Alaska’s Inside Passage & Glacier Bay National Park

Day 1: Seattle, Washington
Day 2: Olympic National Park
Day 3: Canada’s Inside Passage
Day 4: Canada’s Inside Passage
Day 5: Canada’s Inside Passage
Day 6: Misty Fjords National Monument
Day 7: Ketchikan / Traitor's Cove 
Day 8: Wrangell Narrows & Thomas Bay 
Day 9: Sitka / Peril Strait
Day 10: Chichagof Island
Day 11: Glacier Bay National Park
Day 12: Icy Strait
Day 13: Juneau, Alaska

Day 1: Seattle, Washington
Embark from the Emerald City, Seattle. Check-in at the hospitality center and later, board your ship and settle in. Depending on your vessel, depart from downtown Seattle, cruising along the city’s picturesque waterfront. Or from Fishermen’s Terminal and transit historic Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, where it’s a 20-foot drop into the Salish Sea. Adieu, Seattle. (D)

Day 2: Olympic National Park
Today features Olympic National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, surrounded by rainforest, old-growth forest, and top-of-the-world 360-degree views. Your trek at Hurricane Ridge takes you across fields of sub-alpine flowers in warmer weather and snow-covered hills in the colder months. On a clear day, you can see Canada across to the Straits of Juan de Fuca. This evening will wrap it all up with a farewell dinner and slide show highlighting your week’s adventures. (BLD)

Day 3: Canada’s Inside Passage
Mountains rise higher. Fjords get deeper. It’s a day of intricate waterways and cruising for critters. Keep watch for black bears on the shore, including the elusive spirit bear. Civilization slips away as you enter remote waters leading north through British Columbia. Surf-happy dolphins and porpoises like to catch a ride on the bow wave. Your captain and crew are on the lookout and give the call of a sighting. A waterfall and an old abandoned cannery - named Butedale - will come into view. Slow down and take it all in as forested fjords roll by. Aiming to entertain and educate over the next days, your expedition team is at the ready with insights into natural history, Native influences, and their favorite trivia games, too. (BLD)

Day 4: Canada’s Inside Passage
Take your cup of joe to the bow. The world wakes up with you. Bald eagles watch the ship along its course from treetops. Islands to the west, inlet-etched mainland to the east. Your captain and mates navigate twisting passages. Harbor seals spend their days on rocky islets. Breathe in the fresh air and take in miles of forested wilderness. In the lounge, your bartender mixes up the daily special. Take the challenge and play a few friendly hands of cards with your shipmate. (BLD)

Day 5: Canada’s Inside Passage
Today, you sail through the northern-most portion of Canada's wild Inside Passage and enter Alaska. Check out the bridge–it's an ideal spot to look for whales and other wildlife. See what the crew has in-store today. Maybe a cooking or cocktail demonstration or a galley tour. Or maybe learn more about navigation from the crew, and try your hand at tying knots! Anticipation builds as tomorrow you will start the Alaska portion of the adventure. (BLD)

Day 6: Misty Fjords National Monument
Misty Fjords - the largest wilderness area in the Tongass National Forest and a haven for wildlife such as grizzly and black bears, salmon, and deer. Calm settles over these parts and all you can hear is nature; deep glacial fjords filled with seawater, wetlands, estuaries, dense forests, and sweeping granite cliffs paint the landscape. Kayak in Walker Cove or Rudyerd Bay and you find it’s just as easy to paddle and go, as it is to sit and float and take it all in. Or skiff to the base of a waterfall for a fjord-released shower. The area’s affectionate nickname, “The Yosemite of the North,” is deserved. (BLD)

Day 7: Ketchikan / Traitor's Cove 
In Ketchikan, connect with the Tlingit Culture. Tribal leader and local legend Joe Williams, known as Ka Xesh X’e in his native language, guides you on a walking tour. With a rich oral tradition, the Tlingit passed stories from generation to generation - and Joe’s storytelling is captivating! Amble through the surrounding forest on a moderate to easy trail or challenge yourself to a hard-charger hike along trails and boardwalks past cedar, spruce, streams, and waterfalls. This afternoon, sail into Traitor's Cove. Kayak, skiff tours, or hike? The choice is yours. (BLD)

