Glacier Bay National Park with Inside Passage and San Juan Islands

Arrive in Seattle, the vibrant Emerald City, and board your expedition vessel at Fishermen’s Terminal. Meet your captain, crew, and fellow travellers before settling into your home on the water for the next 13 days. As the ship departs, transit the historic Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and begin your journey north toward the wild landscapes of Alaska. Gather in the lounge for a welcome cocktail and Champagne toast, marking the start of your adventure. With binoculars waiting in your cabin, head to the deck and keep watch for seabirds, marine life, and other wildlife as Seattle’s skyline gradually fades into the distance.

Accessible only by boat, Sucia Island is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most pristine and secluded wilderness destinations. Dramatic sandstone cliffs and sculpted rock formations rise above crystal-clear waters, while a network of trails winds through dense forests, peaceful meadows, and sheltered coves. Explore fascinating tidepools teeming with marine life, stroll along quiet beaches, or hike to panoramic viewpoints overlooking the surrounding archipelago. Whether seeking adventure or tranquillity, Sucia Island offers an unforgettable escape into nature and a rare opportunity to experience the region’s rugged beauty far from the crowds.

As you sail north, you enter Canada’s Inside Passage, a winding network of forested islands, narrow channels, and remote anchorages. Keep an eye out from the bridge for whales and seabirds. Today’s pace is more relaxed. Join a cocktail or cooking demo, take a galley tour, or chat with the crew about navigation and knot tying. Wildlife can appear at any time. Keep binoculars close and spirits high.

Start your day with coffee on the bow. Watch bald eagles follow the ship from treetop to treetop. On one side is rugged mainland. On the other, the islands stretch westward. The captain and crew expertly navigate the twisting route and take time to breathe in the wild. In the lounge, sip the day’s special and join a friendly round of cards or conversation with new friends.

Today is about slowing down and savoring the journey. You travel intricate waterways, past remote forests and villages. Keep watch for black bears and, with luck, the elusive white spirit bear. Civilization draws closer, but the wilderness remains close at hand.

Some places do not just take your breath away; they leave you speechless. Misty Fjords is one of them. Sheer 3,000-foot cliffs, glacially carved valleys, and rainforest-cloaked slopes cradle every paddle and skiff ride. Explore Walker Cove or Rudyerd Bay by water during an open paddle, skiff, or even (if the conditions are just right) a long-drop paddle where you’ll enjoy the experience of feeling truly left in the wilds of Alaska, or float quietly and take it all in.

Welcome to Ketchikan, Alaska’s First City. Here, you connect with the vibrant Tlingit culture. Tribal leader and storyteller Joe Williams (KaXeshX’e) guides a walking tour steeped in tradition and local history. The stories, like the landscape, run deep.

Glacially carved Thomas Bay is a mosaic of moraines, muskegs, and shimmering mudflats. Enjoy an open paddle over glassy waters where fjord walls reflect like mirrors, exploring at your own pace. Or join a skiff tour over these waters or a waterfall hike or bushwack. Depending on when Captain sets sail, you may get to witness Wrangell Narrows, nicknamed Christmas Tree Lane for its vibrant red and green navigational lights. It is a peek into everyday life in Southeast Alaska’s backcountry.

Today, you explore the wild coastline of Chichagof Island in search of the elusive coastal brown bear. This remote area is rich with life and offers some of the best bear-viewing opportunities in Southeast Alaska. Your captain and expedition leader take you deep into bear territory using their expert local knowledge. Activities include shoreline walks, kayaking, skiff rides, and up-close (but safe) bear spotting from the water. This is a day of awe-inspiring encounters with nature at its most raw.  

Ease into the day with sunrise stretches on deck and a strong cup of coffee as your expedition team scouts the best opportunities for exploration. Today is all about flexibility and immersion, with options to kayak at your own pace, join an all-day paddle, set out on a shore walk, or venture deeper on a bushwhack hike that reveals the raw textures of Alaska’s wild landscapes. Skiff rides open access to otherwise unreachable stretches of coastline, while open paddles and yak-and-walk combinations let you shape the day moment by moment alongside your naturalist guides, who bring the region’s ecology, geology, and sense of place to life.

Spanning 3.3 million acres, just shy of the size of Connecticut, Glacier Bay National Park is vast, wild, and mostly unexplored. But you are not most visitors. Today, you venture deep into the park where you can kayak, skiff, hike glacial ridges, moraine walks, or even all-day paddle. Watch for mountain goats, sea lions, puffins, and, if you are lucky, a surprise whale sighting. You have two full days here, plenty of time to absorb its grandeur.

Start your morning with a deep breath of glacier-fresh air. Today’s adventures are yours to shape, whether you choose an all-day paddle through kelp-lined channels, a wilderness trek through spruce and hemlock forest, or a skiff ride to tucked-away inlets, this is your chance to fully immerse yourself in the quiet magic of this remote, rugged corner of Alaska. Moraine walks and skiff tours may also be available.

Arrive in Juneau and enjoy a final breakfast with new friends before disembarking. Say farewell to the crew who guided you through the wilds of the Pacific Northwest and Southeast Alaska. Your journey may end here, but the stories and connections travel with you long after you return home.