Alaskan Fjords & the Inside Passage

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Tucked between the Chugach Mountains and the sheltered waters of Passage Canal, Whittier is one of Alaska’s most isolated towns. Its community is centered almost entirely within a single landmark structure, Begich Towers Condominium, which also houses many of Whittier’s public and commercial services. Interior corridors and covered tunnels protect its inhabitants from the area’s extreme climate. Outside, hanging glaciers and misty waterfalls frame the fjord and feed streams that tumble toward the sea, where seals, otters and migrating whales can occasionally be spotted.

Seward enjoys a magnificent setting between snowcapped peaks and Resurrection Bay, a pristine harbor ringed by mountains. The Alaskan city was named after Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of state who defied public opinion to pursue the purchase of Alaska from Russia. Seward is steeped in marine culture, from its busy fishing port to the excellent exhibits and preservation efforts of the Alaska SeaLife Center. It is also the famed starting point of the Iditarod Trail, the dogsled race route originally laid to link Seward to inland Alaska.

Kodiak plays an outsize role on its namesake island home, known as Alaska’s “Emerald Isle” for its green hillsides. It is the only link to the outside world, so all goods enter and leave through its port. Inhabited by Alutiiq natives for more than 7,000 years, it became the capital of Russian Alaska in the 18th century. Sea otter pelts were the major commodity of export until the animal was almost hunted to extinction. For 150 years, the native people fought for the beloved creature, sacrificing their lives to protect them. Today, the sea otter thrives here once again.

Homer is a quaint town situated along the picturesque shores of Kachemak Bay that boasts a thriving art scene. Originally a failed gold mining settlement, Homer eventually found its industry in coal mining and halibut fishing, with its residents coming to call it “the halibut fishing capital of the world.” Beyond its charming small town atmosphere, it is best known as a gateway to admire the natural splendor of this region, from the impressive mountains that dot the horizon to the stunning bay that seals, otters and migratory birds call home.

Valdez enjoys a breathtaking setting at the tip of a deep-cut fjord in Prince William Sound. The glacial Chugach Mountains rise up all around the city, adding to its scenic allure. In its early days, the promise of gold attracted explorers and seekers of wealth, but the land proved barren. The town finally experienced its economic boom as North America’s northernmost ice-free port. Today, it is the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline that carries oil south from Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic coast.

Surrounded by glacier-carved mountains and fed by the enormous Hubbard Glacier, Yakutat Bay spreads some 18 miles across at its widest point. On calm days, snow-covered slopes are reflected in the mirror-like bay, casting the entire scene in a soft, icy azure glow. Disenchantment Bay extends farther inland like a finger; at its farthest point, Hubbard Glacier creeps seaward from its source five miles away. The ice at the water’s edge began its journey from near Mt. Walsh more than 400 years ago in the early 1600s.

Icy Strait Point is a re-created village outside the small town of Hoonah, a thriving Tlingit community. A former canning and packing station in a coastal woodland setting, Icy Strait Point is steeped in Native American heritage. The charming island hamlet has been beautifully restored by the local Tlingit people to its original character, offering visitors unique insight into traditional life in an Alaskan fishing village. Today, the old canning station is a museum chronicling salmon and subsistence fishing.

Nestled amid snowcapped mountains, forested hills and an expansive inlet, Haines enjoys one of Alaska’s most scenic settings. It was called Desihu (“end of the trail”) by the Tlingit, who used it as a shortcut to inland trading posts. In 1884, it was renamed for Francina Haines, who was instrumental in the construction of the Chilkat Mission and school. During the Klondike Gold Rush of late 1890s, Haines became a supply depot for prospectors bound for the Yukon. Fort William H. Seward was built then; today it is preserved as a National Historic Landmark and artists’ colony.

Juneau is the only capital of the continental US that is inaccessible by car. The dramatic fjord-like terrain of steep, rugged mountains and vast glaciers isolates the city, creating a remote setting with limited access from the rest of the mainland. Its seclusion along the scenic Gastineau Channel also makes it one of the most picturesque cities in the world. In ancient times, the Auke and Taku Tlingit tribes fished these waters. Their descendants have kept artistic and cultural traditions alive throughout a long history of European and Russian explorations.

Tracy Arm lies within the protected Tracy Arm–Fords Terror Wilderness, an undeveloped stretch of Alaska’s North Pacific coast. Its icy waters are fed by the twin Sawyer Glaciers, which descend from the Juneau Icefield, calving icebergs that drift quietly seaward and reshape the landscape daily. Steep granite walls rise thousands of feet from the water and countless waterfalls trace fractures in the rock to cascade into the depths below. Harbor seals rest on the floes, while birds, including Arctic terns and pigeon guillemots, can occasionally be spotted overhead.

Wrangell sits in the heart of Alaska’s intensely beautiful southeastern region, encompassed almost entirely by the Tongass National Forest, and holds its own with its awe-inspiring natural offerings. The unspoiled, forested landscape boasts splendid vistas and countless opportunities to observe fascinating wildlife. Depending on the season, visitors might see bald eagles; trumpeter swans gliding across Pat’s Lake; chum salmon making their way to Institute Creek; or harbor seals and Steller’s sea lions sunbathing on the ancient rocks of Petroglyph Beach State Historic Park.

Set along a sheltered harbor on the central western shore of Prince of Wales Island, Klawock reflects Alaska’s deep Indigenous heritage and coastal character. Officially incorporated in 1929, it was once the largest Tlingit village in the region. Today, it is a significant center of Tlingit culture and known for the preserved totem poles of Klawock Totem Park, which commemorate clan histories and ancestral traditions. Once a summer fishing camp, the town also holds an important place in Alaska’s maritime past as the site of the state’s first salmon cannery.

Ketchikan is set among the soaring coastal mountains and sloping woodlands of the Tongass National Forest. The gateway into America’s 49th state, it is known to travelers journeying north by ship as Alaska’s “First City” and the “Salmon Capital of the World” for its thriving fishing industry. Ketchikan also embraces its rich and enduring Tlingit heritage; it is home to the most standing totem poles anywhere in the world. The artful icons are sprinkled throughout the town as well as its parks and cultural centers.

Stretching some 500 miles along the Alaska Panhandle, the Inside Passage is a pristine wilderness of fjord-like channels. It winds its way through a vast maze of islands laden with emerald-green forests and strewn with glistening glaciers. Nature is at her most magnificent here, tranquil and hushed. Unspoiled waterways weave their way past tiny coastal villages and a breathtaking array of snowcapped mountains and pine-covered hills. Sea lions and otters reside in these waters, and moose and brown bears are often spotted as they wade along the coast.

Bid farewell to your fellow guests and journey home. Or spend more time exploring, perhaps joining one of our extensions.