the wandering chick
forget the big cruises; take the ferries

I'm sure there are valid reasons why some people enjoy travel to Alaska by the big cruises. Everything is done for them and they have no worries regarding hotel accommodations or making their own tour excursions.

But for the independent traveler, the Alaska Marine Highway System is truly a travel method to be considered, especially if traveling the Inside Passage. The route is from Bellingham, Washington to Skagway, Alaska.

Get off at any port you wish, stay awhile, then catch the next ferry to the next port. A word of caution: because there are so few ferries, not every port town is visited every day. Most likely, you'll spend a couple of days or more at one location before a ferry makes another stop there to pick you up. Additionally, the ferries must consider a safe navigation through the various narrows when deciding their schedules. They have small windows of opportunity when it comes to navigating through the currents and tides of these dangerous waterways. Doing so makes the travel safer, but passengers may be rudely awakened if their arrival or departure time is at three in the morning!

I can't say enough about how organized the AMHS is. Their schedule is strictly adhered to, and their online reservation Web site gives all the information one needs to plan a ferry hopping excursion - including rates and times.

Accommodations aboard are more than sufficient. The cabins for those traveling overnight are comfortable, and the food aboard is excellent. Pets can go, cars can go, RVs can go. Even kayaks can go! Tents are allowed on the back solarium for those who don't want a cabin. Chaise lounges are also available for those hauling a sleeping bag. The observation rooms are where most travelers spend their time if not on the back solarium of the ferry. Many sit and totally relax with a book; others keep their eyes set on searching for wildlife and enjoying the scenery. Oh, and I guess there are those who sleep.

The advantage to the smaller ferries over the cruise ships is their passage through waters that are as shallow as they are narrow. Cruise ships can't make it, but the ferries navigate these waters with expertise. Going through "the narrows," as they are called, is exciting for the passengers because they get close up views of any wildlife that might be along the shore. Usually the deck hands are good about announcing sightings.

Alaska's ferry system is divided into two fleets: the Inside Passage fleet and the fleet that sails across the Gulf of Alaska and services Alaska's mainland coast. In all, it covers 3500 miles and stops at more than 30 ports.

This page includes photos that were taken while on the ferries. My travel partner and I traveled from Skagway to Ketchikan. We took three weeks, spent three overnights on a ferry and approximately 58 total hours including the three overnights.

snowy mountain range
This mountain range, the Chilkat, towers above the waters of the Inside Passage between Skagway and Haines.
from the ferry between Sitka and Juneau
Aboard the ferry you're never too far from land
On the Inside Passage routes, the ferries are never very far from land, especially when going through the Narrows. This passage was our first ferry ride, from Sitka to Juneau. The next few shots were taken along that route. Travel time: 5 .5 hours
On the ferry between Sitka and Juneau
Mountain range between Sitka and Juneau
As we near Juneau, the Mendenhall Glacier and Juneau Icefield come into view.
Aboard the ferry Chenega
The M/V Chenega took us from Sitka to Juneau. The Chenega, a 235-foot catamaran, is the newest addition to the AMHS ferry fleet. It travels at 32 knots (37 mph), holds 250 passengers and 36 cars.
Aboard the Chenega from Sitka to Juneau
Travel from Sitka to Juneau

As I was gathering the photos that I wanted to put on this page and couldn't find the ones taken on the, I came to the sad conclusion that I had lost a block of pictures taken from the point of all the eagles in the trees, down through the Wrangell Narrows and the seaside village of Wrangell itself. We made a quick stop there and had about 1/2 hour to take a quick walk into town. I remember seeing a mom deer with her two babes following behind. I remember taking shots of eagles sitting on the buoys as the ferry passed by within a stone's throw. Those pictures are lost, never to be found.

The Wrangell Narrows  is a winding, 22-mile-long channel between the port towns of Petersburg and Ketchikan and the islands on which they're located.. There are about 60 lights and buoys to mark it because of its winding nature and navigation hazards.

Dang! Lost those pictures. Guess I'll have to go back!

One of the larger cruise ships at dock in Skagway
On our journey from Skagway to Petersburg via ferry my travel partner and I were a bit apprehensive about how bored we might get being ship-bound for two days. We needn't have worried. We each had taken a book along, but I don't think either of us got it out to read. The next set of pictures represent how we spent our time: taking in the scenes.
One of the larger cruise ships sits in the harbor at Skagway.
Skagway harbor
waterfall
The ferry leaves Skagway
waterfall
Less than a half hour after our departure from Skagway, a series of waterfalls came into view on the port side.
cloudy skies
waterfall
waterfall
entering Haines
the town of Haines
One of our stops along the route was Haines, a community of less than 3,000 people. Haines is one port town that is accessible by road. Surrounded by mountains, its scenic beauty is obvious.
setting sun
This photo was taken shortly after 9pm. Because of the time of year we made this trip, we should have had much brighter light, but the cloud coverage was a hindrance. Even at midnight, however, it never got too dark to see the water and mountains.
Eldred Lighthouse
closeup of Eldred Rock Lighthouse

The following story was copied from the Lighthousefriends.com website on Eldred Rock Lighthouse near Haines in Alaska's Inside Passage.

Hurricane-force winds, estimated at ninety miles per hour, were howling down narrow Lynn Canal as the Clara Nevada started her multi-day journey from Skagway to Seattle. It was February 5th, 1898, near the peak of the Alaskan gold rush, and the three-masted passenger ship was loaded with over 800 pounds of the prized mineral, an illegal shipment of dynamite, and some one hundred passengers, including more than one frustrated fortune seeker. Just over thirty miles into her southward voyage, the ship ran aground at Eldred Rock and exploded in flames.

The remains of the Clara Nevada are now a popular dive site, but oddly no trace of gold has ever been discovered in the wreckage. According to the initial report, all passengers and crew members on board the vessel that evening perished. However, weeks after the accident, a skiff belonging to the ship was found hidden in a grove of trees on the mainland. A few members of the crew likely escaped the disaster that night, as it was later discovered that C.H. Lewis, captain of the Clara Nevada, had resumed his profession on riverboats in Alaska’s interior and that the ship’s fireman was subsequently employed in Nome’s gold fields.

Whether the loss of the Clara Nevada was an accident or an act of sabotage may never be known, but Congress viewed the incident as sufficient evidence that a lighthouse on Eldred Rock was needed.

It was activated on June 1, 1906, making it the last of 12 lighthouses in Alaska constructed between 1902 and 1906.

sunset on the Inside Passage
a fishing ship on the waterway
a small boat on the waterway
It's quite common to see other boats, both fishing and pleasure, navigating the waters of the Inside Passage. For some, it's transportation for "a trip into town."
whale sighting
humpback whale tail
On a couple of occasions we were fortunate enough to see a humpback.. They weren't super close, but everyone onboard got all excited just the same.
humpback tail
Inside Passage scenery
Inside Passage scenery
Views such as these were around every corner as we made our way south toward Petersburg.
flamingos in tree
Flamingos are not 'tree birds' ... unless they're of the species 'plastico, ' as are these. Some local Alaskan, we were told, has been putting these flamingos in trees for years to give passers-by a laugh. It works!
closeup of sea lion
We think this is an otter. He was a little far away to determine. But whatever he is, he's kinda cute.
eagles in tree
Whereas the flamingos may be plastic, these bald eagles are definitely not. We passed an area that had everyone oohing and ahhing as we spotted eagles in the trees like ornaments on a Christmas tree.

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...Ferry hopping Alaska's Inside Passage
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