Alaska Official State Vacation Planner • 2024 • Inside Passage

This verdant watery world is home to Alaska’s capital and is filled with glaciers, forest-covered mountains, ancient petroglyphs, totem poles, and exciting wildlife.

This coastal region is covered in misty rainforest and tidewater glaciers, where marine mammals such as orca and humpback whales, otters, sea lions, and seals abound. Take a journey through the area’s many islands on a cruise ship or climb aboard the Alaska Marine Highway ferry to see how locals travel. Watch tidewater glaciers calve, experience Gold Rush history, witness ancient petroglyphs in Wrangell, and visit a traditional Alaska Native clan house.

The Tlingit, Haida, Eyak, and Tsimshian have inhabited the Southeast for over 10,000 years, thriving on the abundance provided by the marine environment. Excellent museums and cultural centers in Ketchikan, Sitka, and Juneau showcase the crafts, carvings, and traditions of these peoples. Whether you visit for culture, history, adventure, or wildlife viewing, you’ll find it in the Inside Passage.

Set in the rainforested island maze of Southeast Alaska, the Inside Passage is a narrow section of the state that backs up to Canada. The region stretches 500 miles and includes the Tongass National Forest, the nation’s northernmost rainforest.

The most popular way to visit is aboard a cruise ship, with a wide range of itineraries and options for all types of travelers. Commercial jets service the larger communities, including Alaska’s state capital, Juneau. The Alaska Marine Highway ferry and air and water taxis are frequently used by locals and visitors alike. Only three communities are accessible by the road system: Haines, Skagway, and Hyder–though you’ll have to drive through Canada to get there.

Towns in the Inside Passage are well-connected by ferry and all are incredibly scenic. Flanked by the Tongass National Forest, Juneau is the only state capital inaccessible by road. Petersburg has a Scandinavian history, while Sitka offers Russian and Tlingit history. The coastal island of Ketchikan offers a vibrant downtown, the more remote community of Wrangell is home to a collection of impressive totems, and Yakutat is considered Surf City, Alaska.

Notoriously rainy, the Inside Passage has a temperate climate that never gets extremely hot or cold. Daylight hours are also more moderate than the rest of the state, with summer seeing 17 daylight hours and winter 7 hours.

Alaska’s capital, Juneau, has no roads leading in or out. Instead, you’ll travel by by plane, ferry, or cruise ship to reach this beautiful, verdant city. Nestled by two mountains and the Gastineau Channel, Juneau has a special charm thanks to its surrounding natural beauty, nearby Mendenhall Glacier, and Alaska Native arts and culture.

Alaska’s most southern major settlement, Ketchikan has a colorful Gold Rush and Prohibition history, memorialized on the boardwalked Creek Street. Great hiking abounds, and a trip to Misty Fjords National Monument is a must-do.

Petersburg’s Norwegian history is evident in the rosemaling painted on homes and shops. Founded by Norwegian fishermen who took advantage of glacier ice to preserve salmon, this photogenic town is a great base for a day trip out to the massive LeConte Glacier or to watch migrating humpback whales.

Once the capital of Russian America, Sitka’s wealth of culture and history remains. The Tlingit have called Sitka home for thousands of years, and you can experience this vibrant culture in the town’s museums, cultural centers, and the beautiful Sitka National Historical Park. Wilderness, rugged coastline, and remote island cabins are part of this port town’s charm.

Calving tidewater glaciers, bears meandering along the shore, and steep mountains diving into the fjords: Glacier Bay National Park is a stunner. Most folks visit by cruise ship, but a day trip from Gustavus or Bartlett Cove is easy for the independent traveler.

Alaska Official State Vacation Planner - 2024

Inside Passage

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