Alaska's Panhandle and the Inside Passage

 

Underway in the Inside Passage off British Columbia

In late April and May, Allison and I spent four weeks traveling through Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.  This post describes the third portion of the trip: a three day ferry passage from Juneau, Alaska to Bellingham, Washington on board the M/V COLUMBIA.

The M/V Columbia in Sitka

Alaska's panhandle is a narrow coastal strip of land located southeast of central Alaska, between Canada and the Pacific Ocean.  Although it holds a number of important cities - including Juneau, Alaska's capital - much of the panhandle is accessible only by boat or plane and not by road.  Its climate is wetter and milder than the rest of Alaska; much of it is temperate rain forest, similar to coastal Washington or Oregon.  Several large national parks or forests, including Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and the Tongass National Forest, are located on the panhandle.

Footbridge constructed from a single large log,
 in the Tongass National Forest near Sitka

We traveled down the panhandle via the Inside Passage, a shipping route which winds through the myriad islands of the Alaskan panhandle and Canada's British Columbia.  The Inside Passage is largely protected from rough seas in the Pacific Ocean, although there are some short sections exposed to open water.

Lighthouse on the Inside Passage

The M/V COLUMBIA is the largest ferry operated by the Alaska Marine Highway System, an indispensable and excellent state ferry network serving many areas of coastal Alaska.  She is a large yet highly maneuverable vessel, 418' long and capable of carrying 600 passengers and many large and small vehicles including trucks and buses.

Governor's residence in Juneau (Russia not visible)
 

Near Juneau's cruise ship terminal

 

Before boarding the ferry, we flew from Anchorage to Juneau and spent a day touring Alaska's capital.  We walked by the Governor's residence and state house, then explored Juneau's commercial center and Gold Rush era historic district.  The city is an important cruise ship port during the summer season, which was only beginning when we visited.  It has shops, restaurants and bars to serve the tourist trade; several good book stores allowed us to stock up on reading material for our ferry trip.

A rainy morning at Juneau's ferry terminal

Early the next morning we boarded the M/V COLUMBIA and settled into our cabin.  We had booked a four bunk cabin - the largest available - to obtain a full private bathroom with shower.  The large cabin had plenty of space for us to store our luggage, spread out and enjoy the trip in comfort.  Compared with many of the other passengers, our accommodations were quite luxurious; it is common for passengers to sleep in the vessel's lounge chairs, or in sleeping bags or tents on the partially enclosed solarium deck.

Our cabin's bunks and sitting area

The cheap seats!

In addition to several day lounges, the M/V COLUMBIA also has a movie theater and two restaurants: one cafeteria style with a broad variety of convenient meals and snacks, and the other a dining room featuring finer fare including Alaskan seafood.  Allison and I spent time reading in the lounges or our cabin, and enjoyed walking and sunning on the ship's several decks when the weather was suitable.

The M/V COLUMBIA's dining room

The M/V COLUMBIA's cafeteria

During our trip the M/V COLUMBIA stopped in a number of ports to pick up and discharge passengers and vehicles.  Some of the stops were quite short or at inconvenient times (e.g., early morning), but others were long enough for us to go ashore and explore.  During our stop in Sitka it was raining heavily, but I nevertheless enjoyed a couple of hours hiking on nearby trails in the Tongass National Forest.  The rain created an appropriately misty atmosphere for the dense, mossy rainforest.

Western Skunk Cabbage ("Swamp Lantern")
blooms in the Tongass National Forest

Allison and I also walked through downtown Ketchikan - like Juneau a historic gold rush city and important cruise ship port.  We toured the well preserved Creek Street district, with colorful nineteenth century houses and shops on a boardwalk along the creek.  Totem poles are prominently displayed throughout much of Alaska's panhandle, and Ketchikan has many large ones created by the Tlingit tribe.

Creek Street in Ketchikan

Tlingit totem pole in Ketchikan

Our final day on board the M/V COLUMBIA was spent steaming through Canadian waters off British Columbia.  Fortunately the weather was sunny and beautiful, so we could spend time on deck enjoying the stunning scenery passing by to port and starboard.  We saw small villages, lighthouses and other vessels plying the Inside Passage along with us.  It was a suitable ending for this very relaxing and enjoyable phase of our trip.  Early the next morning, we disembarked in Bellingham, Washington to begin the trip's next phase: northern Washington, including the San Juan Islands and Seattle.

Underway in the Inside Passage off British Columbia