Day 1 - Sunday - Jul 24, 2022
Your journey begins today in Ketchikan. (D)
Day 2 - Monday - Jul 25, 2022
| Misty Fjord, Alaska, United States |
|
|
There are places on the planet that completely overcome you. This is one of them. The beauty. The peace. The sense of place you feel. Misty Fjords National Monument represents nearly every ecosystem found in Southeast Alaska. And that alone is a lot to consider. Glacial valleys filled with sea water. Sheer 3,000-foot cliffs. Sea birds, brown and black bears, mountain goats, Sitka black-tailed deer, all find safe haven here. Kayak in Walker Cove or Rudyerd Bay and you find it's just as easy to paddle and go, as it is to sit and float and take it all in. Or skiff to the base of a waterfall for fjord-released shower. Its affectionate nickname, "The Yosemite of the North", is deserved. (BLD)
Day 3 - Tuesday - Jul 26, 2022
| Cruising Behm Canal, United States |
|
|
Wildlife abounds. Black bears, mink, eagles. In Behm Canal, it's all remote waterways and the isolated Tongass National Forest coves, streams, and bays. On Cleveland Peninsula, your expedition team leads a low-elevation hike near clear, rushing streams. Good opportunities for enticing forested shots of Southeast. In the water, orca, porpoises, seals, and otters go about their business. Go about yours on a guided paddle in tiny, deserted waterways that feed into Behm Canal. (BLD)
Day 4 - Wednesday - Jul 27, 2022
The Blashke Islands are your playground today. A full day of choose-your-own-adventure fun. Hiking, kayaking, skiff tours, snorkeling, and full-day yak-n-whack excursions. Get ready for a full day! (BLD)
Day 5 - Thursday - Jul 28, 2022
| Cruising Wrangell Narrows, United States |
|
|
| Thomas Bay, United States |
|
|
Wind into the Wrangell Narrows. Abundant bright red and green navigation lights guide the way. It's nicknamed "Christmas Tree Lane", of course. When you come this far, you might as well go all in. Thomas Bay is way back backcountry of Alaska's wilderness. Glacial landscapes marked by moraines, muskegs, and mud. In this playground, it's all an option today. Kayak and skiff in water almost clear as glass. The mirror image of fjord walls plays on the surface. Hike through the outwash of Baird Glacier. Or keep it green on an interpretive walk through a grassy meadow into the forest. (BLD)
Day 6 - Friday - Jul 29, 2022
| Cruising Stephens Passage, United States |
|
|
Yoga stretches on-deck jump start the day. Humpback whales are frequent visitors of this Southeast passage. A misty spout is a sure sign they're in the neighborhood. Your captain navigates Stephens Passage and you're in for a boot-sucking, paddle-smacking day of adventure with your guide team. The routes are all picked out. Make your choice and make your move. Slip off the kayak launch and take it slow spotting sea stars and shore birds. Hard chargers take a long wild paddle to the salt chuck at the back of the inlet. Or, hike into the Tongass. It's a landscape of hanging waterfalls and countless shades of green. (BLD)
Day 7 - Saturday - Jul 30, 2022
| Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, Alaska |
|
|
Jutting off Stephens Passage with two deep, glacially carved fjords, this designated wilderness area contains over 600,000 acres. So your explorations today are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Literally. Cruise past chunks and chunks of floating ice (there's far more beneath the surface than the eye can see). It's a harbor seal's delight lazing away the day atop a floating bergie. In classic fjord form, the end of the arm doesn't disappoint with the blue face of a stories-high glacier. If conditions are right, skiffs are the ticket to getting in close. (BLD)
Day 8 - Sunday - Jul 31, 2022
You might purchase a tramway ticket that provides a ride up the Mt. Roberts Tramway, where views unfold as you ascend 1,800 feet through the forest. At the top, explore the trails and Nature Center; back at the bottom, explore Alaska's heritage at the Alaska State Museum. Both options also include a lunch voucher for a local restaurant. Complimentary laundry service is provided today. (BLD)
