Despite my strong dislike of ships and spending any more time on water than absolutely necessary, I’d love to return to the Inside Passage one day. There are just too many communities, sights and hiking trails left to explore.
And thankfully, the region’s not overtouristed (yet) due its rather remote location (and associated hefty price tag).
The best way to explore the various ports and settlements along the Inside Passage is definitely by ferry. That way, you can make the most of being able to hop around and you can also bring a campervan along to create your very own itinerary.
READ MORE: 5 Reasons to Travel the Inside Passage by Ferry
7 AMAZING STOPS ALONG THE INSIDE PASSAGE
Lots of people think the Inside Passage just covers Alaska.
But you can also sail the Canadian section from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert, and depending on the BC Ferries schedule, you may be able to hop off at one or two (First Nations) communities, e.g. Klemtu, along the way.
Here are 7 stops that I’m keen to make (again) next time!
1. PRINCE RUPERT | BRITISH COLUMBIA
We had a bit over a day in Prince Rupert on our way to Alaska, and while it rained a fair bit, we also managed to squeeze in a few sights.
For starters, there’s the fabulous Museum of Northern BC with its incredible collection of First Nations artifacts. We lost track of time and easily spent a couple of hours here.
READ MORE: Aboriginal Culture in Canada
Prince Rupert is also perfect for taking a stroll around.
The waterfront and Cow Bay with its cute but not tacky cow patterns everywhere, tiny but quirky shops, and cafés is easily walk-able. Then there are totem poles and amazing murals to discover around every corner. I’m fairly sure I picked up a murals trail map from the visitor information but we either didn’t tick off all 30 of them or I’ve lost some photos as I only seem to have limited photo evidence.
The other place I really loved in Prince Rupert was the community-led Sunken Gardens.
And for a bit of exercise, we half-ran half-walked the 4.5km Butze Rapids Trail loop (3km south of town), mostly because it was getting late and as usual, we were running out of daylight. The hike is pleasant enough, just don’t expect too much from the rapids.
On my list for next time:
- The North Pacific Cannery, a national historic site: With boardwalks connecting this historic village, I can’t imagine not loving it
- Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary: Need I say more? It’s got ‘grizzly bear’ in its name!
- Drive Highway 16 along the Skeena River: Glaciers, mountain peaks and a winding river, sounds like an amazingly scenic drive
2. KETCHIKAN | ALASKA
After leaving Prince Rupert on the Alaskan ferries, we made our way to Ketchikan and docked there for a couple of hours. I’m fairly sure all the tourists got off, and either wandered around Ketchikan aimlessly or had a bite to eat somewhere.
The walk into town from the ferry dock takes about half an hour as it’s at the other end of town, which seems to be as far away from the cruise ship terminal as possible. This 30 min vigorous exercise gave us just enough time to meander down parts of Waterfront Promenade, take a quick zip up and down Main Street, and skedaddle back to the ferry dock via a supermarket for a few supplies.
Unfortunately, we didn’t even have time to explore the famous Ketchikan Creek Street Boardwalk (formerly a red-light district), which looks super quaint, historic and possibly totally overtouristed if cruise ships are in town. By the way, this is one town you’d want to avoid on cruise ship days as it would be impossibly packed!
On my list for next time:
- Meander down the Creek Street Boardwalk
- Visit the Southeast Alaska Discovery Centre (on Main Street): To learn more about the natural and cultural heritage of the Inside Passage region
- Stop by the Totem Heritage Center: I find indigenous history and culture fascinating so this place sounds like a good spot to learn a bit more
- Hike some of the local trails, e.g. Rainbird Trail with views of Ketchikan and surrounding islands and fjords
- Stay overnight at the Ward Lake or Settlers Cove Campground
3. PETERSBURG | ALASKA
If we didn’t have much time in Ketchikan, our stop at Petersburg was even shorter. We didn’t even make it into town but had to turn around at the marina.
Petersburg is also known as Alaska’s Little Norway, and while I’ve never been to Norway, I wouldn’t mind a slice of it in Alaska. Why not?
As it’s located at the end of the Wrangell Narrows, a lot of the big cruiseliners aren’t servicing Petersburg so my guess is that it’s a lot less touristy than, say, Ketchikan or Skagway.
Founded by Norwegians, Petersburg is apparently one of the prettiest towns along the Inside Passage. From just docking at the harbour, I can certainly see the allure.
On my list for next time:
- Wander the streets and boardwalks of Petersburg: That’s really all I want to do (plus take an insane number of photos if it’s really as pretty as they claim)
- Explore a couple of the local hiking trails, I’m always up for that
4. JUNEAU | ALASKA
Unlike the other ports, I can’t even say I’ve been to Alaska’s capital Juneau because we didn’t leave the ship. 🙁
The ferry docked about 8:30pm and left just after midnight, and I was too tired to get off. Plus the ferry terminal is a fair way out of Juneau so walking to downtown wasn’t really an option.
Obviously this situation would need to be rectified on our next Inside Passage trip as there’s just so much to do and see in Juneau. Ideally, I’d want to have at least a couple of days but possibly more because you know, weather and stuff.
