Alaska's Fjords & Glaciers with Ketchikan

Step aboard the ship and meet the captain and crew. Take some time to get familiar with the vessel, your home for the week. A welcome drink is served in the lounge before departure. As the ship leaves the dock, head to the deck with binoculars from your cabin to look for whale spouts on the horizon.

Overnight, the ship enters Endicott Arm, a narrow fjord surrounded by steep granite cliffs and floating icebergs. The landscape shows evidence of glacial activity from the last Ice Age, and Harbor Seals can often be seen resting on the ice with their pups. As the ship moves deeper into the fjord, the air becomes cooler. The journey ends at Dawes Glacier, a large tidewater glacier at the fjord’s head. A skiff tour offers a closer look at the glacier and its surrounding ice.

Humpback whales are frequent visitors of this Southeast passage. A misty spout is a sure sign they’re in the neighborhood. Your captain navigates Stephens Passage. You’re in for a boot-sucking, paddle-smacking day of adventure with your guide team. Routes are all mapped, so make your choice and make a move. Slip off the kayak launch and take it slow, spotting sea stars and shore birds. Hard chargers take a long wild paddle or take hike into the legendary Tongass.

Thomas Bay’s glacial landscapes are marked by moraines, muskegs, and mud. In this playground paddle or skiff the mineral-rich waters. The mirror image of fjord walls plays on the surface. Or keep it green on an interpretive walk through a grassy meadow into the forest. You’ve come a long way as this is the backcountry of Alaska’s wilderness. In the distance, a symphony of water emerges – the resonant flow of Cascade Creek, cutting through the forest in a mesmerizing display of waterfalls. Count the navigational markers as you get a peek into life as only local Southeast Alaskans can relate to. Wrangell Narrows boasts abundant bright red and green navigation lights guiding the way – that may be why it’s aptly nicknamed “Christmas Tree Lane.”

The Blashke Islands, located off the southern coast of Alaska, form an enchanting archipelago renowned for its rugged beauty and untamed wilderness. Carved by glaciers and shaped by the relentless forces of nature, these islands boast dramatic landscapes characterized by dense forests. This is your playground today. A full day of choose-your-own-adventure fun. Hiking, Kayaking, skiff tours, snorkeling, and full day yak-n-whack excursions exploring the many islands and their local inhabitants (including otters). Get ready for a full day!

In Behm Canal, it’s all remote waterways and the isolated Tongass National Forest coves, streams, and bays. On Cleveland Peninsula, your expedition team leads a low-elevation hike near clear, rushing streams. Opportunities to flex your photography skills for enticing forested shots of Southeast. Wildlife abounds! On land black bears, mink, eagles - and in the water: porpoises, seals, and otters go about their business. Go about yours on a guided paddle in tiny, deserted waterways that feed into the canal or on a meandering trail to experience the flora and fauna.

There are places on the planet that completely overcome you, this is one of them. Misty Fjords National Monument represents nearly every ecosystem found in Southeast Alaska. Glacial valleys filled with sea water, sheer 3,000-foot cliffs, sea birds, bears and Sitka black-tailed deer all find safe haven here. Choose your own adventure strategy in Walker Cove or Rudyerd Bay, where you can paddle, skiff to the base of a waterfall for fjord released shower, or sit and float to take it all in. Whatever you choose, you’ll find out why the affectionate nickname, “The Yosemite of the North,” is well deserved. As a fitting end to your Alaskan journey, share a Farewell Dinner with your Captain, celebrating the week's adventures and capturing memories with a photo slideshow presented by your dedicated guide team. It's the perfect conclusion to a week in the wilds of Southeast.

The ship is hard to say goodbye to, but the time together ends here in Ketchikan. The Salmon Capital of the World, there are more adventures to be had–ask your crew for suggestions as you depart and wave goodbye to your crew –new friends made along the way. Can’t wait to see you again!