In June, The MILEPOST® made a working
trip from Seattle, WA, to Anchorage, AK, via the Inside
Passage. While the trip was not your typical itinerary,
given that our stops were determined by work-related considerations,
it still offers an idea of what kind of ground you can
cover in 10 days.
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We made our reservations in early May for
an "up to 19-foot" vehicle, 2 adults and 1 child
on the June 7th sailing of the MV Columbia from
Bellingham, WA, to Ketchikan, AK. Normally, we would have
had to get our reservations in months earlier to secure
vehicle space out of Bellingham, but this was an unusual
year. Uncertainty about travel plans in the post-September
11th world resulted in more available summer ferry space
than normal, so we could be somewhat more spontaneous
about booking our ferry travel. But even with the luxury
of finding vehicle space available on the ferries, we
still had to plan our trip ahead of time. We spent quite
a lot of time with the ferry schedules before we left,
roughing out an itinerary that would work for us. We also
made alternate plans, just in case we needed more time
in one place or there was no vehicle space available on
the sailing we wanted.
We recall our trip here to provide insights
into the rewards and challenges of independent travel
up the Inside Passage.
We arrive at the Bellingham Alaska State Ferry
terminal 3 hours before our 6 p.m. departure on Friday.
The 3 p.m. check-in is required, but be prepared to then
sit in line for 3 hours. Passengers without vehicles and
those who want to stake out deck passage space early are
already onboard. We can see tents going up on the solarium
deck, prime real estate for many. (The Columbia
also has tent space aft of the cabin deck.)
We kill time in line watching other vehicles
load. Haines-bound vehicles, who will be the last to get
off, are the first to get on, loading onto the upper car
deck by elevator. We also watch a parade of dogs go by
on the grassy verge. This is when all the dog owners walk
their dogs, knowing that their pets will be spending the
next 37 hours on the car deck until we arrive in Ketchikan.
After boarding, we make our way to the purser's
office. It is the purser who has all the answers. Want
to know where to buy cigarettes on board? You can't, the
purser tells a passenger, we don't sell them. It is the
purser who makes all the announcements over the PA system:
car deck calls for passengers wishing to visit their pets
and/or vehicles while we're under sail; instructions upon
arriving in port; and—this trip—that a chocolate
lab is running around loose on the car deck.
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We ask the purser to wait-list us for a cabin;
we did not reserve one ahead of time. The Columbia
has a passenger capacity of 624 (passenger count this
trip is 420) and 91 cabins. It is the purser who announces
the lucky winners on the cabin wait-list. We are not one
of them, so we stake out some chairs and floor space in
the forward lounge. Other sleeping spots on the Columbia
for the cabin-less include the observation lounge and
the solarium. Although signs announce that the inside
lounges and solarium deck lounge chairs should not be
used by deck passengers during the day, these signs are
largely ignored. During the day, the white plastic chaise
lounges under the solarium are a sea of sleeping bags,
some still with bodies in them. Deck passengers are also
snoozing the afternoon away in the recliner lounge, taking
advantage of the fact that the TVs in that room aren't
working (normally the ferry would be showing educational
videos during the day).
We have clear weather and a fairly smooth
ride through the night, although the vessel rumbles and
vibrates and squeaks. The main lights go out in the recliner
lounge about 9 p.m.; the night lights are not bright enough
to read by, but bright enough to keep the light sensitive
awake.
We hit the Queen Charlottes in the morning.
This is the only portion of the Inside Passage exposed
to the swells of the Pacific, and we rock and roll for
about 2 hours, but not enough to prevent us from eating.
We spend a lot of time in the snack bar/cafeteria,
eating, drinking or just sitting at the tables. The food
line is open for breakfast from 6 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.;
lunch, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and dinner 5:30 p.m. to 9
p.m. It is cafeteria food, and the service is friendly,
but not fast. A forward dining room offers restaurant-style
dining. There are vending machines for candy and drinks
as well.
When we're not in the cafeteria, we're outside
watching the scenery go by. We are having spectacular
weather—warm and sunny—as we sail up the coast
of British Columbia. After another night in the recliner
lounge, we arrive in Ketchikan in the morning.
We spend the morning in Alaska's "First
City," exploring downtown attractions like the Southeast
Alaska Discovery Center and Creek Street; riding the Cape
Fox Hill-Creek Street Funicular; and taking a double-decker
bus tour to Saxman Totem Park. In the afternoon we drive
out to the end of the 18-mile-long North Tongass Highway
and take a short trail across Lunch Creek and down to
the beach at Settlers Cove State Recreation Site. On the
way back to town, we stop at the stunning Totem Bight
State Historical Park. We camp at Ward Lake Recreation
Area's Signal Creek Campground, about 9 miles from downtown
Ketchikan.
On Monday, we drive back to the Ketchikan
ferry terminal to catch the Inter-Island Ferry Authority's
MV Prince of Wales to Hollis terminal on Prince
of Wales Island. This new private ferry service connecting
Ketchikan with Prince of Wales Island began just last
year, and the vessel looks it: everything is sparkling
new and the food is excellent. Crossing time is about
3 hours to Hollis, where we debark and immediately start
driving west on the Hollis?Klawock?Craig Highway.