Day 8: Wrangell Narros & Thomas Bay 
This morning, your ship winds into the Wrangell Narrows. Abundant bright red and green navigation lights guide the way. It’s nicknamed “Christmas Tree Lane,” of course. In the afternoon, head into Thomas Bay. When you come this far, you might as well go all in. This is way back backcountry of Alaska’s wilderness. Glacial landscapes marked by moraines, muskegs, and mud. In this playground, it’s all an option today. Kayak and skiff in water almost clear as glass. The mirror image of fjord walls plays on the surface. Hike through the outwash of Baird Glacier. Or keep it green on an interpretive walk through a grassy meadow into the forest. (BLD)

Day 9: Chichagof Island
Remote passages offer more opportunities for you to search for the mighty humpback whale. Keep your binoculars at hand and watch for the misty spout of these gentle giants as they feed in the waters around you. Anchor in a remote Chichagof Island inlet. Backpacks loaded and adventure toys lowered (skiffs, paddleboards, kayaks), it’s time to go play. Stick to the water in a kayak excursion, and don’t forget to look above and below the surface. A nosy seal could be watching your every stroke. Beachcomb rocky shores. Tiny creatures cling to rocks. Tonight, take a nightcap to the sun deck and watch the sky. (BLD)

Day 10: Icy Strait
Bull whip kelp threads through nearby channels like deep, twisted mangroves. And you know better, but orange and purple starfish and jellyfish make it hard to believe you’re not in the tropics. Follow the currents out to where the sea lions flock to remote rock formations. Your captain is on the bridge, the expedition team on deck and all eyes are on the water and the shore. Everyone is on-watch for the telltale blow of humpbacks. Come closer to the shoreline by skiff, kayak, or on foot. Sometimes the smallest things are the biggest wonders. Take in the evening solitude from the bow, or the hot tub, or both - why choose just one? Tonight, join your captain for the farewell dinner. As a special treat, your expedition team shares a slideshow of your journey. (BLD)

Day 11: Glacier Bay National Park
There’s a cool factor, and it’s not just coming off the face of the glaciers! This 3.3 million-acre park was covered by ice as recently as 1795. Since then, the park’s receding glacier activity has made it easier to access those inner reaches. Glacial history, retreats, advances, moraines. They come with expert insight from a park ranger and your onboard naturalists, so bring on the questions. Pigeon guillemots, puffins, common murres, and cormorants colonize and nest at South Marble Island. One good whiff and a few loud barks give away one of its mammalian residents - Steller’s sea lions. It’s a full day in the bay exploring Muir’s legacy - all the way to Grand Pacific and Margerie Glaciers. Celebrate with a toast to nature’s handiwork. (BLD)

Day 12: Glacier Bay National Park
This crown jewel of America’s national parks covers 3.3 million acres. Most visitors see the same sliver of the park as everyone else. Not you. Today is day two inside the park, and you’re going the furthest and exploring parts that 99% of visitors never go to. Taylor Bay sea stacks and rocky shores make for good adventure. Or hike the outwash field of glaciers winding down the Fairweather Mountain Range. The cool breeze off the nearby snow and ice fields is energizing. If you motor over to Dundas Bay, keep your eye out for bears, humpbacks, and if you’re lucky, a wolf sighting. Kayak the bay. Bushwhack into the forest. Tonight, join your captain for the Farewell Dinner. As a special treat, your expedition team shares a slideshow of your journey. (BLD)

Day 13: Juneau, Alaska
Disembark after breakfast. Transfer to the Juneau airport or begin your overnight stay or extended land tour. (B)

Day 1: Juneau, Alaska
Day 2: Glacier Bay National Park
Day 3: Glacier Bay National Park
Day 4: Icy Strait 
Day 5: Chichagof Island  
Day 6: Wrangell Narrows & Thomas Bay 
Day 7: Ketchikan / Traitor's Cove 
Day 8: Misty Fjords National Monument 
Day 9: Canada's Inside Passage 
Day 10: Canada's Inside Passage
Day 11: Canada's Inside Passage
Day 12: Olympic National Park  
Day 13: Seattle, Washington

* Itinerary details are the same as the Seattle to Juneau tour direction.