There are vacation spots that offer some of Southeast Alaska's best attributes: mountains, rivers, scenery. But no other place promises such easy and overwhelming immersion in the wild world.
Within a hundred miles of Juneau is one of North America's largest concentrations of brown bears and bald eagles. Here, too, are moose, glaciers, and adventure. Even if you stay only 10 days, this is the biggest summer vacation you can imagine.
World of ice
Alaskans call it simply Southeast, the tail of territory that extends more than 500 miles south from the main bulk of the state. Look at it on a map and you get lost in a tangle of islands and inlets, each worthy of weeks' exploration. Every summer nearly a million vacationers explore the region on board big cruise ships like those operated by Holland America Line and Carnival, and on smaller ships like those run by CruiseWest. Those are good options. But for my trip, I wanted to spend more time on land than I did on water, and I wanted maximum flexibility.
So I devised my own compact route, starting and ending in Juneau, that showed off Southeast's most spectacular wild experiences: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve for marine mammals and really big ice; Haines for river rafting with bald eagles; Admiralty Island for Alaska coastal brown bears. I traveled between some destinations on the small planes that are the Alaskan version of the taxi. For others, I took the ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System ― they're stylish, comfortable, and give you the same views of Alaska land and sea that cruise lines do.
My first stop is Glacier Bay. The park, a 25-minute flight west of Juneau, is 3.3 million acres of geographical superlatives. Mountains rise 15,000 feet straight from the sea, propelled by some of the largest earthquakes ever recorded and sculpted by the tongues of ice that give Glacier Bay its name.
"A picture of icy wilderness unspeakably pure and sublime," said John Muir, the first person to bring this corner of Alaska to public attention. Glacier Bay is proof that time and planet don't stand still. It's the product of rapid glacial retreat: What was a solid mass of ice in the late 1700s was, by the time Muir arrived in 1879, a 48-mile-long bay. Today it stretches nearly 70 miles, its shores reclaimed by forests and the animals that live in them.
Our catamaran sails up the bay. Like a college dorm, a tour boat is a closed environment where the quirks of a hundred or so strangers reveal themselves quickly. The woman with her checklist of wild animals. The boy who won't let his brother use the binoculars. And the woman in a white scarf who is utterly unhinged by each nugget of natural history that Amanda the park ranger shares with us.
"A full-grown male Steller sea lion can weigh 1,200 pounds," says Amanda, as we watch a gaggle of young males ― "frat boys," Amanda calls them ― lolling on North Marble Island. Scarf woman's face creases with happy surprise.
"Each sea lion eats up to 100 pounds of fish per day." Now scarf woman lifts her hands in amazement. How can anything eat so much? The rest of us smile. THen we hear a call from the stern.
We rush to see a humpback whale, its black back arching above blue water, spouting spray into the Alaska morning. The woman in the scarf, you understand now, has the right idea: At Glacier Bay, you're foolish not to be astounded.
Grand Pacific Glacier sits at the head of the bay, but despite its name and impressive stats ― it's 2 miles wide ― it has the unkempt look of a construction site. To the left of Grand Pacific, though, is Margerie Glacier, a beauty, glistening turquoise in the sunlight.
You wouldn't think you could watch a big block of ice for long, but you can. The glacial blue light is hypnotic. The ice cracks ― the sound of a forest toppling. A crag the size of a church spire plummets into the bay, splashing up a cold wave that draws squawking seagulls to dive into the churning water.
There's an explanation for the gulls' behavior, Amanda says. The falling ice stirs the bay waters, bringing nutrients to the surface that the gulls dive to devour. But the gulls' aerial dance seems less hunger-driven than ceremonial. There are natural places that lull you into a sense of peace. Glacier Bay is not one of them. The boom of cracking ice, the chill wind rising from water to mountains ― experiencing these, you don't feel peaceful so much as humbled, and privileged. You are small and the mountains and ocean and ice are so big. But here you are with the squawking gulls, watching a world being born.
