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Visiting The Inside Passage
It seemed worth mentioning that British Columbia and Alaska are easily accessible as destinations for people to travel to. Whilst the weather can be glorious and sometimes changeable travelers can be guaranteed a warm reception and breathtaking scenery. The Big 5 kayak challenge team are keen to recommend that people ensure they use the BC ferries and Alaskan Marine Highway to ‘travel through’ the Inside Passage rather than ‘travel past’ by cruise ship.
The small towns and people of the Inside Passage have a wealth of history, culture and stunning wildlife on offer. Many towns such as Klemtu, Wrangle and Juneau along the Inside Passage have kayaking operator where tourists can hire kayaks and get local guides to show them whales, bears and local beauty spots such as hot springs.
For BC Ferries then visit
www.bcferries.com
For Ferries in Alaska then use the Alaska Marine Highway
http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.shtml
Our flights were sourced from
http://www.canadianaffair.com/
Tourist Agencies
http://uk.britishcolumbia.travel/en-CA/default.htm Tourism BC
http://www.travelalaska.com/ Travel Alaska
Namu
Namu is a Fist Nation’s word meaning ‘whirlwind’. Anchorage is not recommended during the autumn months because winds known as ‘Willy-waws’ (whirlwinds) blow strongly over the nearby mountains. It is the oldest settlement on the coast featuring a cannery that operated from 1893 t0 1970. Excavations show artefacts dating back 10,000 years.
Namu is now staffed by a couple of caretakers and offers a great moorage surrounded by the derelict cannery buildings which once housed a town of thousands. It is living history as the buildings are slowly reclaimed by nature.
Bella Bella
Bella Bella is a prosperous fishing and logging community with a hospital, schools and a cultural centre and is one of the largest First Nation communities on the coast. If you visit then look out for the eagle head which rises from the roof of the cultural centre. BC ferries began a passenger service to Bella Bella in 1977 and has since continued its service on a year round basis.
Bella Bella has a great feel to the town and people are extremely friendly. Of particular interest to us was the large dugout canoe displayed at the harbour. Opposite Bella Bella and accessible by water taxi is the resort of Shearwater with hotel, restaurant and bar. There is also a future eco-lodge resort under development.
To find out more about this area then why not contact Denny Island B and B or stay at the Shearwater Hotel;
www.dennyislandbandb.com or email
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or http://www.shearwater.ca/
Klemtu
Klemtu was one of the most friendly First Nation communities that we visited. It is the gateway to some amazing kayaking and ecotourism including visiting hot springs, salmon laden creeks and bear watching of the spirit (Kermode) white bear. As well as boasting a pretty fishing town with some fantastic tourist opportunities it also has one of the biggest and most impressive Big House’s (First Nation Ceremonial Meeting Place).
To book eco tours and kayaking with guides from the First Nation Community then contact: http://www.spiritbear.com/
Butedale
Located on Princess Royal Island, Butedale was established in 1918 as a fishing, mining and logging area. A cannery and fish reduction plant operated here until the mid fifties. At its peak the community has a population of 400 people. One of the few remaining canneries on the coast. The Butedale Founders Association is hoping to restore the community.
Butedale is another magical window on history and natural re-claimation by the land over time. A large spectacular waterfall flanks the near derelict site.
Greenville Channel
Mountains of 1500 to 3500 feet surround the Glenville Channel, the most spectacular channel on the Inside Passage. The narrowest portion is a mere 1400 feet wide, but depths up to1620 allow vessels to travel close to the shore. Occasionally moose and deer can be seen swimming along this 70km long channel.
We were lucky enough to see pods of Orcas patrolling the channel as we kayaked through.
Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert is one of the largest destinations on the Inside Passage providing the link between British Columbia and Alaska via the Ferry networks. It also features a modern port, ferry terminals and an airport. One of the more idyllic places in Prince Rupert is Cow Bay with great bars, coffee houses and the welcoming Pioneer Hostel which was a welcome stop off for us to dry our kit.
http://www.pioneerhostel.com/
To visit the local tourist visitor then check out:
www.tourismprincerupert.com or email
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Wrangle
Wrangle is another location that combines great tourist attractions in the wilderness as well as a bustling port and harbour. There is a real ‘wild west’ prospector feel about Wrangle but with plenty of comfort for those who want that mix. We stayed at the Presbyterian hostel, which offered a great nights sleep, kitchen and showers.
Wrangle provides a gateway to the bear observation centre at Anu as well as kayaking to the tidal glacier at Le Conte Glacier. It also offers more challenging paddling, fishing and jet boating on the Stikine River.
