Boaters visit Southeast Alaska each year for the unsurpassed scenery and wildlife. Witnessing and listening to calving glaciers — either from your own boat or with a local tour operator — is a special treat. Glacier Bay National Park is the highlight of Southeast Alaska with LeConte Glacier, Dawes Glacier, and Sawyer Glaciers completing the list of tidal glaciers accessible by pleasure boats. Mining is a huge part of local history and Juneau offers visits to mining sites, ruins, museums, and tours. Visitors will find a rich history of gold prospecting in Haines and Skagway. Plus, the history of the fishing industry is evidenced by cannery ruins found in Taku Harbor, Red Bluff Bay, and elsewhere. Distances in Southeast Alaska are so vast that most pleasure boaters will want to make multiple trips in order to see the many unique sights, towns, and villages.
Top Destinations
Glaciers & Passages
Le Conte • Tracy Arm • Dawes • Marjorie • Grand Pacific • Wrangell Narrows • Rocky Pass • Fords Terror
Clarence Strait & Tongass Narrows
Ketchikan • Metlakatla • Meyers Chuck • Thorne Bay
Juneau, Petersburg & Wrangell
Douglas • Auke Bay • Wrangell Narrows • Anan Bay
Lynn Canal & Icy Strait
Haines • Skagway • Hoonah • Glacier Bay National Park • Bartlett Cove
Chatham Strait
Tenakee Springs • Warm Springs Bay • Red Bluff Bay
Sitka Sound
Sitka • Peril Strait • Goddard Hot Springs
Plan Out Your Trip
Southeast Alaska is fully covered in the latest Waggoner Cruising Guide. It provides all you need about marinas, anchorages, passages, and attractions. Plan your day’s route with the guide’s detailed planning maps. Get your copy of the Waggoner Cruising Guide book!
Plus, there’s more to help you plan a great cruise along the Alaskan coastline. Read on…
Loring, the Early Rival to Ketchikan Alaska
The settlement of Loring, located 25 miles north of Ketchikan on Naha Bay, was predicted to become Revillagigedo Island’s major city. Loring’s early 1875 settlement operated a saltery owned by the Salmon Packing & Fur Co. in 1883 and had established a post office...
Yes Bay to Bailey Bay Hot Springs – Behm Canal, Southeast Alaska
If you’re looking for a unique and challenging trek with a rewarding soak in rugged, natural hot springs, then Bailey Bay Hot Springs might be for you. The hot springs are accessed via a trail from Bailey Bay, then via a Forest Service canoe stationed at Lake...
Neither Rain, Sleet, nor 25-foot Seas shall keep Eyak from Her Appointed Rounds
The folks who live on Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska know and love the vessel, Eyak, the delivery vessel that brings packages, mail, groceries, and all manner of supplies to Port Alexander and other outposts on southern Baranolf Island. Once a week in the winter...
Solar Powered Boat – Record Setting Journey to Southeast Alaska
David and Alex Borton completed a 1,400-mile voyage to Alaska under 100 percent solar power, the very first recorded voyage of its kind. Their 27-foot Solar Sal boat, named Wayward Sun, has 1700 watts of Solbian solar panels on her roof, and six Torqeedo lithium...
Unique Hikes Around Petersburg Alaska
Petersburg is known for its stupendous scenery and is also one of the few places in Southeast Alaska that offers a number of hiking opportunities. One of our favorite trails is accessed by dinghy at the public dock directly across Wrangell Narrows from Petersburg’s...
Treadwell Mine Ruins on Douglas Island – A Trek Thru History
When visiting Juneau, you often find brochures about Mendenhall Glacier, tours to Endicott Arm and Tracy Arm, the Mt. Roberts Tramway, and the excellent Alaska State Museum, but we have yet to see a brochure for the Treadwell Mine Historic Trail, a local’s best kept...
Natures Cathedral – Misty Fjords National Monument
Visiting Walker Cove, Rudyerd Bay, and Punchbowl Cove, located on the eastern side of Behm Canal, is like stepping into a grand cathedral of nature’s making. Intricate waterways lead through steep-sided granite walls with cirques, bowls, and spires. Waterfalls roll...
Stikine River – Wrangell’s Wilderness Highway
The Stikine River, which means Great River in Tlingit, runs 380 miles from its headwaters in British Columbia to its mouth near Wrangell. The Stikine was used by the Coastal Tlingit as a transportation route to the interior region. The Tlingit of lower Stikine traded...
WINTER CRUISING IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA WEBCAST
Have you ever thought about spending the winter on your boat in Southeast Alaska? Or, perhaps you plan to cruise in Southeast Alaska this spring and summer, then live aboard during the winter months to begin a second season. Join the NMTA and Waggoner webinar hosts...
Pocket Cruiser Part 2: Discovering SE Alaska, Warm Springs to Ketchikan
In Part II of this two-part series, Waggoner Field Correspondents Bob and Shino Posey share their discoveries while Pocket Cruising SE Alaska on their 24-foot SeaSport. After a wonderful time at Warm Springs on Baranof Island, we...
Pocket Cruiser Part 1: Discovering SE Alaska Prince Rupert to Port Alexander
In Part I of this two-part series, Waggoner Field Correspondents Bob and Shino Posey share their discoveries while Pocket Cruising SE Alaska on their 24-foot SeaSport. We trailered our 24-foot SeaSport Explorer from Seattle to Prince...
The Other Offshore Drilling Business: Mobile Dentistry in Southeast Alaska
This offshore drilling has nothing to do with petroleum but the kind of drilling service practiced by dentists. It’s the story about Dr. Victor S. Stime and how he combined his passion for boating with a retirement dental practice that brings dental...
2018 Waggoner Guided Flotilla, Part 2: Port McNeill to Ketchikan
We departed in a misty rain which covered the top of the nearby mountains. We cruised up to the majestic Kynoch Falls where all of the boats and crews passed in front of the falls for their trip picture. This area is called Fjordland due to the deep and steep fjords. Mother nature showed off her rainy best with waterfalls all along the way. Impressive. The evening was spent in light rain in Windy Bay, which was very calm despite its name. Read more about the Waggoner Guide Flotilla to Southeast Alaska in 2018.
