Whittier is a small Alaskan community located on Prince William Sound, approximately 60 miles south of Anchorage. Accessible via a one-way tunnel, Whittier is one of the most popular gateways to the Sound and home to an array of wildlife and birdlife, including raptors such as the Bald Eagle, Great Gray Owl, and the elusive Peregrine Falcon and hosts the largest Kittiwake bird rookery population in the North Pacific.
Whittier was originally part of the portage route for the Chugach Natives of Prince William Sound traveling to fish the Turnagain Arm. Later, Whittier was used by gold miners during the Alaska Gold Rush to travel between Prince Williams Sound to the Cook Inlet and the Interior regions of Alaska. In 1948, the military established an outpost in Whittier as the Port of Whittier was an ice-free, deep water port strategically located near Anchorage and Interior Alaska.
