- This event has passed.
Gold Rush Hangout (Sold Out/Waiting List)
August 2, 2023 - August 9, 2023
Eagle's Rest RV Park • Valdez, AK
This Hangout is currently sold out, but join the waiting list and we’ll let you know if a spot opens up!
Explore the heart of Prince William Sound
Located on Prince William Sound and surrounded by some of the world’s tallest coastal mountains, the Alaskan port town of Valdez is an outdoor paradise for hikers and anglers. You’ll get to know the area well during the seven-night Gold Rush Hangout, hosted by Lifetime Members Laura and Rob Kernodle SKP# 131897.
On a six-hour guided Columbia Glacier Cruise, you’ll sail the Prince William Sound visiting the Columbia Glacier, whose magnificent aqua, deep indigo and frigid white ice sparkles in the bright northern sun. You’ll view history in the making as the glacier retreats back into the Chugach Mountains, and have the chance to see some of the abundant wildlife species that call the Sound home.
You’ll have a blast celebrating Gold Rush Days like a local in this annual five-day festival honoring the past, present, and future of Valdez. Enjoy the parade, watch the Crooked Creek Pioneer Pastimes demonstration, feast on a pancake breakfast, join the bail and jail warrants, strut your stuff in the Wine Walk, run or walk the Gold Rush 5K, shop the open-air marketplace, and more.
During a visit to the Solomon Gulch Hatchery, you’ll learn about the life cycle of salmon and the importance of the fishing industry to the area. Here, hatchery staff will demonstrate the detailed process of how salmon are spawned and raised throughout the year.
On a guided walking tour of Old Town, the original Valdez townsite located about four miles outside of present-day Valdez, you’ll discover how the entire city was relocated after the devastating magnitude 9.2 earthquake of 1964. Today, Old Town has been preserved as a historic memorial to the residents lost in the disaster and a testament to Alaskan resilience.
Valdez offers so many exciting outdoor activities that it’s impossible to include them all in one week. So instead, we’ll have a day for you to Choose Your Own Adventure! Select from a menu of suggested activities–ranging from professionally-outfitted expeditions and tours to free hikes–that we’ll provide to you before the Hangout.
And on the last night of the Hangout, you’ll laugh and cry your way through That’s Valdez, an outdoor dinner theater experience that includes a four-course farm-to-table dinner and a colorful vaudeville-like show portraying the many booms and busts of Valdez’s history.
Optional activity
This optional activity must be purchased in advance when you register, or no later than July 3, 2023, and will not be available for purchase on-site.
Valdez Glacier Lake Kayaking – $144/person
Explore beautiful Valdez Glacier Lake by inflatable kayak on this incredible day tour. Marvel at icebergs and glacial formations as you glide along the lake’s surface. Take a break along the shore to enjoy the scenery, meander along a glacial stream, or scramble to a viewpoint.
During the Gold Rush of 1898, Valdez Glacier was used extensively as the All-American Route to the gold fields of interior Alaska. During your tour, you’ll learn about the prospectors who weathered the hardships of early glacial travel as they searched for their fortune in the untamed wilderness.
This tour includes 2 1/2 hours of paddling time and 90 minutes on shore to eat lunch, hike or explore, plus time to get to and from the water. No prior paddling experience is necessary. Your optional activity fee covers all needed equipment, your expert naturalist guide, and transportation to and from the lake.
Hangout location
Camping for the Gold Rush Hangout will be at Eagle’s Rest RV Park. All sites are big rig-friendly with 50A electric service, water and sewer hookups. The park has a bathhouse, on-site laundry, fish cleaning area, and wifi. Pets are welcome and there is a dog walk. Propane is conveniently located next door to the park.
Please contact the park directly if you wish to arrive before the start of the Hangout and/or stay after it ends. Early arrivals and late departures are subject to site availability at the time you make your reservation. You’ll pay the park directly for any extra days at the Park’s daily rate less a 10% discount.
This Hangout is limited to only 30 RVs and tickets will go quickly—so don’t wait to register!
Is this event right for me?
Every member is welcome at all Escapees RV Club events. With that said, the Gold Rush Hangout is best suited for members who:
- enjoy walking, hiking, and kayaking
- can participate in activities during weekdays (traditional working/ business hours)
For events designed specifically for working-age RVers, with most activities in the evenings and on weekends, try an Xscapers Convergence. Or for more of an all-inclusive, guided-tour experience, you may prefer one of our Head-Out Programs (HOPs).
Please note that we are not organizing a traveling caravan either to or from Alaska or between the three Alaska Hangouts. Participants will be responsible for transporting their own RVs.
Schedule
Activities and schedule are subject to change. Activities marked with an *asterisk are not included in your Hangout fee.
Wednesday 8/2
Arrive at Eagle’s Rest RV Park
Welcome gathering & introductions
Thursday 8/3
Old Town guided walking tour and museums
Hike
Campfire Trivia
Friday 8/4
Columbia Glacier Cruise
Valdez Gold Rush Days Festival
Beer & Wine Garden*
Saturday 8/5
Gold Rush 5k Fun Run or Choose Your Own Adventure*
Crooked Creek Pioneer Pastimes Demonstrations and hiking
Pizza dinner & Pub-Luck wine & beer tasting
Sunday 8/6
Gold Rush Days Pancake Breakfast*
Gold Rush Parade or
Valdez Glacier Lake Kayaking*
Campfire
Monday 8/7
Solomon Gulch Hatchery
Whitney Museum
Potluck dinner & campfire
Tuesday 8/8
Hiking Worthington Glacier area
Far North Follies Dinner Theater
Wednesday 8/9
GTHO Breakfast
Departure
Price & registration
Important note: The club is offering three Alaska Hangouts–in Fairbanks, Seward and Valdez–in 2023. Because we anticipate that many members who are planning to spend the summer in Alaska will want to attend all three Hangouts, we will initially sell them ONLY as a three-event Alaska Hangouts Bundle, beginning Wednesday, January 11, 2023 at 10:00 am CST.