Next: world of eagles and bears
World of eagles
There are many good stories in Southeast Alaska, but my favorite is the story of hermit Jim Huscroft, who in the early 1900s lived on Cenotaph Island off what is now Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Once a year Huscroft made the boat trip to Juneau, where the local Elks Club saved him the past year's worth of newspapers. Then he returned to his island to read each paper, one per day, precisely one year late.
That sense of being buffered from the outside world still prevails in Southeast. The weather contributes. Alaska is a young land and has young weather. Specifically, teenage weather: moody, extreme ― weather that rolls its eyes at you and makes you want to confiscate its car keys. The day dawns drizzly and sullen, flights get canceled, hikes postponed. The next morning, the sun blazes, and sky and water shine a fierce and brilliant blue.
When I get to Haines, a ferry ride north from Juneau, it is the first kind of day. The sky is tarnished silver, the mountains wrapped in fog. It's a testimonial to Haines's appeal that I still fall in love with it.
"It's so wild and beautiful that all I can do is walk outside my house and stare," writes the bard of Haines, Heather Lende, in If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name. Set on the Lynn Canal with the Chilkat Mountains behind it, Haines has the heart-stopping geography you come to expect in Southeast, and an architectural charm that is less common. That's mainly due to Fort William H. Seward, an early 1900s U.S. Army base whose creamy white buildings group around a parade ground, as neat as the crease on an officer's dress uniform.
Good things to do in Haines include staying at the Hotel Hälsingland, once Fort Seward's officers' quarters and now a rambling, comfortable hotel with a superb restaurant: The seared halibut is not to be missed, and the wine list is exemplary. You can walk across the Parade Ground and admire the totem poles at Alaska Indian Arts and the handcrafted jewelry Madeleine and Fred Shields (he doubles as Haines's mayor) sell at Wild Iris.
Still, wildlife rules. The salmon-rich waters of the Chilkat River draw enormous concentrations of bald eagles. Their population peaks in winter, but a summer raft trip down the Chilkat will show you more eagles than you've seen in your life.
To encounter more Alaska wildlife closer up, head 28 miles north of Haines to Steve Kroschel's wildlife center. Kroschel got his professional start as wolf wrangler for the film Never Cry Wolf, then ventured into wildlife photography. His specialty these days is standing in front of avalanches and filming them. His associate, Mario Benassi, films highly venomous snakes (such as cobras and fer-de-lances) for nature documentaries.
Avalanches, deadly snakes: You sense a certain daredevil spirit here. But once Kroschel and Benassi introduce you to their Alaskan menagerie ― all injured or orphaned wild animals that Kroschel has rescued ― you're too entertained to be alarmed. "None of Santa's reindeer could be male," Kroschel announces as we meet his caribou. "That's because bull caribou" ― our name for reindeer ― "drop their antlers right before Christmas." Other things you learn: Baby porcupines are very cute, lynx have long legs for hunting in deep snow, and baby moose like bananas ― or at least the moose I feed a banana does.
All of Kroschel's animals are impressive. But I'm drawn mostly to the wolves. There are three the day I visit, cousins perhaps of the wolf glimpsed at Glacier Bay. Roaming in their fenced enclosure a few feet away from me, they are even more amazing: handsome, intelligent, seemingly friendly. You want one for a pet, until Kroschel reminds you, "Watch your hands." Wolves, he says, are like Alaska weather: "Their mood changes day to day."
World of bears
The floatplane lifts off from the Gastineau Channel and flies south over Juneau. I look through its window, down at the world I'm convinced I won't see again. Good-bye, little cars. Good-bye, little houses. Good-bye, little Fred Meyer discount center.
