Photos of
Prince William Sound
All photographs on this site are available for purchase as art decor pictures or stock photos. Search our
Prince William Sound photos, browse the links on this page or enter your own keywords in the search box above-right.
The Region
 Harriman Fjord and the Chugach mountain range in the northern Sound. © Patrick J. Endres
Prince William Sound is a sound of the Gulf of Alaska situated on the southcentral coast of Alaska, on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. A number of small communities are located on the Sound including Valdez, Whittier, Cordova, Chenega and Tatitlek. The Alaska Marine Ferry system offers limited transportation service to the major communities since no roads access to Cordova, Tatitlek or Chenega.
 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Clean up crews use hot water hoses to wash oil from Point Helen, Knight Island, August 1989, Prince William Sound, Alaska. © Patrick J. Endres
The area gained notoriety in In 1989, when the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef after leaving the port of Valdez (the terminus of the Trans Alaska Pipeline), resulting in the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The Exxon spill was one of the largest manmade environmental disasters ever to occur at sea, seriously affecting plants and wildlife. Its remote location made response efforts difficult. This, in conjunction with inclement weather and poor response preparation further complicated matters. Scientific studies are still determining the lasting effects of this event on the environment.
Natural History & Natural Beauty
 Mount Gilbert crowns the Chugach mountains in northern Prince William Sound. © Patrick J. Endres
More than three thousand shore land miles of bays, coves
and deep fjords comprise the prized seacoast region of this
famous Sound. Exceeding the combined area of Massachusetts, Connecticut,
and Rhode Island, this sheltered waterway contains the greatest
diversity of habitats found along the entire Eastern Pacific
Coast, including the world's northernmost temperate rainforest.
 Ferns and lush vegetation along a trail through the temperate rainforest of western Prince William Sound, Alaska. © Patrick J. Endres The Chugach National Forest is a 5.6 million acre National Forest that borders the waters and mountains surrounding Prince William Sound, including the eastern Kenai Peninsula and the delta of the Copper River. It is the second largest forest in the U.S. national forest system, and is the northernmost national forest. It was originally designated in 1907 by Theodore Roosevelt and was originally 23 million acres in size. Approximately one-third of the area of the forest is rocks and ice.
 U.S. Fish and Wildlife surveys say the Exxon spill killed approximately 3,905 sea otters (range 1,904-11,257). At present, abundance of sea otters in some oiled areas of Prince William Sound remains below pre-spill estimates, and evidence from ongoing studies suggest that sea otters and the nearshore ecosystem have not fully recovered from the spill. © Patrick J. Endres
The Sound's calm and gentle waters provide homes for a thriving
spectrum of marine and bird life. Sea otters, harbor seals, whales, sea lions, Sitka black-tailed deer and many species of resident and migratory birds inhabit these protected waters. Abundant wildflowers decorate green meadows. Countless
islands dot the seascape while ebbing tides unveil rocky
shores and tide pools adorned with an array of inter tidal
life. Summer sunlight paints the meadows and marshes with
colorful plants
 Holland America cruise ship in Port Wells, Prince William Sound. © Patrick J. Endres
Prince William Sound
is home to some of the most spectacular and easily viewed glaciers
in Alaska. Tour boats and cruise ships take visitors on sightseeing and wildlife viewing excursions in the Sound. College Fjord and Harriman Fjord are common destinations because of their dramatic mountain scenery and abundant tidewater glaciers.
Glaciers of Prince William Sound
|
