©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Welcome to Alaska Bears larger than bison, national parks the size of nations, and glaciers bigger than other US states. The word ‘epic’ barely does Alaska justice. Pure, raw, unforgiving and humongous in scale, Alaska is a place that arouses basic instincts and ignites what Jack London termed the ‘call of the wild.’ Yet, unlike London and his gutsy, gold-rush companions, visitors today will have a far easier time penetrating the region’s vast, feral wilderness. Indeed, one of the beauties of the 49th state is its accessibility. Few other places in the US allow you to scale an unclimbed mountain, walk where – quite possibly – no human foot has CRUISE PORTS trodden before, or sally forth into a national park that gets fewer annual visitors than the Interna- tional Space Station. One of the best gateways to this vast wilderness is the sea. Alaska has 6640 miles of coastline, five times more than any other US state, much of ALASKA it rugged, unexplored, roadless and patrolled by large, majestic fauna. In recent decades, cruising has opened up Alaska’s once-impenetrable wilderness to millions – and you don’t need to remortgage your house or undergo military-style fitness training to see it. Instead, simply book passage on one of three-dozen cruise ships that A GUIDE TO PERFECT DAYS ON SHORE ply the Inside Passage, claim a comfortable cabin with an ever-changing view, and hop from port to port letting the misty, frosty, timeless landscapes work their magic. Cruising has opened up Alaska’s once-impenetrable wilderness to millions Brendan Sainsbury, Catherine Bodry, Adam Karlin, John Lee, Becky Ohlsen Glacier Bay National Park (p146) LEMBI/SHUTTERSTOCK © 2 Beaufort A R C T I C Sea O C E A N R U S S I A NUNAVIT Contents A Plan Your Trip Seward D A Peninsula A St Lawrence S Island N U Alaska’s Top 10 .................4 Local Life........................ 20 Choose Your Cruise ...... 25 A Need to Know .................16 Month by Month ............ 22 Sustainable Cruising .... 30 ALASKA C NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Hot Spots for... ...............18 Get Inspired ................... 24 Family Time Ashore ...... 32 YUKON Seattle 35 Eating ............................86 Tours ........................... 124 Denali TERRITORY National Park … at a Glance 36 Drinking & Nightlife ......88 Shopping .................... 124 DenaliR Entertainment ..............89 Eating .......................... 124 (Mt McKinley) Pike Place Market �����38 Getting There & Away ..89 Drinking & Nightlife .... 124 Space Needle ������������ 40 Getting Around .............89 Entertainment ............ 125 Nunavik Island Coffee Culture ���������� 44 Where to Stay ............... 91 Getting Around ........... 125 ANCHORAGE Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park Historical Pioneer p219 #\ and Preserve Square Circuit Kenai #\ WHITTIER Walking Tour ������������� 46 Ketchikan 93 Juneau 127 SEWARD Peninsula … at a Glance 128 #\ p191 Downtown Architecture … at a Glance 94 Pribilof p207 SKAGWAY Islands Kenai Fjords p173 ALBERTA Walking Tour ������������� 48 National Park HAINES Juneau Day Hikes ����130 Katmai #\ Sights ............................50 Paddling in B e r i n g S e a National #\ p159 Mendenhall Park Tours .............................55 the Rainforest ���������� 96 Glacier ����������������������132 la Glacier Bay Shopping ......................55 Ziplining �������������������� 98 su in National ^# JUNEAU Salmon Bake at Pen Kodiak Park Eating ............................ 57 Totem Poles & ka Island p127 las Alaska Native Taku Glacier Lodge ��134 A G u l f o f A l a s k a Drinking & Nightlife ..... 60 Entertainment ............. 60 Culture ��������������������� 100 Bear Viewing at #\ SITKA Getting There & Away .. 61 Misty Fjords Pack Creek ���������������136 p113 Capitol History Stroll Misty Fjords Getting Around ............. 61 National Monument �� 102 nds National Monument Walking Tour ������������138 ian Isla Where to Stay ...............63 Sights ..........................104 Aleut Wilderness Sights ..........................140 #\ BRITISH Activities .....................104 COLUMBIA Activities ......................141 KETCHIKAN Tours ...........................104 Tours ........................... 142 p93 Vancouver 65 Shopping .................... 107 … at a Glance 66 Eating ..........................109 Shopping .................... 142 Drinking & Nightlife .....110 Eating .......................... 143 Stanley Park ������������� 68 Getting Around ............ 111 Drinking & Nightlife .... 