Juneau-Haines Region - Alaska USA
Mt Juneau View
Mt Juneau is one of the many spots offering inspiring views.
Location

Running parallel with the Canadian/British Columbian border is the beautiful Inside Passage formed by the mainland and hundreds of islands. At the northern end of this passage is the city of Juneau and townships of Haines and Skagway.


Recommended Activities

Hiking

Near Juneau - Mt Juneau has 360º views of the overwhelming mountain landscape. Nearby, view the superbly deep blues of the Mendenhall Glacier.

Near Haines - Mt Riley and Battery Point is rich with wildlife. Extremely impressive views can be found from higher altitude hiking on Mt Ripinsky, which is a very much recommended hike.

Near Skagway - The famous 3-4 day Chilkoot Trail is of world-wide acclaim.

Mt Ripinsky View
Kayak/Canoe exploring - Hire sea kayaks or canoes, or join an organised tour and spend one or two weeks touring the magnificent Glacier Bay. This bay is feed by an amazing number of massive glaciers and supports a wide array of wildlife. If you are patient you will also see ice-falls from the fjords/glaciers into the bay which are very spectacular.

Wildlife Watching - No matter where you are in this region there are amazing opportunites. If near the water, watch out of a variety of whale species breaching and frolicking. You may spot bears feeding on migrating salmon at the mouths of creeks and rivers. Year round you can spot the obvious white 'cap' of the Bald Eagles which are now increasing in numbers. If you can handle the cold, a highlight is in November when thousands of Bald Eagles group in the 'Valley of Eagles', actually the Chilkat Valley. While you are there you may see the Northern Lights, an experience many travelers rate as the best in their lives.

Inside Passage
When

November for the 'Valley of Eagles', even though the gathering occurs in the months before and after to a lesser degree. Alaska has a two month window in July-August where conditions are pleasant for activities such as hiking.




Accommodation

Hostels and hotels are plentiful. Do not expect hostels to be open outside of the peak periods mentioned above.


Transport

Exit Glacier
Due to impassible mountains Juneau is not accessible by land, but by air. It is possible to access Skagway and Haines by road but all of these locations are accessible by the Alaskan Marine Highway, that is, a ferry. The maximum duration of the trip from Bellingham in Washington USA, to the northern reaches of the Inside Passage is three days. Surely there is no other 3 day trip in this world where you will be exposed to such spectacular scenery and wildlife. The ferry does accommodate cars. You would be bordering on crazy to drive to Haines/Skagway from the south instead of taking the Marine Highway.



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