SOUTHEAST ALASKA
July 16 – 26, 2023 - 10 nights.
Start – Petersburg, AK
Finish – Prince Rupert, BC
Join award winning photographer Denise Ippolito for what will be one of the best Alaska Inside Passage trips ever! This special, private vessel accommodates up to 12 clients comfortably, but I am limiting this trip to 10. I chose this itinerary so that we will be concentrating on the very best locations that the inside passage has to offer. I am fondly referring to this trip as the “Whale Tale.” There will be plenty of great photo opportunities along with cherished memories to tell your own tales of our adventures.
Experience Southeast Alaska as few can ever do! Watch humpback whales in Frederick Sound, brown bears fishing for salmon, float among icebergs as glaciers tumble into the sea and see proud Native American totem poles. Alaska is a vast, beautiful, and truly wild place. Alaska has the highest coastal mountain range in the world. Over one-half of the world’s glaciers cover these mountains and Alaska is one of only three places in the world where tidewater glaciers exist. Most of the glaciers we will see stem from the massive Stikine Ice Field, sitting high in the Coast Mountains, east of Petersburg and Wrangell.
Sail Southeast Alaska (the “Panhandle”) and enjoy its abundant wildlife. Alaska is one of the few refuges left in North America for the brown (grizzly) bear. On Admiralty Island, it is calculated there is one brown bear for every square mile – almost as many bears as there are eagles. Humpback whales migrate north to feed on the herring and tiny krill that blossom with the sunlight. Every summer, several hundred whales gather to feed in these rich northern waters. We expect to see a variety of exuberant behaviors and may catch the fascinating sight of humpback whales “bubble net feeding.” ...All Aboard!
Arrival day in Petersburg, AK
We highly recommend arriving in Petersburg at least one day prior to your trip departure and staying overnight at one of the several accommodation options. This ensures the group departs on time as there can be unforeseen weather delays when travelling in coastal regions. Flights via Alaska Airlines land in Petersburg twice each day. Take advantage of the extra time to tour the town fondly known by the locals as “Little Norway.”
Day 1: Trip Start
This adventure begins at the Petersburg Harbor Master’s office where a crew member will greet you. You will be escorted along the docks to the vessel. As Petersburg has a long history of being a fishing town, the harbor has one of the most impressive fishing fleets in Alaska. Take note of the continual activity as boats go to and fro between the fish canneries and the fishing grounds. Upon boarding the vessel, cabins will be assigned and following a brief boat and safety orientation we depart from Petersburg and head north into Frederick Sound. Keep a look out for spouting humpback whales.
Each night we will anchor in a new scenic bay. During our shore or small boat excursions, our onboard naturalist will help identify different coastal plants, animals, birds, and marine life. Interested participants can help keep a species list for the trip. There will be time to explore the protected waters using our stable sea-kayaks.
Day 2 – 10
Frederick Sound, Chatham Strait, and Stephens Passage is the core feeding area for humpback whales in Southeast Alaska. Journeying through this area, we keep an eye out for large spouts and hope to witness spectacular behaviors like breaches, pectoral slaps, spy-hopping, and possibly bubble-net feeding. We will take the time to observe these amazing, 15-metre-long creatures whenever the opportunity arises.
Admiralty Island National Monument has the highest concentration of brown bears and nesting bald eagles in North America. It is quite common to view bears along the beach from one of our beautiful evening anchorages. We are excited to include a visit to Pack Creek, an amazing bear watching opportunity located in a tidewater estuary up Seymour Canal. Pack Creek has been a protected area for bears for the last 40 years, and we are luckily to be amongst the 24 people a day that are allowed to visit.
We will view the incredible Dawes Glacier in Endicott Arm. We will also disembark for a day tour on a jetboat; escorted by a local guide, we have an opportunity to visit LeConte Glacier – the southernmost tidewater glacier in Alaska. In the last 15 years, it has receded by over a mile and a half with enormous slabs of ice “calving” into the ocean. It is located beside the Stikine River estuary – an important stop for millions of migratory birds.
We continue south among the narrow passages of Etolin and Wrangell Islands to Anan Bay. Anan Creek has the largest run of pink salmon in Southeast Alaska, and this accumulation of food attracts bears, eagles, raven, and seals. The US Forest Service wildlife observatory is famous, and we are very fortunate to have the opportunity to watch black and brown (grizzly) bears feeding on spawning salmon in a rushing river – a classic Alaska experience! Access to this area is strictly limited in order to protect the wildlife and local habitat.
Please note: Only a limited number of visitors are permitted to visit these bear viewing areas, daily, due to National Park restrictions. Access is dependent on our success in obtaining these permits for our guests.
Day 11: Trip Finish
The trip concludes with clearing customs upon our arrival to Cow Bay in Prince Rupert. Cow Bay is a few blocks from the downtown core, and you will have enough time for lunch and a wander through Prince Rupert before catching the late afternoon or evening flight to Vancouver.
Please remember to allow extra travel time to reach the Prince Rupert Airport on Digby Island. The airport shuttle leaves from the Prince Rupert Prestige Hotel downtown about two hours prior to the flight. Please make sure to get food before heading out to the airport, as it does not have any food services. If you have extra time in Prince Rupert, consider visiting the Museum of Northern British Columbia located a few blocks from downtown. The historic North Pacific Cannery, located about 20 minutes away by taxi, has interesting displays on historic salmon fishing and canning operations.
