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Vast network of sheltered coastal waterways lined with forested islands, glacier-carved fjords, and abundant wildlife that offers some of the most scenic maritime landscapes in North America.
General Information
How to Get There
From Juneau (0 mi): Access is primarily by boat or seaplane; board a ferry or cruise from the harbor or airport and travel through the coastal waterways connecting nearby port communities and scenic fjords.
Overview
The Inside Passage is a coastal route through a network of channels among the islands of the Pacific Northwest, from Puget Sound in Washington through British Columbia to Southeast Alaska, sheltered from the open ocean. It carried gold seekers north during the Klondike Gold Rush. The Alaska portion is 500 miles long and 100 miles wide, with about 1,000 islands, and it holds the Tongass National Forest, the largest in the U.S.
Ways to See It
- Cruise ships: more than 2 million passengers a year sail the route in summer, calling at Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Sitka
- Ferries: the Alaska Marine Highway and BC Ferries give a slower, cheaper, and more flexible trip
- Small ships: expedition cruises focused on wildlife, glaciers, and small ports
- Wildlife: humpback and orca whales, bald eagles, sea lions, and bears
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Inside Passage", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
