Southeast Alaska

A narrow coast of fjords and islands, where Glacier Bay, Mendenhall Glacier, gold-rush towns and Native totem poles make up the classic stretch of an Alaska cruise.

Scope: This plan uses the "Southeast (Inside Passage)" region of the Alaska tourism office's five regions, including units such as Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway, Haines, Petersburg, Wrangell, Yakutat and Prince of Wales–Hyder. Glacier Bay National Park lies administratively in an unorganized area but, by agreement, is reassigned to this region. Highlights: The state capital, Juneau, has no road connection to the outside; you can visit Mendenhall Glacier, ride the tramway up Mount Roberts and go out to sea to watch humpback whales. At Glacier Bay National Park, you can watch glaciers calve from a cruise ship or day boat. Skagway preserves its Klondike Gold Rush-era streets, and you can ride the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad up into the mountains. Sitka was once the capital of Russian America, with a Russian-style church and a totem pole park. Ketchikan is known for Creek Street and totem poles, and you can take a floatplane to Misty Fiords National Monument. In autumn and winter, Haines draws large numbers of bald eagles. Things to do: The most common option is a 7-day Inside Passage cruise from Seattle or Vancouver; independent travelers can island-hop on the Alaska Marine Highway ferries and stay in each town, and 7–10 days is recommended for the full trip. Getting there: Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka have Alaska Airlines flights, and travel between towns is mainly by ferry and small plane; only Skagway, Haines and Hyder have roads leading to Canada. Notes: The weather is changeable and floatplane flights are often canceled because of it, so leave some slack in your itinerary.

Destinations

Itineraries