Day 9 - Monday - Aug 1, 2022
| Cruising Chatham Strait, United States |
|
|
Find a perch on the bridge with your captain, or with your guides on the bow, and watch for whales and other creatures before tucking into Port Frederick or another inlet in the Tongass National Forest. Any spot's a good one to pull over and stretch your legs. Hike, paddle, or skiff your way through this remote corner with bears on the shoreline, seals bobbing on the surface, and welcoming boughs of moss in the trees. It's all yours to explore. (BLD)
Day 10 - Tuesday - Aug 2, 2022
| South Marble Island, United States |
|
|
| Tidal Inlet, Glacier Bay, Alaska |
|
|
| Margerie Glacier, United States |
|
|
Your camera's memory card needs plenty of room. South Marble Island is abuzz with activity. Rare sea birds, black oystercatchers, and orange-beaked tufted puffins can't be missed. A colony of raucous sea lions adds to the hubbub. They add a distinct aroma to the air, too. Tucking into silent Tidal Inlet-the stomping grounds for bears, wolves, mountain goats, eagles-the backdrop is spectacular. At the end of the western-most arm of the bay sit Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers. And possible views of glacial calving. Take it all in on deck. (BLD)
Day 11 - Wednesday - Aug 3, 2022
| Dundas Bay, United States |
|
|
This crown jewel of America's national parks covers 3.3 million acres (that's a tad smaller than the state of Connecticut). Let that sink in. Most visitors see the same sliver of the park as everyone else. Not you. You're going the furthest and exploring parts that 99% of visitors never go to. And you have two days to do it. Get started! Taylor Bay sea stacks and rocky shores make for good adventure. Or hike the outwash field of glaciers winding down the Fairweather Mountain Range. The cool breeze off the nearby snow and icefields is energizing. If you motor over to Dundas Bay, keep your eye out for bears, humpbacks, and if you're lucky, a wolf sighting. Kayak the bay. Bushwhack into the forest. Discover Glacier Bay outback. (BLD)
Day 12 - Thursday - Aug 4, 2022
| Icy Strait Point, United States |
|
|
From kelp-lined channels to hemlock and spruce forests, every inch of this far northwest corner is worth exploring. And today's adventures promise to be as big as the water is deep! Seals and sea lions haul out on rocky outcroppings, resting before they disappear in the water to search for food. If the tides are right, head out in the skiff with one of your guides for a closer peek along the rugged shore, or perhaps, make it all the way to George Island. Whatever you do-wilderness trekking, skiffing, or paddling-your expedition team guides the way. (BLD)
Day 13 - Friday - Aug 5, 2022
| Frederick Sound, United States |
|
|
Humpbacks beeline it here each season to feed on krill, zooplankton, and herring. Watch for whales feasting in these abundant glacial waters. Hang out and enjoy the show. Cruise past Five Fingers Lighthouse, Alaska's oldest light station, and The Brothers Islands, where sea lions nap on rocky knobs. Tonight, toast to a whale of day in Alaska. (BLD)
Day 14 - Saturday - Aug 6, 2022
| Tracy Arm Fjord, United States |
|
|
Take an early peek outside. Fjord cliffs reach skyward. Floating ice. And deep u-shaped valleys. There's no abracadabra here. Mother Nature's magic is real. Cruise past harbor seals and their pups lounging on chunks of ice. Tracy Arm delivers with the cotton-candy blue twin Sawyers glaciers of its furthest reaches. Tides permitting, your skiff driver knows the ropes and guides you along. It's a mashup of towering walls, temperamental currents, and the Coast Mountains. So many waterfalls. Mountain goats show off fancy foot work on the cliffs. Look for them. (BLD)
Day 15 - Sunday - Aug 7, 2022
Arriving in Juneau today, your journey will end. (B)