But a few minutes later, as I watch from the viewing platform, a sow and
two cubs lumber along the creek 30 yards away. They are, I think, the most astonishing things I've ever seen: the red-brown fur, the shambling walk, the sudden and surprising bursts of speed. The mother scans the creek for salmon, occasionally scooping one up, biting its belly, letting the carcass drop back to the creek. The cubs hunt, too, but get distracted, sitting down in the creek to splash water at each other.
Then, menace. A second, larger sow and her older son arrive. "He's trouble," the ranger says, "and his mom always backs him up." The first sow and cubs scatter downstream.
By now what had been drizzle has turned to hard rain. My glasses fog, the seams on my allegedly waterproof jacket let rivulets of cold water course down my back. I should be miserable but am entranced. The ranger leaves; I keep watching. The rain gives the scene a silent intimacy. All I hear is the sound of water falling and the occasional cry of a raven.
On that afternoon, all of Alaska seems like a bear: shrouded in mist and mystery, beautiful, forbidding, fiercely alive. You feel lifted out of yourself viewing it. You realize that what scared you the most was what you most needed to see. You realize, too, that what the trip has taught you is that the world is greater than you ever imagined. It has bears and glaciers, whales and wolves, and a prevailing sense of wonder. It would take a checklist as big as the universe to write it all down.
Next: Getting there
GETTING THERE
Juneau is the base for this Alaska trip ( Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau; 888/581-2201). It's served by Alaska Airlines; smaller regional airlines (including L.A.B. Flying Service and Wings of Alaska) connect to Haines and Gustavus. The Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System (800/642-0066) connects Juneau and Haines. New this season: ferry service between Juneau and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve aboard the Fairweather Express II; 888/229-8687.
Southeast Alaska is rain-forest country. June is usually one of the drier months ― with high temperatures averaging about 60° ― but you should still bring rain gear.
ADMIRALTY ISLAND
Pack Creek Managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Alaska Department of Fish & Game, the coastal brown bear refuge can be visited by joining guided or unguided tours with transportation by boat or floatplane. Day-use permit ($50) required; www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass; 907/586-8800; contact Juneau CVB for boat- and air-tour information.
GLACIER BAY AND GUSTAVUS
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Within the park, Glacier Bay Lodge (49 rooms from $150) has a comfortable 1970s vibe; nearby Gustavus offers B&Bs. Park information: 907/697-2230. Lodging and catamaran tours (from $160): Glacier Bay Lodge & Tours; 888/229-8687. Gustavus Visitors Association; 907/697-2454.
HAINES
Alaska Indian Arts Across from Fort Seward's Parade Ground. INFO: Closed Sat?Sun; Historic #13 at Fort Seward; 907/766-2160.
Bamboo Room Restaurant and Pioneer Bar Great halibut and chips. INFO: 11-13 Second Ave.; 907/766-2800.
Chilkat River Half-day guided raft trips ($79; Chilkat Guides; 907/766-2491) and jet-boat tours ($90; Chilkat River Adventures; 800/478-9827).
Fort William H. Seward Bed & Breakfast A nice, small inn occupies the fort's former commanding officer's house. INFO: 7 rooms from $89; 800/615-6676.
Hotel Hälsingland A trio of officers' quarters in Fort Seward is now a sprawling hotel, rustic but welcoming. Its Commander's Room Restaurant ( $$$), is one of the best places to eat in Southeast Alaska. INFO: 60 rooms from $69; 800/542-6363.
Kroschel Films Wildlife Center Guided tours (from $25) by appointment; 907/767-5464.
Wild Iris Handcrafted jewelry. INFO: 22 Tower Rd.; 907/766-2300.
JUNEAU
Fireweed House Bed & Breakfast A cozy retreat on 4 wooded acres on Douglas Island, across the channel from Juneau; superb breakfasts. INFO: 3 rooms and guest house from $199, including breakfast; 800/586-3885.
Westmark Baranof In downtown Juneau, a 1940s-era hotel with small but comfortable rooms. INFO: 196 rooms from $139; 800/544-0970.
