“48 Hours on the Ferry to Alaska” is hopefully something that kind of makes sense, but I’d like to start off this post by saying that what I really want to call this is “48 Hours on the Alaska Marine Highway” because – yes! One of the best ways to get around in Alaska is the Marine Highway! I just love that. And really, when the capital (Juneau) isn’t accessible by a road that connects to anything other than a few places nearby, that tells you something about the state and the importance of its Marine Highway System. It tells me something at least – which is that I love Alaska and I love ferry boats!
Anyway. I feel like I grew up (in Seattle) hearing about this mythical ferry ride you could do from Washington state to Alaska – camp on the deck, meet some hippies, it all sounded very ’60s. But I researched it a few times over the years and was very happy to see that it is still a perfectly viable option! You can even get a berth, or whatever they call it, if you don’t want to camp on the deck. Also, it just so happened that when I finally took the ferry in June of 2021, road travel to and through Canada was still extremely limited, so the Alaska Marine Highway System was – dare we say – one of the BEST systems for getting to Alaska in a vehicle.
(I actually met some people who were moving to Alaska onboard, including an awesome couple that were headed to be The Dentist of Valdez. Like, he was going to be The. (only!) Dentist. in the town. of Valdez. I may have embellished that in my head, but also that may really be correct. I love Alaska!)
Ferry to Alaska – Details
So, I set off from Bellingham, Washington on a Saturday evening, and arrived in Juneau, Alaska on a Tuesday morning. Slightly more than 48 hours but not too bad! The trip also included a stop of maybe 3-4 hours in Ketchikan on Monday morning.
Apologies I can’t share anything about the “berth” situation, but I can tell you all about Deck Life. I was very excited about the idea of camping on the deck so made sure to set my tent up right away in a picturesque spot. I even duck taped the corners down because I had heard that was a good idea. But – it was really, really windy. Like, I tried to stick it out while I ate my dinner sitting next to the tent in a deck chair, and I had to hold onto the tent the whole time. Even if I could have made the tent stay it just would not have been pleasant to sleep under those conditions.
So, I moved the tent up a level and to the back of the ship, where there was a, shall we say, “plaza” area open on both sides with stairs down to the side decks, and then bathrooms on the very end of the ship and two “solariums” on the other end. I put my tent right up against the wall in between the two solariums entrances, plenty far away from the bathrooms, and that was very nice for the first night. The second night it got a little cooler and I moved inside a solarium, which had big windows all along the side, a door at one end, and the open entrance to the “plaza” on the other.
Life On Board
During the day Sunday, I basically just lounged in a variety of spots around the decks, taking in the epic views and enjoying the combination of sunshine and ocean breeze. I even set up my hammock in the “plaza”! Many of the other Deck Life crew were very friendly. I could be wrong but it seemed like most of the people who slept inside, stayed inside, and those of us who slept outside mostly stayed outside although we were of course able to go in whenever we wanted. I had brought some food since I wasn’t sure what to expect from the cafeteria (canteen?) and was grateful to be able to get hot water and use the microwave. I did end up getting some beer and fish and chips one night, and chowder another day for lunch, but it was nice to have my own options as well. (Avocado “toast” – on a cracker – eaten in a hammock, on a ferry deck, with mountain views! What a life!)
Throughout the day on Sunday the views were amazing, as we traveled up the Johnson Strait east of Vancouver Island and then past the many smaller islands along the coast further north. By Sunday evening we were seeing more mountains and the landscape was getting more dramatic, and when I woke up Monday morning on the approach to Ketchikan it really did feel like the way I had imagined Alaska. We docked in Ketchikan and I set out to make the most of a few hours on shore.
Day 2 – Ketchikan
Apparently Ketchikan is totally transformed on days that the cruise ships are in town; we were there on a non-cruise day so it felt like a fairly sleepy small town. There wasn’t much to see right at the ferry terminal, a bit north of downtown, but I set off up the hill a few blocks and found my way to the Rainbird Hiking Trail that takes off from the University of Alaska Southeast campus. The trail basically heads downtown, but through a forest along the hillside, with some great views of the Tongass Narrows. From the end of the trail I just walked a few blocks downhill and found myself in the historic downtown area. I walked around Creek Street, the historic boardwalk/former red light district, and browsed in a couple of ships, but my main recommendation is the amazing Jellyfish Donuts! Get a donut, get a smoothie, get a sticker, and don’t miss the boat out of town. I grabbed a shared taxi back with some other Deck Life people and we were all set.
Juneau & Glacier Bay National Park
Another amazing sunset and sunrise, increasingly large mountains, and then Tuesday morning we were in Juneau! I don’t feel I can really do Juneau justice because I was mostly working remotely while I was there, but definitely recommend visiting the Mendenhall Glacier – which is possible, if a little slow, by city bus! I did the West Glacier trail which was a little gnarly but pretty great.
I had planned to spend the weekend exploring Juneau more but one of my Deck Life buds had clued me in to the fact that you could do a quick trip to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve from Juneau and I couldn’t resist. Friday afternoon I took a short flight (8 seat plane!) from Juneau to Gustavus; you can take a ferry as well but I was looking for the quickest option.
From Gustavus I had booked a taxi to take me into the park, where I stayed at a walk-in campsite that was close to the lodge. In the morning I went on the boat tour out to see the glaciers, which I have run out of superlatives to describe. I did get really lucky with sunny weather, but I’d think that even on a cloudy day the other islands you pass and wildlife views (bears! goats! sea lions! so many birds!) Would be pretty great.
After the boat ride I took a taxi back to Gustavus, where I caught a late night ferry to Juneau. I’m crazy and my plan was to chill at the ferry terminal until morning (like 2am-6am) and then catch the ferry to Anchorage. My ferry to Anchorage ended up being cancelled completely – mechanical issues – so I was luckily able to grab a last minute flight the same day instead, but I still love the Alaska Marine Highway System!
Google probably wants me to make sure you know that you can find other sample weekend 48-hour trip itineraries here, and other national park guides here. And, I should probably re-state that this is a post about taking the ferry to Alaska. Happy walking!
