Getting to Alaska’s Inside Passage
The Journey Is Part of the Adventure
For many travelers, Alaska’s Inside Passage has long been a destination that lives in their imagination. Towering mountains draped in mist, ancient forests stretching to the sea, whales surfacing in quiet bays, and small coastal communities connected more by water and air than by roads. But one of the most common questions visitors ask is simple:
How do you get there?
Getting to Alaska’s Inside Passage
The Journey Is Part of the Adventure
To help bring the story to life on your blog, I’d suggest placing these image sections throughout the chapter.
Arrival by Air
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Caption: Commercial flights into Southeast Alaska provide visitors with their first breathtaking glimpse of the Inside Passage’s mountains, islands, and waterways.
Cruising Through the Inside Passage
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Caption: Cruising has become one of the most popular ways to experience Alaska, offering travelers access to multiple communities and unforgettable excursions.
Traveling the Alaska Marine Highway
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Caption: The Alaska Marine Highway offers an authentic and independent way to experience the coast, allowing travelers to move at a slower pace and truly absorb the scenery.
Ketchikan — Alaska’s First City
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Caption: For many travelers, Ketchikan is their first introduction to Southeast Alaska—a community rich in Native culture, maritime history, and natural beauty.
The Floatplane Perspective
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Caption: Having spent more than a decade flying seaplanes throughout Southeast Alaska, the author believes there is no better way to appreciate the scale and beauty of the Inside Passage than from the air.
Why People Fall in Love with Southeast Alaska
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Caption: Whether arriving by air, ferry, or cruise ship, visitors quickly discover why Southeast Alaska leaves such a lasting impression on those fortunate enough to experience it.
The answer is that there are several ways, and each offers its own unique adventure.
For those looking for the quickest route, flying remains one of the most popular options. Today, travelers can reach Southeast Alaska communities such as Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, and Juneau aboard commercial airlines, most commonly through Alaska Airlines, with connections through Seattle or Portland.
As the aircraft leaves the Pacific Northwest and heads north, the scenery begins to change. Snow-capped peaks rise from the coastline, endless forests stretch below, and winding waterways weave through the mountains. Even before landing, visitors get their first glimpse of the wild beauty that makes the Inside Passage famous.
For many, the journey begins the moment they look out the airplane window.
Another option that has grown tremendously in popularity over the past decade is cruising. Cruise ships now bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Southeast Alaska every year, offering a wide range of experiences, excursions, and itineraries.
Whether aboard a small expedition vessel or one of the larger cruise ships, travelers can explore ports such as Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, and Skagway while enjoying comfortable accommodations, dining, entertainment, and organized shore excursions. Whale watching, glacier tours, fishing trips, cultural experiences, and flightseeing adventures are all available depending on the port and cruise line.
For many visitors, a cruise offers an easy and relaxing way to sample several Alaska communities during a single trip.
But perhaps one of the most authentic ways to experience the Inside Passage is aboard the Alaska Marine Highway System.
Departing from Bellingham, Washington, the ferry system serves as a marine highway connecting coastal communities throughout Southeast Alaska. For many travelers, the first Alaska port of call is Ketchikan, known as Alaska’s First City.
Unlike a cruise ship, the ferry offers a more independent style of travel. Passengers can reserve private staterooms, many equipped with berths for up to four travelers along with private restroom and shower facilities. The ships also feature cafeterias, lounges, observation areas, and heated solariums.
The solarium has become something of a tradition among ferry travelers. Many passengers pitch small tents or set up sleeping bags under the covered, heated space, spending their evenings watching islands drift by and listening to the sounds of the sea.
It is travel at a slower pace, allowing visitors to truly absorb the scenery around them.
The tradeoff is that travelers are responsible for planning their own activities in each port. There are no organized excursions waiting at the dock. Instead, visitors create their own adventures, deciding where to go, what to see, and how to spend their time ashore.
For some, that’s exactly what makes the experience so rewarding.
The author knows these waters well.
Having grown up in the Ketchikan area and later spending more than a decade flying seaplanes throughout Southeast Alaska, he has seen the Inside Passage from perspectives few people ever experience. From the cockpit of a floatplane, winding through fjords and mountain valleys, to quiet fishing harbors tucked away among the islands, he witnessed firsthand the beauty that keeps drawing people back year after year.
And while photographs and videos can offer a glimpse, they can never fully capture what it feels like to stand on the deck of a ferry at sunrise, watch a humpback whale surface beside your boat, or soar above Misty Fjords in a classic seaplane.
Some places simply have to be experienced with your own eyes.
The Inside Passage is one of those places.
Whether you arrive by air, by cruise ship, or aboard the Alaska Marine Highway, the destination is unforgettable. The communities are welcoming, the scenery is breathtaking, and the memories often last a lifetime.
If you’re planning a trip to Southeast Alaska and aren’t sure where to begin, don’t hesitate to ask. Sometimes the best advice comes from someone who has spent a lifetime exploring these waters, flying these skies, and calling this remarkable corner of the world home.
Notes from Alex 
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