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Prince of Wales Island is the third largest island under
the American flag and has the most extensive road system
in Southeast. We spend 3 days driving these roads, which
range from the 2-lane paved highway connecting Hollis, Klawock
and Craig (the island's largest community and service center),
to former logging roads that wind across the mountains,
through old-growth forest and clear-cut areas. Although
narrow and winding, these gravel roads are in good condition
and there is little traffic. We have to slow down for a
fat, glossy black bear in the middle of the road, and again
for a couple of deer with a fawn. We visit El Capitan Cave,
the major geological attraction on the island, although
we miss connecting with the Forest Service to get on a guided
tour.
We catch the MV Prince of Wales back
to Ketchikan the afternoon of our third day on the island,
arriving back at the Ketchikan ferry terminal at 5:15
p.m. We have time to do some shopping before we have to
check-in for the 8:30 p.m. sailing of the Alaska State
ferry MV Taku to Juneau.
The Taku gets under way about 9:15
p.m., but by the time we get upstairs, the cafeteria has
stopped serving dinner. We eat cold sandwiches then begin
the hunt for a place to sleep. We choose the forward observation
lounge because it's quieter and darker than the recliner
lounge. We forget that sunrise in June is around 4 a.m.
and that there are early-risers onboard, so we are awoken
at dawn by a group of people who have gathered to play
cards in the lounge. This is followed by announcements
on the P.A. system for debarking passengers as we approach
Petersburg just before 6 a.m.
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At 9 a.m. the forward observation lounge is
packed with people who have come for the first interpretive
talk of the day by the U.S. Forest Service. Don and Dottie
Poling, both interpreters for Tongass National Forest,
present a program on whales as we enter Frederick Sound,
prime whale watching waters. Before long, people are spotting
blow holes and trying to tell humpbacks from orcas. Interpretive
programs are scheduled throughout the day, so folks heading
for landfall at Haines tonight can learn about hiking,
bears, glaciers and their destination before they depart
the ferry.
We arrive in Juneau in the afternoon, and
after debarking head for Spruce Meadow RV Park where we
grab a campsite before heading over to Mendenhall Glacier.
It is hot and sunny in Juneau, not typical for this part
of Alaska, where it rains 222 days a year. We take lots
of photos of the glacier and walk out to Nugget Falls,
which is roaring thanks to the warm weather and resulting
snow melt.
We pack as much activity into our short stay
in Juneau as possible. The next day we explore downtown,
taking the Mount Roberts Tramway up to the observation
platform for some truly spectacular views of Juneau on
yet another clear and sunny day. We drive the 40-mile
highway north from Juneau along Favorite Channel and back,
then cross the Juneau-Douglas Bridge and explore Douglas
Island.
Saturday morning we're up early and at the
ferry terminal to catch the 7 a.m. departure of the MV
Malaspina for Haines. This is a short ferry ride,
and we arrive before noon at the ferry terminal, which
is just outside Haines on Lutak Road. Instead of driving
the 5 miles into downtown, we head out Lutak Road for
Chilkoot Lake. It's so hot we consider jumping in the
lake. Instead we head into town for shopping and lunch.
Haines is hopping with travelers just off
the ferry and people in town for the conclusion of the
Kluane to Chilkat International Bike Relay. This annual
cycling event starts in Haines Junction, YT, and finishes
150 miles later in Haines, AK. As we head up the Haines
Highway in the late afternoon, we honk and wave at the
finishing cyclists.
After stopping in Haines Junction, YT, for
dinner, we decide to drive on to Beaver Creek. Since it's
June, we have plenty of light left. It is also Saturday
night and most of the road construction crews working
on this stretch of the Alaska Highway are off. We have
only one 15-minute stop for construction. Miles of highway
along this 200-mile stretch between Haines Junction and
the Alaska border are being widened and rerouted as part
of the Shakwak reconstruction project and we have some
long gravel detours.
We camp overnight in Beaver Creek, YT, and
spend the next day driving the 440 miles to Anchorage.
This is not a difficult drive, but normally we would take
more time, stopping to fish, hike and camp along the way.
Unfortunately, we have appointments to keep in Anchorage
and no time to stop on this trip.
When planning your itinerary, allow enough
time to stop and see Alaska by scheduling full days in
one place and budgeting miles driven to between 150 to
300 miles a day. If traveling by ferry through Southeast
Alaska, plan ahead! Ferry schedules and the necessity
of reserving space ahead of time for ferry travel do not
always allow for a lot of spontaneity, so try to determine
before you go how much time you'll need to see and do
everything you want. Our trip through Southeast was a
fast one: We could have spent twice the time we did and
still not have seen or done half of what there is to see
and do in that part of the world. We didn't go fishing,
we didn't go flightseeing, we didn't get out to Glacier
Bay or over to Sitka, we didn't get off at Wrangell or
Petersburg, we didn't take a cruise out to Tracy Arm or
Misty Fjords. We didn't do a lot of things. We'll have
to go back...
| Costs
on this trip: |
| • |
Total ferry fares (2
adults, 1 child, and up to 19-foot vehicle): $1,769 |
| • |
Total gas costs for 1,439
miles driven: $125 |
| • |
Camping fees: $113 |
| • |
Food: approximately $450 |
