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Region of Alaska
Photo: L'Aquatique, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Southeastern Alaska is sometimes called the Alaska "panhandle". It consists of a thin strip of land and islands between Canada's British Columbia and the northern Pacific Ocean. It includes the Inside Passage, a series of waterways largely protected from the Pacific by islands, providing a safer sea route up and down the coast.
Prince of Wales Island is in Southeastern Alaska, and is one of the largest islands in the United States. Although it has several small communities, most of the island is part of the Tongass National Forest, which covers much of Southeastern Alaska.
Large national park containing glaciers and bays.
The capital of Alaska
Sitka is a city of about 9,000 on the Pacific Ocean coast of Baranof Island in Alaska. First settled by Tlingit Aboriginal people, Sitka also has history as a Russian settlement, established in 1799 by Alexander Baranoff of the Russian American Company, which became the Russian capital of Alaska.
By plane
By ship
By car
Despite the steep terrain there are highways through the Yukon Territory and British Columbia to reach Southeastern Alaska by car.
By train
By plane
The following are local companies that provide service in smaller float planes to access more communities with the ability to land on water or on land.
By sea
Juneau is the hub for the Alaska Marine Highway System, offering frequent trips to Haines, Skagway, and Sitka; with less frequent ferries to Petersburg, Wrangell, and Ketchikan.
By car
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Sitka · Regional · SIT
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Gateway to Hubbard Glacier
Gateway to Glacier Bay National Park
Old mining town rich in history, is also the main link to the Alcan highway and Whitehorse, BC. Home of the White Pass & Yukon Railroad.
eco-friendly historical town, popular with hikers, fisherman, rafters, and snowmobilers. Connection to Alcan highway. Few cruise ships visit Haines making it more quaint.
State capital and third largest city. Home to Mendenhall Glacier & a handful of museums. Popular cruise ship port. Gateway for wilderness trips to the ABC Islands.
A popular stop for ferries and few cruise ships, rich in Russian colonial history. Site of 1867 handover from Russia to USA.
fishing village with a strong Norwegian heritage on Mitkof Island
easternmost settlement in Alaska; isolated, only accessible by road from Stewart, BC. You can't travel to anywhere in the United States from Hyder. There are no border controls for the U.S. if you cross into Hyder. If you go back into Canada there is one, so bring a passport at all times. They unofficially use the time zone of British Columbia, use Canadian dollars, use Canadian phone numbers, and use Canadian fire and ambulance services. You can fly to Ketchikan from a seaplane base, but you need a passport when you arrive in Ketchikan.
Alaska's southernmost and fourth largest city, gateway to Alaska for northbound travelers on inside passage. Very popular cruise ship port.
dynamic change in the wake of dramatic glacial movements
Gold! Headlines read in 1897, starting the rush north to Alaska
a segment of coastal temperate rainforest
Alaska's oldest federally designated park was established in 1910 to commemorate the 1804 Battle of Sitka
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