My wife and I have 5-6 weeks to spend in the Vancouver/Rockies area and in the coastal area between Vancouver and Anchorage.
We are keen to use rail transport, Alaska Marine Highway System and to stay in B&B style accommodations.
We can begin our trip at either end (Anchorage or Vancouver)
My reading of this forum and of everything else I can get suggests that we see the "must sees of Vancouver Victoria Banff Jasper Lake Louise and take the trip from Jasper to Prince Rupert. In Alaska we take the ferry and get off and stay at Ketchikan Petersburg Sitka and Juneau and take the rail trip from Seward to Anchorage.
My QUANDRY is how to sequence all of this.
Can any experienced Fodorites please help me untangle this web?

A great deal will depend on when you are going?? If going in August then I would go "southbound" ending up in Vancouver, earlier then northbound, mid season- either. You will be limited by ferry schedules, so look over those first. Then just plan your time on both ends. Allow a stay of a few days each on the inside passage, very worthwhile. Request each city's visitor guide- loaded with planning information. If you are doing interior Alaska touring- then the MILEPOST is a necessary reference, try your library or purchase a new copy after 3/05.

Ooops, I did omit the time of year. We are lookingat mid September on, as we have been told that all the school vacations are finished then. I've checked the ferry schedules, but cannot find the schedule for MV Kennicott from Juneau to Seward (or vice versa) and have not yet received a reply to my email query to the company

You are going too late. Not only are a lot of attractions closed, you are likely to encounter some cold foul weather inside passage. Denali Park will be closed- but it doesn't look like that was your priority?? The ferry schedules scale back so verify this. What is your "school vacation" reference- it is not over run with kids in Alaska and definately not a factor to consider in terms of attractions open and weather.

Hello:

Try this: http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/schedres/scheds/S05.htm. Look for the purple Kenicott

I don't know if

Sorry for the double post.

I haven't figured out how to edit a post yet. <G>

It sounds like you have a good start. I'm not a 100% sure on this but you may want to make sure that the ferry does go to Prince Rupert. You may have to back track to Bellingham but..

I took the ferry from Bellingham to Juneau this past July. It was a fun trip but I regreted not having the time to explore the towns that we stopped in. There were people that organized a short tour in each of the towns and I regreted not going on them.

I don't know if Wrangell holds any interest to you but this town is a good jumping off point to go inside. I think also that there is good bear viewing nearby.

Another issue would be linking up for the across gulf passage. When I first started planning this, I thought that I could take the ferry from Seattle to Anchorage. As, I started researching this, it hit me that I was way out in left field somewhere.

Enjoy.

Rogue