Valdez was founded in the spring of 1898 by a group of hucksters who printed advertisements touting the speedy, established “All-American Route” from Prince William Sound to the Klondike gold fields. Thousands of prospectors discovered upon arriving that the route they had heard about was little more than a rough-hewn trail up and over a glacier. Despite its ignominious beginnings, Valdez remains today the “Gateway to the Interior,” providing a vital link between the Interior and the rest of the world. As North America’s northernmost ice-free port, it also serves as the terminus for the Alaska Pipeline. With an average of 325 inches of snow per year, the town boasts some of the best snowcat, helicopter, and extreme skiing in the world as well as world-class ice climbing in nearby Keystone Canyon. In recent years, an extensive network of hiking trails has been developed to provide better access to the wild beauty of the area.