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Welcome to

Girdwood

Girdwood sits about 40 miles south of Anchorage at the base of Alyeska Resort, tucked into a glacier-carved valley in the Chugach Mountains on the traditional land of the Dena’ina people. It’s often called Alaska’s only year-round resort town, and the description fits — this is a place that gives you a full day outside and somewhere worth coming back to when it’s done.

In winter, Alyeska draws skiers and snowboarders to 1,610 acres of terrain at Alaska’s one true major ski mountain, along with Nordic skiing, dog mushing, and quiet aurora viewing in the early-morning hours. When the snow melts, the valley opens into long days of hiking, fishing, and glacier cruises under nearly endless daylight.

Just outside town, along Turnagain Arm, the bore tide rolls in on the second-largest tidal swing in North America. Families come for the train rides and the gentler trails, couples for the slower pace, and first-time visitors for the plain shock of the scale of the place.

Girdwood began as Glacier City, a supply point for the gold seekers who passed through during the 1890s rush, and it has been a gathering place ever since — never more so than in July, when the Girdwood Forest Fair brings the whole town into the woods for music and art.

However you spend the day in Girdwood, the valley has a way of resetting you. That’s the part we care about most: a comfortable, well-kept place to land when the day outside is done.

Locally Owned & Operated

Girdwood

Girdwood

Casago Franchise Owner

The best adventures are the ones you get to recover from well. That belief is the whole idea behind Casago Alaska Retreats — premium homes across Girdwood, Anchorage, and the surrounding Chugach region, looked after by a team that treats the end of your day as carefully as you planned the start of it. Where the trail ends, comfort begins.

Founder Tim Bottomley came to this the way many people come to Alaska: by visiting, and then not being able to stop thinking about it. After years of building and leading large-scale customer and partnership operations, he saw a chance to do something more personal — a hospitality company built on real local knowledge, honest homeowner relationships, and stays that feel cared for rather than processed.

On the ground in Alaska, that work belongs to General Manager Jammie Trotter. A Girdwood hospitality veteran, Jammie knows the valley the way only a local can: the roads in February, the trailheads worth the walk, the difference a well-prepared home makes after a long day out. She leads a team that lives and works in the communities we serve — which is why guests reach real people who know the area, not a call center in another time zone.

We keep our approach deliberately personal: responsive when you need us, attentive to detail, and genuinely invested in the places we operate in. What we enjoy most is watching a guest experience Alaska the way it’s meant to be experienced — a morning under the Chugach, a long summer evening in the midnight sun, fresh powder at Alyeska — and then come home to somewhere that feels looked after just for them.


Locally Owned & Operated
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Frequently Asked Questions

Summer (June through August) is peak season, drawing visitors for hiking, fishing, glacier tours, wildlife viewing, and Alaska’s famously long daylight. Winter is a major season in its own right, built around skiing and snowboarding at Alyeska, backcountry adventures, and northern lights viewing. Fall and spring are quieter, with stunning scenery and far fewer crowds for travelers who prefer a slower pace.

Girdwood is about 40 miles south of Anchorage, a roughly 45-minute drive down the Seward Highway. The route is a National Forest Scenic Byway and one of the country’s designated All-American Roads, so the drive in is part of the trip.

Alyeska is a serious mountain — about 52% of its 1,610 acres lean toward intermediate and advanced terrain — but there’s good beginner terrain as well, and the Snow Sport School helps skiers and riders of every age and level get the most out of the day.

Yes, during the winter months and when aurora activity is strong, typically in the early-morning hours.

  • Girdwood Forest Fair (July) — the town’s beloved arts, music, and community festival in the woods, and one of Alaska’s most distinctive summer events.
  • Alyeska Slush Cup (April) — a spring tradition of live music, costumes, and pond-skimming on skis.
  • Iditarod Ceremonial Start in Anchorage (first Saturday of March).
  • Summer Solstice celebrations.
  • Winter ski and snowboard events at Alyeska Resort.
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