Quick Trip Review - Cordova

My husband and I took a very quick trip over to Cordova from Palmer in our airplane. We had been trying for awhile, but the coastal weather doesn%26#39;t always cooperate. Well, we had 2 days of perfect weather so we set out with no reservations (car or hotel), and decided to wing it. We flew over many glaciers, and the Prince Wm Sound, which was beautiful and calm. We walked into town from the gravel strip and took our chances trying to get a place to stay. I saved a previous post from Cordovan and others, so I had a list of places to stay and things to do. We struck out at the Reluctant Fisherman which was our first choice, but got lucky at our second, The Prince Wm Motel Cordova. No rental cars were available the first day, so we set out on a walking adventure. We walked a few miles out of town to the Powder House Restaurant. On the way, we stopped at the cemetery which was overgrown a bit, and looked interesting with various or no headstones, including rebar, sticks, moose antlers, along with traditional headstones. There were a number of veterans buried from WW1 through the Vietnam War, young children, and just everyday people. We carried on to the Powder House and had a good meal. The prices were great and the people very friendly. We headed back, checking out a few stores and stopped to talk with the locals. It is obvious Cordovans were not happy with the Exxon Valdez Supreme Court response, and the Union Hall was covered with signs of protest and disappointment.

In our experience, you can find good food at many ';dive'; locations, and we often seek out these places just to interact with some of the ';sourdoughs';. The Cordova Cafe had excellent sourdough pancakes, and a friendly waitress who was the bar maid the evening prior. She welcomed us back. For lunch we enjoyed a sandwich and tea on the deck at the Reluctant Fisherman. We chatted a bit with the owner and she told us of their challenges with operating costs, tourism, etc. Very interesting and friendly.

A rental car became available and it was dropped off at our hotel. We headed out to the million dollar bridge and Childs Glacier. The gravel road was in pretty good condition, and I wasn%26#39;t too concerned because there were a number of people traveling the road in case we got a flat tire. Neither one of our cell phones worked in Cordova (Sprint or ATT). The park at Childs Glacier is immaculate and is a great place for a picnic or photo ops waiting for the glacier ice to break off and crash into the river. I was less impressed with the million dollar bridge because I was expecting it to be in some kind of poor condition. It looked in great shape actually and we drove over to the other side. The drive out reminded me of other delta areas, rich with migratory birds. Evidence of the 1964 earthquake was interesting as well. I don%26#39;t think I would drive out there again unless I had other activities planned like hiking or camping. The drive out for the glacier and bridge wasn%26#39;t really worth it in my view.

In conclusion, Cordova was a great little getaway. The people of Cordova were very friendly, and it is worth the effort to get off the beaten track for a few days. We flew in, but next time it will be fun to take the fast ferry from Whittier.

Quick Trip Review - Cordova

Always wanted to take a trip over to Cordova....after reading your report it is now on the top of my list.....Nice to know that you can walk around to see most things without a rental car.....

Quick Trip Review - Cordova

Headed to Cordova in September...thanks for the report!

I too ';discovered'; Cordova last summer. The weather was bad all over Alaska, and I got cabin fever for the first time in the summer! Decided to strike out into my home state and see places i had heard of my entire life, and never visited. Cordova was first on the list. I wanted to experience the Whittier Tunnel ( two miles under a glaciated mountain at sea level!) and the new fast ferry. I was astounded that this great weekend get away was so close and convenient (by AK standards). The trip across Prince William Sound was wonderful. I too rented a car and winged it. Found a great camp spot at the glacier for the first night. Didn%26#39;t sleep much due to the raucous party Childs Glacier was putting on. Daylight all night anyway, so I decided to walk about and enjoy the show. Absolutely my favorite. Denali is awe-inspiring, but Childs is entertaining! Second night I snared a harbor view room at the Reluctant and enjoyed a comfortable bed and great view. The folks there, like all over the town, were very friendly. I recommend the Ilanka museum and the city museum also. Lots of evident cultural pride and community spirit. I%26#39;ll be going back to my new favorite Alaska town.

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