So, here’s what I’d definitely want to see…
On my list for next time:
- Mendenhall Glacier for obvious reasons
- Walk around Juneau on a non-cruise ship day
- Hike one of the many trails, maybe the West Glacier Trail or maybe the trail to Herbert Glacier (so many to choose from, apparently over 250mi of trails!)
- Drive across to Douglas Island for views of Juneau
- Maybe visit SeaAlaska, a traditional clan house, but I haven’t worked out yet if it’s super touristy
- Poke around the Alaska State Museum for a dose of local indigenous culture and history
- Visit the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church for its stunning architecture
Things I’m probably not so interested in because duh, too touristy, include taking the Mt Roberts Tram or just being in Juneau on cruise ship day (ok, I’m repeating myself…).
5. SITKA | ALASKA
So here’s a place I haven’t been to at all.
I don’t exactly know why I think it’d be cool to visit Sitka, maybe because it’s played a role in the Russian exploration of Alaska or maybe because this is where Alaska was sold to the US in the mid-1800s. Or maybe I think it would make a great destination because it sees far fewer visitors than Juneau or Ketchikan do, and is kind of off the beaten path.
On my list for next time:
- Learning more about Alaska’s Russian history at the Russian cemetery or the Russian Memorial
- Visit the Alaska Raptor Center: Getting close with bald eagles at a bird rehab centre sounds like a great experience!
- Take a hike among totem poles in Sitka National Historical Park, Alaska’s oldest national park
- Doing some hiking around Harbor Mountain with views of Sitka Sound
6. SKAGWAY | ALASKA
From remote Sitka out on Baranof Island to super popular Skagway. This is where the gold rush all began…
I definitely don’t want to poke around Skagway on cruise ship day, that sounds like my particular version of a nightmare. But I would like to see what all the fuss is about, and whether Skagway really is as tacky and touristy as I’ve read.
There are still plenty of historical buildings dating back to the Klondike Gold Rush, and I really loved exploring Dawson City so maybe Skagway would be just as much fun!
READ MORE: Tracing the Klondike Gold Rush: Things to Do in Dawson City
On my list for next time:
- Take the railway over White Pass: I know this is super touristy but from photos I’ve seen, this trip looks incredibly scenic
- Hike the Chilkoot Trail: Ok, this is probably going to stay on my bucket list forever (looks amazing though!)
- Wander around the streets of Skagway and hopefully feel more like stepping back into time than into tacky tourist land
7. HAINES | ALASKA
Haines marked the final stop on our Inside Passage journey.
We arrived here at the ungodly hour of 4am, and basically rolled off the ferry, found a spot to park our van and went to sleep. A few hours later, we woke up to a bright clear day overlooking the Chilkat Inlet with views nothing short of breathtaking.
In the early 1900s, the government built a fort at Haines, which is now a national historic site. The row of officer houses (Officer’s Row) looks super picturesque and only a little bit out of place in this neck of the woods. At least one of them is now a B&B, and it would probably be great fun to stay there.
We didn’t spend too much time in Haines as we had the 300km drive to Haines Junctions ahead of us that day. But if we were to visit again, I’d be interested to do these things:
On my list for next time:
- Hike one of the local trails, like the Mount Riley Trail with fabulous views of the surrounding mountains, glaciers and inlets
- Take a bit more time to wander around Haines and trace the history and buildings of the fort
- Watch bald eagles soar at the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve: Last time we were a little too early to see any so maybe more luck next time?
You could also visit the Hammer Museum though I can’t say that I’ve had a hankering so far to see a whole museum full of hammers. That said, the Toaster Museum in Stewart was quirky and I had a blast examining the various contraptions so maybe looking at hammers would be equally fascinating??
REALLY OFF THE BEATEN PATH TOWNS
If you really want to get away from tourists, try one of these places: Elfin Cove (it’s a boardwalk town, yay!), Kake (great for watching bears fish for salmon!!), Tenakee Springs (hot springs on offer) or Angoon (more bear viewing and indigenous history).
Some of them are accessible by the Alaska State Ferry system, while for others you’ll need your own boat or fly in by float plane. Check out Alaska.org for more details.
MORE POSTS ON ALASKA AND THE YUKON
If you need more convincing that exploring the Inside Passage by ferry is the best idea, peruse my 5 reasons why. Included are some tips on what you need to know about taking the ferries.
The Klondike Gold Rush of 1898 is what Skagway and Dawson City are all about. Here’s how you could spend a day in Dawson City.
Alaska and the Yukon is an outdoor lover’s paradise: Go hiking in Kluane National Park, take a flightseeing tour over Kluane or roam around Tombstone Territorial Park. And that’s just the beginning of all that you could do in this region!
9 Comments
Julie
18 June 2019 at 8:18 PMHi Kati, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your writings, they’re both informative and so interesting.
I was just wondering what car rental company you have found to be the best in Canada?
Thanks,Julie
Julie
19 June 2019 at 10:05 PMHi Kati, I’ve loved reading about your travels in the Inside Passage. Do you have a vehicle rental company that you can recommend?
