Bear Valley

The mountain tunnel to Whittier was built in 1942. It is a single lane tunnel, 2.5 miles long, that is shared with the railway. Trains get priority in the tunnel. The timing at the tunnel is crucial or you'd have a really long wait. Southbound vehicles (to Whittier) can proceed on the half hour; northbound vehicles (to Anchorage) on the hour. There's a long line of vehicles which are handled in priority order. Vehicles are well spaced and can only proceed under direction and at a 25 mph speed limit.

Whittier is a small fishing town at the end of Prince William Sound. Temperatures and winds are extreme. 95% of the 400 permanent population live in a single building which has all the services. The school is linked to this building via underground tunnel.Read more