indiancouple

We plan to visit Alaska's Inside Passage this July. We have been to Alaska earlier, and visited Anchorage, Seward, Matanuska, Denali, Talkeetna, Fairbanks. Would like to see the Inside Passage this time. We will be flying in from New York, and could fly in to Juneau or any other airfield. Wish to avoid taking a cruise from Vancouver, as it will involve an extra visa for Canada. Would prefer to start and end in Juneau. Can give about 8-9 days for the trip. We will be 3 people - one couple plus an adult son. Cost is not much of an issue. We enjoy great scenery, and can undertake easy hikes and short-canoeing/kayaking stretches,but nothing very strenuous.
Need suggestions about suggested itinerary. Also, should we be taking ferries and short flights, or should we take a 7-day small boat cruise (which is somewhat expensive, but could be considered) ?

Gardyloo

The small boat cruises are certainly an option, but as you say they're very pricey. They'll offer terrific access to wildlife and scenery, and of course they'll minimize your need to arrange logistics.

It's a big region with a surprising amount of diversity, but as with all things much depends on your personal priorities. If it was me contemplating such a trip, and with a week or so, I'd probably limit myself to two or three destinations at most. Some ideas for you to investigate:

Sitka. This lovely and historic former capital of Russian America is bypassed by most major cruise lines as its harbor isn't very friendly to the big ships. (Some do call, but it's nothing like Juneau, Ketchikan or especially Skagway, where several ships dock at the same time, disgorging thousands of passengers onto the streets simultaneously.) Sitka is in spectacular surroundings, has interesting activities like the Fortress of the Bear and raptor center...


Juneau. It's a tale of two towns, the daytime cruise destination, and the evening small Alaska town, once the ships have sailed. There are glacier excursions, kayaking and whale watching and other mass-market activities, but also fun and funky restaurants and some very pretty local destinations, ideal for picnics or short hikes.

Gustavus/Glacier Bay. There are numerous one-day or overnight visiting options to this area, mainly out of Juneau. It really is spectacular.

Villages. I'd look at an excursion to one of the small outlying villages, well off the main tourism routes. Look at Tenakee Springs, a very pretty (and quite tiny) village served by the state ferry from Juneau. Or if anybody fancies fishing, look at the village of Pelican.


As for transportation, I'd look at the ferry system's website - Alaska State Ferry | Alaska Marine Highway System - to look at fares, sailing times and frequency, and I'd also look at Alaska Airlines' website to see local fares. For example, Juneau to Sitka on the state ferry takes 9+ hours and costs $89; on an Alaska Airlines flight it takes 40 minutes and costs $95. One route is quick, the other very scenic. Maybe fly one way and ferry back? Or with three passengers, don't overlook the possibility of using chartered light planes to combine sightseeing with transportation, for example from Juneau to Gustavus, or from Sitka to Pelican, or for a Pack Creek bear viewing flight from Juneau (might already be sold out.)

indiancouple

Gardyloo, thanks a lot for your detailed response. I have looked at the small cruise ships, and they are exorbitantly expensive. I am almost ruling it out.

Would be greatly obliged if you could suggest a 7-8 day itinerary. We could fly into Juneau, and maybe fly out of Sitka or elsewhere (any place which has an airlink to Seattle). Would not mind using state ferries, charter flights, or any other option. As I mentioned in my original post, cost is not much of an issue, but a small boat cruise for 3 people is costing around $ 23000 which is a bit over the top.

We actually love DIY trips, and are open to your suggestions. Keep in mind that we cannot undertake strenuous hikes (we are in early 60's), but are game for anything else. As much of diversity as we can pack in that time - combination of glacier views, wildlife, and cute small towns. If you could suggest a day-by-day itinerary, I would be eternally obliged. We had loved our last trip to Alaska in 2012, when we toured the Alaska mainland by self-drive car.

Thanks in advance, and look forward to your suggestions.

indiancouple

Forgot to mention, we are not really into fishing (we are vegetarians !!).

Gardyloo

I'm not inclined to offer anything day-to-day, instead I'd suggest a schematic that you can flesh out. For activities in and around these bases, I'd definitely talk to locals when you're there or when you have accommodations sorted out; they're going to be way more current then someone from an internet bulletin board.

I'd fly into either Juneau or Sitka, both of which have nonstop (and/or easy one-stop in the case of Sitka) service from Seattle. You could fly back from the other.

I'd split up the time like this: 2 nights in Sitka, 2 in Juneau, 1 in Tenakee and 2 in Gustavus (for Glacier Bay.) If you have 8 days, add another night in either Sitka or Juneau, depending on detailed plans. While you can fly between the towns, sometimes cheaper than the ferry, the ferry is quite scenic but it doesn't run daily between these places; in fact sometimes it's only once or twice a week. So for some place like Tenakee, for example, you might take the ferry from Juneau (around 5 hours and $56 one way) but unless you want to spend several days waiting for the boat to take you back, arrange to fly - $211 and 40 minutes on a float plane. Same goes for Gustavus - around 4 hours on the ferry and $55 vs. half an hour on an Alaska Airlines 737 and $110.

I'd start by looking at accommodation availability in the various places, especially Glacier Bay if you want to spend the night (as opposed to a day trip from Juneau.)

Some resources -

Tenakee Springs Alaska - Open the doors to Alaska
https://dot.alaska.gov/amhs/
Matrix - ITA Software by Google
https://www.visitglacierbay.com/

You can arrange tours and activities with locals. In the case of Juneau, there are umpteen different tour/excursion options that are set up for the cruise trade, but which can be used for non-cruisers too. One note is that Juneau's ferry terminal is in Auke Bay, around 10 miles from downtown; you'll need to use taxis to get to and from. The airport is around halfway between the town and the ferry terminal.

One thought, not sure if it's of interest. You said July but if you were able and interested, there's a famous chamber music held every year in Sitka, right at the end of June. It's quite an experience, unexpected to many. https://alaskaclassics.org/

indiancouple

Thanks a lot Gardyloo. You have given me excellent inputs. I will study the options in detail, and come back with specific questions.

indiancouple

Gardyloo, you had mentioned about small aircrafts available in SE Alaska for transportation. I found one service - Alaska Seaplanes - flyalaskaseaplanes.com - which offers this service. Are there any others ? If so, could you provide me a link to their site ?

Following your advice, and veering towards a tentative itinerary as follows :
Day 1 : Arrive at Juneau late evening from Seattle by flight
Days 2,3 & 4 : Stay at Juneau. Take a flightseeing tour of Juneau Icefields, visit Mendelhall Glacier, take a day trip (by small aircraft) to Gustavus for a boat tour of Glacier Bay, Mt Roberts tramway, and maybe Pack Creek bear watching trip
Day 5 : Morning seaplane from Juneau to Skagway; dog-sledding on ice
Day 6 : White Pass & Yukon railroad trip to Lake Bennett & back (from Skagway)
Day 7 : Seaplane from Skagway to Sitka
Days 8 & 9 : At Sitka; take whale watching tour, Sitka National Historic Park etc
Day 10 : Fly back to Seattle from Sitka

Any changes/additions that you would suggest ?

mlgb

I'm late to your thread but if Skagway is in the itinerary, I'd rent a car or take a ferry and head to Haines, AK, a small town that doesn't get the huge influx of summer cruise traffic that Skagway does (there's only room for one ship).

IIRC you also like your beer, Haines is the home of https://www.hainesbrewing.com/