To book bear watching, ecotours, fishing and kayaking then contact:
Alaska Vistas on: www.alaskavistas.com or email
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Petersburg
The north end of Mitkof Island was a summer fish camp utilized by Kate Tlingits from Kupreanof Island. Alaskan Natives began living year-round at the site, including Chief John Lot. Petersburg was named after Peter Buschmann, a Norwegian immigrant who arrived in the late 1890s and homesteaded on the north end of the island. He built a cannery (thanks to the plentiful number of icebergs from the nearby Le Conte Glacier which would provide a source for cooling fish), a sawmill, and a dock between 1890 and 1900.
His family's homesteads grew into Petersburg which, by 1910 was incorporated and was populated largely by people of Scandinavian origin thus giving Petersburg the nickname "Little Norway". May 17 (Norwegian Constitution Day) is celebrated annually in Petersburg on the third weekend in May. The cannery, along with three others have operated continuously since their completion. Petersburg is one of Alaska's major fishing communities.
Although we didn’t stop long due to our tight kayaking schedule we recommend Petersburg as a place to visit. We were hosted by the Reverend Bob at the Presbyterian Church although there is also a good hostel. Rev Bob, a keen kayaker also accompanied us on the day we departed (presumably to ensure we left town!).
Pack Creek and Oliver’s Inlet tramcar system
Pack Creek is a bear observatory on Admiral Island where bears roam freely with a reported one bear per square mile. We were lucky enough to witness a grizzly with her young club searching for food on the beach early in the morning. Tourists and visitors are required to purchase a day licence and are given a briefing from the rangers located on site.
Once past Pack Creek it is a further 15 miles or so to Fools Inlet and Oliver’s inlet linked by the 1 mile tramcar system and portage. Despite a few derailments in the hot sun(causing rail deflection) this was one of the highlights of our adventure.
Geoff at the tramcart portage from Fools Inlet to Oliver Inlet, Nr Jueau
Juneau
Juneau is the capital of Alaska, the 49th State although one filled with adventure and welcoming spirit. It is essentially a frontier city, which originally sprung up following the gold rush. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then Alaska Territory was moved from Sitka. The municipality unified in 1970 when the City of Juneau merged with the City of Douglas and the surrounding borough. Juneau was named after gold prospector Joe Juneau, though the place was for a time called Rockwell and then Harrisburg (after Juneau's co-prospector, Richard Harris — several books credit the Tlingit Chief Kowee with showing these prospectors where the gold was). The Tinglit name of the town is Dzántik'i Héeni "river where the flounders gather", and Auke Bay just north of Juneau proper is called Aak'w "little lake" in Tlingit. The Taku River, just south of Juneau, was named after the cold t'aakhwind, which occasionally blows down from the mountains.
Downtown Juneau sits at sea level, below steep mountains about 3,500 to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) high. Atop these mountains is the Juneau Icefield , a large ice mass from which about 30 glaciers flow; two of these, the Mendenhall Glacier and the Lemon Creek Glacier, are visible from the local road system; the Mendenhall glacier has been generally retreating; its front face is declining both in width and height.
From Juneau you can access the Glacier Bay National Park as well as organized flights in sea planes to the local glaciers. It also had some tourist trap gift shops aimed at the passing visitors from the cruise ships.
To hire kayaks in Juneau then visit Above and Beyond Alaska;
www.beyondak.com or email
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Also if you want to stay somewhere a little more upmarket then why not check into the Baranof Hotel http://www.westmarkhotels.com/juneau.php
Gustavus
Gustavus named after a Swedish King is a beautiful sprawling city (the size of a conventional town) with some unique eating places and a welcoming feel. It is also the gateway to the Glacier Bay National Park, a world heritage site. A taxi service took us from Gustavus Harbour round to the national Park lodge at Bartlett Cove. We caught the Fastcat into the park which offers a get-on/drop off service for kayakers as well as a guided tour of the Muir Inlet and surrounding glaciers.
Gustavus has a great store, art gallery and fantastic pizza restaurant located at a cross-roads in the middle of this sprawling city (albeit with a population of 400). It also boasts a petrol pump museum, which is slightly different. It is unique, a friendly frontier town surrounded by great scenery.
We were truly sorry to leave Gustavus and wish we had more time to stay and soak up the atmosphere.
To visit Gustavus or book eco fishing or kayaking then talk to:
Doug at http://www.douglasogilvy.com/
Dougs boat as we leave Gustavus Harbour
Glacier Bay and Muir Inlet
This was the icing on the cake for our expedition and journey with glaciers almost round every corner. Global warming presents a much more compelling case when you are up close and personal to these huge icy masses. The scenery and beauty of the place is simply stunning.
The marine wilderness of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve includes tidewater glaciers, snow-capped mountain ranges, ocean coastlines, deep fjords, and freshwater rivers and lakes. This diverse land and seascape hosts a mosaic of plant communities and a variety of marine and terrestrial wildlife and presents many opportunities for adventuring and learning about this unique and powerful place.
http://www.nps.gov/glba/index.htm
http://www.glacier.bay.national-park.com/
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