Things to do nearInside Passage

The Inside Passage stretches roughly a thousand miles from Puget Sound north through British Columbia and into southeastern Alaska, but its Alaskan section is widely considered the most dramatic. Glaciers have shaped every contour here, leaving behind deep fjords, scattered archipelagos, and mountains that plunge almost vertically into saltwater. The Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the United States, blankets much of the surrounding land in old-growth temperate rainforest.

Travelers exploring the Inside Passage by water encounter an extraordinary range of wildlife. Humpback whales feed in nutrient-rich channels, bald eagles nest in shoreline spruce, and brown and black bears patrol the tidal flats. Joining whale watching excursions or booking kayaking tours puts you at water level, where the scale of the landscape becomes visceral.

The waterway also passes near storied communities with deep Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian heritage. Near Ketchikan, visitors can explore Saxman Totem Park, one of the finest collections of standing totem poles in the world. These cultural landmarks offer grounding context for the landscapes you move through.

The Inside Passage is one of North America's great natural corridors, and experiencing it firsthand leaves a lasting impression that photographs simply cannot replicate.