Most visitors to Whittier don't need overnight accommodations, but there are places to stay.
The Sound by Yacht -- I came across the Discovery one evening in a secret little cove in the remote southwestern corner of Prince William Sound's Knight Island. Briefly pulled from my rough camping existence, I suddenly found myself sitting on a soft couch in a sumptuous mahogany lounge, eating a delicious chocolate dessert, and sipping wine. The Discovery is a classic old wooden vessel, and accommodations are nautical and yachtlike, not as fancy even as a small cruise ship. But it's comfortable, groups are only about a dozen per trip, and the owner and skipper know the sound well, taking passengers to its most intimate and beautiful spots -- places like that cove that hardly anyone knows about. It's like a first-class wilderness lodge afloat. Seven-day voyages are around $3,650 per person, double occupancy. Contact Discovery Voyages at tel. 800/324-7602; www.discoveryvoyages.com.