Kati
21 June 2019 at 10:35 PMHi Julie,
That’s great! (Sorry, I did see your other comment, have just been flat out…)
We used a private rental through someone in Vancouver on both our trips as we only wanted a small van. I’ve just tried finding the details but just found out he doesn’t offer rentals anymore. You see lots of Canadream vans (but they’re relatively big RVs and pricey) driving around Canada so they’re obviously popular. Backpackers often rent the smaller Wicked Campers or Jucy Vans but I haven’t got any experience with either of them. I expect they’re cheaper as the kitchen is often not built in so you do all your cooking at the back of the van.
I was going to recommend the guy we used but he’s out of business now so, unfortunately, I can’t help! 🙁
Julie
22 June 2019 at 8:48 AMHi Kati, sorry for sending my question twice, I didn’t think that it had sent the first time.☺️
Thanks for your reply. We’ve only used a campervan for one trip more than 10 years ago. Are there any particular things that you would definitely want in a campervan that you hire? Thanks again
Kati
24 June 2019 at 3:58 PMHi Julie,
Ah, no worries, totally fine, good reminder for me to respond! 😉
We’re pretty low key in what we want in a campervan – a lot of people prefer bigger setups because they like the comfort they offer. For us it’s more a matter of being able to “blend in” and have a van that can be driven and maneuvered easily. It’s very hard to turn around in a big RV (and we always seem to turn around a lot, either because we get lost, haha, or because I yell “that’s a great photo back there, turn around!” 😀 ).
We also usually go with manual and diesel as you tend to get a lot more mileage out of them. I’m not sure you’d find a lot of vans/RVs in the Canada or the US that offer manual though. We were lucky with own VW campervans, they’ve mostly had manual transmission.
The other thing to look out for is whether kilometre / mile usage is included in the rental. Quite often it’s not, or it’s a “100km per day free”, and then it’s a matter of doing the maths to see whether it’s cheaper to buy an unlimited km package or whether paying extra for any additional km. We’ve done both – on our first Canada trip we knew we’d clock up at least 8000-9000 km so we wanted unlimited mileage for our 5-week road trip. On our last trip, we just paid the additional km as we knew we weren’t going to drive quite as far.
The other thing to check is what’s included in the rental. Is it literally just the van or does it come with the kitchen equipment, bedding, (outdoor) chairs, etc. Sometimes you have to buy the “bedding package” if you want pillows, sheets, etc. supplied; sometimes it’s included in the price. (I know Juicy Rentals charge extra for kitchen stuff etc.) But regardless of what’s included or what you pay extra, I go so far and ask for a detailed inventory of what we get because I’ve been on too many campervan trips now where I had to buy additional equipment (on our New Zealand trip in April, we didn’t have a frying pan – of course, I only realised that once I was ready to crack the eggs and bacon into the non-existing pan!). Oh, and for Canada, I’d check if a heater or internal heating (i.e. not just in the main cabin while driving) is included (very useful especially if you’re thinking of going in Sep/Oct or early spring) – it can get chilly in a van overnight. You’d also want to check if heating / heater needs power or uses gas.
Also, Canadream and other big companies charge a cleaning fee, they may charge an admin fee, and they all definitely charge a one-way fee. Costs can vary hugely so it really does pay to compare. Also, if you go outside the main holiday season, prices can drop significantly.
Are you planning on staying in powered or unpowered sites mainly? Only asking because that’ll determine what you might want to hire. We tend to stay in unpowered sites so don’t need to rely on having power available all the time. You can usually get by just using the secondary battery power for internal lighting etc. for a couple of nights before you need to drive and recharge again.
If I think a bit more, I can probably come up with a few more things to consider. If you’ve got any other questions, please feel free to ask! 🙂
Julie
28 June 2019 at 1:49 PMHi Kati, thank you ever so much for your very helpful reply. I’ve started looking into rentals and are finding your recommendations so very helpful.
Kati
10 July 2019 at 7:41 AMMy pleasure, Julie!
Sharon
17 October 2019 at 9:26 PMHi my research is just beginning to take shape on the inside passage. I’m just wanting to Know if we fly into Vancouver how far away is the ferry terminal and how long does it take to go to I think Tracey’s arm I think it’s called
Kati
29 October 2019 at 4:16 PMHi Sharon,
Sorry for the slow response!
The airport and one of the BC ferry terminals (Tsawwassen) are on the same side of Vancouver. We’ve never driven directly to/from the ferry terminal to the airport but I’d guess that it’d be at the most an hour (Google Maps says 30min). There’s another BC ferry terminal past West Vancouver at Horseshoe Bay where the ferry will take you to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. If you don’t want to see the south of Vancouver Island, this would be a good option as you’ll save the (busy) drive from Swartz Bay (the port you’ll reach from Tsawwassen).
I had to look up where Tracy Arm, I hadn’t heard of this place. Since it’s south of Juneau, it’ll take around a day from Prince Rupert. It took us about 1.5 days to travel from Prince Rupert to Haines. We left Prince Rupert at 3:30pm, I think, and got into Juneau around 8pm the following day. Since Tracy Arm is south of Juneau, I’m guessing it’d be a few hours shorter than the trip to Juneau.
Hope this helps!