Alaska and The Inside Passage

Alaska is a mystic and mesmerizing part of the world with a vast landscape, majestic mountains that jet straight up from the sea, and an abundant amount of wildlife. Along my journey up the inside passage I slept in the solarium at the back of the boat so that I wouldn’t miss any of Alaska’s beauty. I spent my nights watching the radiant sun slowly set into the ocean or behind the mountains and I was woken up by the suns warm glow every morning. I spent my days at the back of the boat meeting new people from all different walks of life and watching for natures amazing animals.

I saw several humpback whales along the way. Everyday I stood at the back of the boat looking out at the depths of the ocean. Every once in a while I would see a buff of water shoot up from the still water. Then the whale would lift it’s tale out of the water to begin to dive. From a distance I was able to see a few come all the way out of the water, which is an incredible event to watch. Whales are remarkable animals.

The humpback whales were the most exciting animals to see, but I also say a black bear walking up the road, several bald eagles, a sea otter and some Dall sheep.

The inside passage is a watery transportation route among named and unnamed islands off of British Columbia and into Alaska. The route starts in dense spruce forest and deep cascades and soon turns into deep fjords that twist and turn and ends in stunning blue glaciers. The ferry from Bellingham to Juneau stopped at three ports along the way: Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg. The ferry from Juneau to Whittier stopped in Yakutat.

Ketchikan

The first port along Alaska’s inside passage is Ketchikan. Ketchikan is beautiful, but a little too touristy for me. All of the major cruise liners stop in Ketchikan, so they get thousands of tourists there everyday.

Wrangell

Wrangell is a small town located on Zimovia strait. Some of the attractions in Wrangell are petroglyphs, a totem park, and a replica of an 1894 tribal house a USGA-rated golf course. It also offers flightseeing and hiking.

Petersburg

Petersburg was a fish camp site before a Norwegian immigrant built a salmon cannery in 1897. Many of his countrymen followed and soon after a Sons of Norway hall was built. While in Petersburg you can take a boat excursion to listen to whales sing or you can watch seals sun themselves on ice bergs. In May there is the Little Norway Festival and Salmon Derby. We didn’t have time to get off the ferry in Petersburg, but it looked like a quant little town.

Juneau

The capital of Alaska is a breathtaking town. Juneau has dark evergreen forests and endless waterfalls flowing from its mountains. The town is in a channel surrounded by mountains and rainforests. Juneau was Alaska’s largest city until World War II closed its gold mines and it is the only state capital not accessible by road.

Yakutat

If you ever feel the need to go surfing in Alaska Yakutat would be the place to go. Due to its big waves and uncrowned beaches Yakutat was named one of the five best surf places in the nation by Outside Magazine. The woman that I talked to at the coffee shop in town said the pro surfers start coming in September and hundreds of surfers from all over the world visit Yakutat every summer.

Whittier

Whittier was our last stop on the ferry and my favorite town along the inside passage. It is a small town of only 300 people, and constantly covered by clouds, but it is surrounded by impassable mountains and because of all the rain it is very green. The only way to get in or out of Whittier by car is through a one way tunnel. Until recently you could only get to the town by sea or train. In 2000 the 2.5 mile railroad tunnel under the mountains was enlarged to allow cars and trucks. Just outside of Whittier we hiked to a mystical blue glacier. The glaciers in Africa were amazing because they were so big, but the glaciers in Alaska are an exceptional crystal clear blue color to them.

Kenai

The drive from Anchorage to Kenai has been ranked one of the top prettiest drives in the nation and it was truly stunning. There are mountains covered with glaciers and a sparkling blue river of glacial water running along the road. Of all the towns I saw in Alaska Kenai was one of my favorites.

So far Alaska is one of the prettiest places I have ever been and I am looking forward to having at least a year to explore this great state.

Traveling is great not only because of the different places you get to see but also because of the different people you get to meet. I have met some truly fascinating people during my travels. My journey up the inside passage was no exception.

There were all different types of people on the ferry with many different life stories and all of them were going to different parts of Alaska for different reasons. I am so glad I met some of them and was able to hear their life stories. There are some amazing people in the world.