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Southeast
Alaska Itinerary Questions
Question: Can we visit
Southeast Alaska without taking a cruise?
Question: Will the
ferry stop long enough to tour towns on the way?
Question: How should we
manage ferry stop-overs? How much wildlife
will we see?
Question: Should we
take the Whitehorse & Yukon
Route Railroad as well as drive
the highway?
Question: Is my ferry
tour plan safe for a single woman?
Question:
Can we visit Southeast Alaska without taking a cruise?
Answer:
Many visitors seem to
think cruising is the only way to Southeast Alaska, but, of course,
that's not how residents get around. They fly or take the ferries
operated by the state's Alaska Marine Highway System. Two popular
Southeast communities, Haines and Skagway, are connected to the
road system, but most of the towns have no highway links, including Juneau, Alaska's capital, Ketchikan, its fourth largest
city, and Sitka, the Russian capital
and most historic town in Alaska. Each of these, plus
Wrangell, Petersburg and Gustavus, is served daily by jets operated by Alaska Airlines,
and commuter airlines connect them and smaller towns. One great way to
do a Southeast Alaska trip is to fly into a
hub on Alaska Airlines then explore with the ferry and the smaller
airlines. The ferry takes longer, but is less expensive and the passing
scenery is unforgettable. The boats have cabins, which you should book
well ahead for summer trips, and restaurants that serve meals (although
bringing a picnic aboard is a good idea for added variety and
flexibility). You can even camp on deck, setting up your tent behind
the top deck solarium. (Bring a roll of duct tape to hold down your
tent in case you get a windy spot.) Bicycles and cars are for rent in
each little town along the way, and you can book fishing trips, sea
kayaking and whale watching tours in almost any of the larger
communities.
Question: Will the ferry
stop long enough to tour towns on the way?
If we
take the ferry from Washington to Juneau, does
the ferry stop at the ports along the way long enough for us to any
sight seeing?
Answer:
If the
ferry is on time, there is often enough time for a short walk down Main
Street and
maybe a peek into a museum. But the ferry is often late because of many
causes, and then they may not let you off the boat at all. There is
little or no additional cost to getting off and catching the next
ferry. It's easy if you don't take a vehicle, something of a hassle if
you do.
Question: How
should we manage ferry stop-overs? How much
wildlife will we see?
Trying to
plan a trip in SE Alaska the last
week of May and first of June, hopping on and off the ferry. There are
not daily ferries so it’s proving a bit of a challenge to see all the
interesting bits in daylight and also trying to get to
Sitka if going
north and trying to spend a day or two there.
We really want to see some whales, one impressive glacier, the spectacular scenery, enjoy the local scene as
well as doing a little sea kayaking at least once. One half of us is an experienced kayaker (not sea). I’m a total
beginner. Dont think
Glacier
bay is in
our budget unless we should do that instead of other things. I read
where you suggested the best trips on the ferry are, but also in the Frommers magazine the guy who wrote that article
has said that the ferry trip to Pelican is amazing and there are lots
of whales in
Icy Strait. Would
like to take the ferry from Ketckikan up
as far as Skagway or vice
versa, see whales, Tracey Arm, Misty Fjord, Sitka, Petersburg (Frederick Sound) and
maybe go on the ferry to Pelican. Will fly in/out of Juneau/Ketchikan.
I think I am going to have to trade extra time in Sitka (seakayaking?) for the Pelican trip or vice
versa, though maybe I can figure out a way to do both if fly to or from
Sitka from Petersburg.
Can you tell me where the best place is going to be to see whales at
this time of year? Does the ferry go through Frederick sound so
could see whales without doing an actual whale watching trip from Petersburg? Will
Icy strait or Sitka have
whales in May/June. Is Misty Fjord not to be
missed if in Ketchikan? Or
maybe we should go to Glacier
Bay instead
of all the rest!
Lastly although it looks like Ill have to plan it out
, if you hop on and off the ferry is it difficult to get budget
accommodations at that time of year?
Answer:
--Consider
making some short hops by air to make your ferry trip more manageable.
You don't need to spend every minute on the ferry.
--Don't plan your whale watching on a ferry ride. The ferry won't even
slow down and certainly won't divert to see the whales. It could be
more frustrating than not seeing whales at all. If seeing whales is a
top priority, plan a dedicated whalewatching
outing from
Petersburg, Gustavus or Juneau.
--I personally wouldn't sacrifice time in Sitka for the
Pelican trip. I think you will have more than enough ferry time and not
enough shore time. Don't pass up sea kayaking, it could be the
highlight.
--Misty Fjords would be another place to cut, or do by air rather than
by boat. You will already see a lot of great scenery by boat. You don't
see wildlife in Misty Fjords.
--As for whale timing, I again recommend a dedicated whalewatching outing; when you contact an
operator to set up the outing, question them closely about the viewing
season in their area.
Question: Should
we take the Whitehorse & Yukon
Route Railroad
as well as drive the highway?
On our RV
driving vacation we will go to Skagway before
returning home. Since we will be traveling the South
Klondike Hwy in both
directions, will we see views comparable to the Yukon RR?
Answer:
There is no need to
take the train ride unless you are train buffs if you are already
driving the road.
Question: Is my
ferry tour plan safe for a single woman?
I
am flying in and out of Seattle, June 19
and July 3. I thought that I would immediately go to Vancouver, spend a
day, then get to Prince
Rupert and take
the AMHS up to Juneau, go to
Tracy Arm, then work my way south to Sitka and Ketchikan. I
wanted to schedule one sea kayaking or other trip in there. I'm on a
very limited budget. So my question is: is this doable? Is this safe
for a single woman? What do I need to be safe and comfortable sleeping
on the ferry?
Answer:
You have
a gap in your plan. I don't know how you are getting from Vancouver to Prince
Rupert. If you
are thinking of hitchhiking, I would strongly discourage it. Maybe
there is a bus; I don't know. Based what I do know, and assuming you
don't have your own car or rental car, take Amtrak from
Seattle to Vancouver, then
backtrack to Bellingham and take
the AMHS from Bellingham north. I
think it is safe for a single woman to sleep on the ferry without a
cabin. A blanket is all you absolutely need, a sleeping bag is better,
best of all is a small tent and a roll of duct tape to hold it down to
the deck. Make sure to grab you camping spot quickly, however, in the
area right behind the solarium on the top deck. Without a tent, sleep
on the lawn furniture on the solarium or in the recliner lounge,
indoors. The danger as a single woman I suppose is comparable to
traveling in other parts of the
US. It's
wise to stay out of lonely places and bars late at night. My wife takes
bear deterrent spray when she goes out on the bike trails in
Anchorage by
herself, for bad bears and bad people.
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