. Valdez Museum Annex

3.08 MILES

This annex of the Valdez Museum is dominated by a scale model of the Old Valdez township. Each home destroyed in the Good Friday Earthquake has been…

7. Trans-Alaska Pipeline Terminal

4.54 MILES

Across the inlet from town, Valdez’ ever-pumping heart once welcomed visitors, but since September 11, 2001, stricter security protocols have closed it to…