145 Granville Island Getting Around ........... 145 Public Market�������������70 P A C I F I C Craft Beer Sitka 113 O C E A N Experience �����������������72 … at a Glance 114 Glacier Bay VANCOUVER Downtown Grand Tour National Park 146 A Walking Tour ��������������74 Sitka National p65 NAD #] CA Chinatown Culture & Historical Park �������� 116 USA History Crawl Sitka’s Russian & Icy Strait Point 150 Walking Tour ��������������76 Tlingit Past SEATTLE #] Sights ............................78 Walking Tour ������������ 118 p35 Tours .............................85 Sights ..........................120 0 1,000 km Petersburg 154 e# 0 500 miles WASHINGTON Shopping ......................85 Activities ......................121 CONTENTS PLAN YOUR TRIP 3 * Haines 159 Eating ..........................186 Tours ........................... 216 … at a Glance 160 Drinking & Eating .......................... 216 Entertainment ............188 Drinking & Nightlife .... 216 Alaska Chilkat Bald Getting Around ........... 189 Getting There & Eagle Preserve ���������162 Around ........................ 217 Jilkaat Kwaan Cultural Heritage Center �������164 Whittier 191 Sights ..........................166 … at a Glance 192 Anchorage 219 Activities .....................166 … at a Glance 220 Tours ........................... 169 Portage Pass Trail ���194 Shopping .................... 169 Glacier Boat Trips ����196 Anchorage Museum ��222 Eating .......................... 170 Kayaking Around Anchorage Amble Drinking & Nightlife .....171 Whittier ��������������������198 Walking Tour ����������� 224 Getting Around ............171 Sights ......................... 200 Sights ..........................226 Activities .....................201 Activities .....................227 Tours .......................... 203 Tours .......................... 229 Skagway 173 Shopping ................... 203 Shopping ................... 230 … at a Glance 174 Eating ......................... 204 Eating .......................... 231 Getting There & Away .. 205 Drinking & Nightlife ....232 White Pass Railroad �� 176 Getting Around ............. 205 Entertainment ............232 Klondike Gold Rush Getting There National Historical & Away ........................232 Park ��������������������������� 178 Seward 207 Getting Around ...........233 Gold Rush Skagway … at a Glance 208 Walking Tour ������������180 Sights .......................... 182 Kenai Fjords Denali Activities .....................184 National Park �����������210 National Park Tours ...........................186 Sights .......................... 212 Shopping ....................186 Activities ..................... 213 & Preserve 234 In Focus 237 Survival Guide 276 Alaska Today ..............238 Directory A–Z .............277 History ....................... 240 Index .......................... 286 Alaskan Way of Life ....248 Symbols & Landscapes of Map Key ..................... 290 Alaska .........................253 Our Writers .................292 Alaska Natives ............262 Alaskan Wildlife ......... 266 Adventure Activities ... 271 Totem pole MIHAI STANCIU/SHUTTERSTOCK © ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 285 Behind the Scenes Acknowledgements This Book Climate map data adapted from Peel This 1st edition of Lonely Planet’s Cruise Ports Alaska guide- MC, Finlayson BL & McMahon TA book was curated by Brendan Sainsbury and researched (2007) ‘Updated World Map of the and written by Brendan Sainsbury, Catherine Bodry, Adam Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification’, Karlin, John Lee and Becky Ohlsen. This guidebook was Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, produced by the following: 11, 1633–44. Destination Editor Alexander Howard Product Editor Alison Ridgway Senior Cartographer Alison Lyall Book Designer Mazzy Prinsep Assisting Editors Bridget Blair, Paul Harding, Victoria Harrison, Jenna Myers Assisting Book Designers Meri Blazevski, Michael Weldon Cover Researcher Campbell McKenzie Thanks to Liz Heynes, Elizabeth Jones, Kate Mathews, Kathryn Rowan Send Us Your Feedback We love to hear from travelers – your comments keep us on our toes and help make our books better. Our well-traveled team reads every word on what you loved or loathed about this book. Although we cannot reply individually to postal submissions, we always guar- antee that your feedback goes straight to the appropriate authors, in time for the next edition. Each person who sends us information is thanked in the next edition, the most useful submissions are rewarded with a selection of digital PDF chapters. 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