If any spots remain unsold as part of the bundle, the spots for this Hangout will be sold individually beginning on Friday, January 27, 2023 at 11:00 am CST.
Registration includes:
- 7 nights RV camping in a FHU site
- Columbia Glacier Cruise
- Gold Rush Days Festival
- Solomon Gulch Hatchery tour
- Old Town guided walking tour
- That’s Valdez dinner theater & show
- Pizza dinner
- Hiking
- Social activities
- GTHO departure day breakfast
- Hangout hosts
Additional costs to consider: meals out, optional Choose Your Own Adventure activities.
All activities listed for this event are subject to change.
Hangout price
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RV site, 2 people $1,199
All sites are full hookup with 50 amp service.
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Deduct for only 1 person -$260
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Each additional person $329
For more than 2 people (including children) in same rig
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OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
Prices are per person.
-
Valdez Glacier Lake Kayaking $144
Day trip with 2 1/2 hours of paddling and 1 1/2 hours onshore exploring. Includes naturalist guide and all needed equipment. No prior experience necessary.
You must be an Escapees RV Club member to attend this event. If you are not currently a member, you will be able to add a new membership during the registration process.
By registering for this event, you are representing and agreeing to the following (click to expand):
- You are physically capable of participating in the event.
- Your recreational vehicle, other vehicles, and any other equipment you may use to participate in the event will be in working condition.
- You will observe all applicable laws (including obtaining relevant licenses) and event rules, and will conduct yourself in a safe and prudent manner while participating in the event.
- That although volunteers may be directing and assisting you to your parking area, it is the driver of the vehicle who is ultimately responsible for avoiding obstacles or dangerous situations and is solely responsible for any damage to your property or the property of others.
- You accept and assume all risks arising from participation in the event, and waive and release all claims against Escapees or its affiliates relating to such participation.
- You consent to receive medical treatment deemed necessary if you are injured or require medical attention during your participation in the event, and agree that you are solely responsible for all related costs.
- You grant your permission to be filmed, videotaped, audio taped or photographed, and grant to Escapees full use thereof without compensation.
- You will receive occasional email notifications of future Escapees events; however, you can opt-out of these notifications at any time.
The above is only a summary. Please carefully read the full the terms and conditions, assumption of risk, and waiver of claims agreement that will be provided to you during the registration process.
How to register
Special cancellation policies apply to bundle registrations!
You may be required to cancel the entire bundle, and significant cancellation
fees may apply. Please register for the bundle ONLY if you
actually plan to attend all three Hangouts.
Please be sure to read the “Cancellations and travel insurance“
section of the 2023 Alaska Hangouts Bundle page before registering.
To register, click the button below and follow the instructions on your screen. If you need assistance with your registration, please call Escapees Event Registration at (936) 329-6499.
Registration opens Friday, January 27, 2023
at 11:00 a.m. Central Time.
After bundle sales end, any remaining spots for this Hangout will be sold
individually beginning on Friday, January 27, 2023 at 11:00 am CST.
We’re sorry, but this Hangout is currently sold out. If you’d still like to attend, please join the waiting list below. We’ll notify you if a spot opens up.
After you register
Watch for an email from registration@escapees.com for a confirmation of your registration. If you don’t receive it, call Escapees Event Registration at (936) 329-6499 to be sure that your registration was processed correctly.
After you register, please join the private 2023 Alaska Hangouts group on Facebook (a link to this group will be in your confirmation email). We will use this group to communicate with Hangout attendees before and during the event. You will also receive one or more emails before the Hangout with more information as needed.
Cancellations & travel insurance
Should you need to cancel your registration, call Escapees Event Registration at (936) 329-6499 between 8 am and 4 pm Central Time, Monday through Friday, or email registration@escapees.com.
If you purchase this Hangout as part of the 2023 Alaska Hangouts Bundle, please refer to the bundle cancellation policy.
If you purchase this Hangout individually, you may be entitled to a partial refund of your registration fees, depending on when we receive your cancellation:
- On or before Friday, June 2, 2023: $50 cancellation fee, remainder of payment refunded
- Saturday, June 3, 2023 through Monday, July 3, 2023: 50% refund of full event cost
- After Monday, July 3, 2023: no refund
We recommend that you purchase travel insurance after registering to protect your investment in the Hangout if you must cancel due to unexpected illness, death, or certain other contingencies. Travel insurance can also help to cover medical and trip interruption expenses for emergencies that occur during the Hangout. Pre-existing medical conditions are waived as long as you purchased your insurance within 15 days after your Hangout registration fee payment. Get a personalized online travel insurance quote now.
Waiting list
If this Hangout is sold out when you try to register, please join the waiting list by completing the form below. There are usually several cancellations before a Hangout…so if a spot opens up and you’re the next one on the waiting list, you’ll get another shot at registration! (Note: please don’t join the waiting list unless and until the Hangout sells out. Entries received before that time will be ignored.)
