The Call of the Wild in Southeast Alaska

Comprised of dramatic landscapes, beautiful, pristine harbors, and snowcapped mountain ranges, visit the call of the wild in Southeast Alaska.

Dotting the land amidst all this beauty are the most-visited communities of Ketchikan, Sitka, and Juneau. The panhandle begins at Yakutat in the north and stretches nearly 500 miles down to Ketchikan in the south.

At the widest part of the panhandle, the region is just 140 miles across. South of Yakutat, it’s a mere 30 miles across. The majority of the panhandle is like this – a sliver of land flanked by islands to the left and imposing mountaintops to the right.

In the space between the communities, mountains shrouded in mist and quiet stretches of forest remind you – this is the wild. To Haines’ west, in the northernmost reaches is Glacier Bay National Park. These glaciers and forests provide homes for bears, wolves, mountain goats, and whales. The shoulders of these islands are steep, the rims of fjords cliffs. Even in the more heavily populated areas, like Juneau, homes and other man-made buildings seem to just perch atop the land, sitting lightly, dwarfed by the natural surroundings. Spruce and cedar invariably carpet the forests of the islands. Some of the best fishing can be found in these bays and coves. The near 17 million acres of Tongass National Forest are home to some of the region’s wildest, most perfect landscapes.

The coastal islands, of which there are over a thousand throughout Inside Passage, make up the Alexander Archipelago. Most of the islands are mountainous with lush forests, but you’ll find clear-cuts rather common, too. The majority of the region’s communities are located on these islands instead of mainland Alaska. Just to the east of this panhandle lies the Canadian province, British Columbia.

It’s all the above that have made Southeast Alaska a popular cruise route. In the summer, multiple ships come through Inside Passage, one of the original routes to the goldfields. You can also find air accommodations to Southeast Alaska from Seattle, Washington and from Anchorage.

What will you do when you answer the call of the wild in Southeast Alaska?