Alaska Destinations
Alaska offers a huge variety of destinations & ports, spanning nearly 1800 miles between our eastern & western most city! We've compiled a brief outline of each of the major destinations & ports to help guide you along any vacation planning, be it for a cruise or independent travel.
Anchorage
Anchorage commonly gets mistaken for our State’s capital – it is not. The largest city in the state, by far, Anchorage acts as a hub for those traveling to the Interior, South central, Kenai, and other parts of the state. Don’t feel like you need to rush off, Anchorage has plenty of offerings for our tourists (and we locals love to shop there, NO sales tax!).
Year round air service keep the city connected to the rest of the world, along with a growing sea port and railroad access to the seaports of Seward & Whittier. Cruises do not berth here, but may include Anchorage in your itineraries.
Be sure to check out the numerous museums, wildlife & sunset tours, ample parks, and a huge selection of restaurants & bars that will satisfy every budget and taste.
Our pick for activities: Sunset Tour, Walking Food Tour, and ax throwing @ Frosted Axe!
Denali / Healy
America’s largest peak is visible, on a good day, on about 80% of the drive (or train) up from Anchorage – that’s just how TALL this peak is! While Mt. McKinley is the star attraction, the vast expanse of Denali National Park is the real gem – where you’ll get to see a variety of animals in their natural habitat.
Even with the road closure, there’s still plenty to explore in Denali and we recommend its added to every Alaska trip.
Remote lodges & cabins are a favorite among guests, while Denali Canyon offers creature comforts without all the distractions.
And we’ve got tricks to get you there, where to sleep, and where to go – even when other websites show nothing open.
Our pick for activities: ATV Tour with Alaskan Feast, Helicopter tundra experience, Jeep Rental
Glacier Bay National Park
Glacier Bay National Park is not on everyone’s itinerary – and for a reason. The National Park Service limits commercial boat traffic in the park.
Glacier Bay, located west of Juneau, provides tourists the opportunity to get right up next to a few glaciers, including the Grand Pacifica, Marjorie, and Turner Glaciers.
If our weather cooperates, you will be the envy of 80% of the other cruise ship tourists each year, as the weather tends to be cloudy & rainy here – so be sure to dress in layers and bring that $1 poncho we told you to buy at CVS & Walgreens while out on the deck of your ship. Temperatures near the glaciers are always 10 to 15* lower than the region.
And be sure to pay attention during the naturalist or onboard discussion prior to arriving at Glacier Bay & plan out where you want to be when your ship traverses this area. Our pick: the hot tub or thermal spa (with windows facing out over the bow!).
Our pick for activities: Day boat trip in Glacier Bay, kayaking, and hiking
Hoonah / Icy Strait Point
Repeat after me:
Cruise lines do not own this port or have any say over it. Cruise lines do not own this port or have any say over it. Cruise lines do not own this port or have any say over it.
Did that work? Apparently if you say something enough times, people start to believe it.
First off, we REALLY do like Hoonah and Icy Strait. However, the cruise lines like to tell you over and over they had nothing to do with it. No one even knew about Hoonah until a certain tv show hit one of those binge-reality tv channels.
Now, ISP is in fact owned by the local tribal corporation and they’ve done a fantastic job of taking a run down cannery and making it into an awesome stop for some lines along the Inside Passage. You’ll be able to eat some very good local seafood, maybe get to spot a bear on a wildlife trek (which doesn’t require you leave the van!), or take the tram to the top of Hoonah Mountain and then take the zipline down!
Honestly, we really do like Icy Strait – we even offer this as a day trip from Juneau for non-cruisers. And we really do give the Huna Totem Corp props for how they’ve transitioned ISP into an amazing stop for some cruise lines.
Our pick for activities: bear Trek, stream fishing
Juneau
Ah, our home.
Yup, we live here. And you’ll see why we *CHOSE* to move here from Florida.
Juneau was sold to us as “a colder Key West”, and sure enough, they were right!
You’ll love the atmosphere Alaska’s capital provides – which is rich in Tlingit history, plenty of foodie favorite restaurants & bars, and did we mention that Juneau is also the spot to see whales? Yup! Juneau is the whale watching capital of the world.
Juneau’s location along the Inside Passage is fed with plenty of glacial & natural streams and rivers, which in turn makes us an optimal feeding spot for humpback whales.
If you don’t take a whale watch (we highly recommend Juneau Tours and Alaska Galore/Harv & Marvs!), you can probably simply find a spot along our shorelines north of town and spot whales.
We also can’t forget to mention Mendenhall Glacier – this sucker is literally in city limits and is only 1 mile from the Visitor’s center. You really can’t get much closer to a glacier than you can in Juneau!
Our pick for activities: 3 hour whale watch, Food Tour, Sentinel Island Lighthouse Tour
Ketchikan
Ketchikan is one of the “must see” stops when cruising the Inside Passage.
While the Lumberjack Show tends to be one of the most popular things to do while on a cruise (and yes, its definitely a fun watch!), be sure to check out Saxman Village or try your luck at fishing here.
And be sure to bring a poncho (the cheap $1 one from CVS or Walgreens – no need to hit up REI for $500 rain gear – no matter what you wear, you ARE going to get wet) – as Ketchikan is Alaska’s wettest cities. But while its raining, take in the views around you as the clouds seem to get stuck in our trees.
Be sure to take note of where you are docking in Ketchikan – the new Ward Cove is about a 15 minute (free) shuttle ride from downtown.
Our pick for activities: Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, KTN Taxi Tours
Seward
Seward is MORE than just a start or end point for some Alaska cruises – Seward is an Alaskan vacation on its own!
Nestled on the Kenai Peninsula, you’ll find amazing glacier boat trips, orcas chasing seals in the bay, white water rafting & fishing in the surrounding rivers, and much much more.
Seward is also home to one of our FAVORITE Alaska destinations – the Sea Life Center. This rescue center gets tourists up close to our puffin (birds, but they spend more time in and under water!), seals, sea lions, and other Alaska marine life. And best of all, if you book your cruise or land vacation with AYT, we offer discounted tickets to the Sea Life Center.
So don’t plan on just passing thru Seward on your cruise – stay a day or two, you won’t regret it!
Our pick for activities: Exit Glacier Hike & Trek, Kenai Fjords Tour, Sea Life Center
Skagway
Skagway is one of our favorite places to visit in Alaska, and we think you’ll see why this port is on almost every single cruise that comes to Alaska.
Located at the northernmost point of the Inside Passage, the steep cliffs & Taiya Inlet provide one of the most photogenic backdrops of any port in the world.
While in Skagway, you can check out the amazing history of this town, dating back to the Gold Rush Days in the late 1890s, learn about our sled dogs & history (and even go on a mushing expedition), visit Dyea, or stroll down Broadway and explore our countless locally owned & operated shops (alongside some of the uh, more popular ‘cruise ship’ “we swear we don’t own them” shops aimed at extracting more money out of you with the same shops you’ll find in every other Alaska & Caribbean port).
Be sure to take a bus tour up to the White Pass Summit and get your photo in front of the Welcome to Alaska sign, and then go play with the pups at Iditarod Musher Michelle Phillips sled dog camp (with Skagway Tours!).
Our pick for activities: Yukon Sled Dog Camp & Mushing, White Pass Summit Tour, eBike tour to Dyea with Lunch