Haines Tours

This six-hour tour departs from Skagway by catamaran, tours Haines by van, and then returns to Skagway with a scenic flight, offering three different perspectives on the area’s natural history. You’ll start with a 35-minute catamaran ride aboard the Chilkat Cruises fast ferry, where there’s often a local Tlingit guide offering narration and cultural interpretation. Then enjoy the only tour in Haines that includes Chilkat State Park, where you’ll have time to enjoy the beach. You’ll also see wildflowers, birds, wildlife, Rainbow Glacier (which hangs 3,000 feet above the inlet with a massive waterfall pouring from its face), and Davidson Glacier (a valley glacier spilling out of the Chilkat Mountains across the inlet). You’ll also see the tumbled ice of the Davidson Icefall.

Then drive through Ft. Seward and on to the Chilkoot River. This is a small group tour, so you’ll explore the edge of the river and areas that can’t accommodate larger groups.  Your guide has a spotting scope to check on activity at a nearby bald eagle’s nest and to bring any other wildlife in close. The tour ends with a 50-minute scenic flight with pilot Drake Olson, who will fly you over the Chilkat Mountains to Glacier Bay and back along the steep-walled fjord to Skagway.

For the active type, this tour offers a well-rounded workout, combining a mountain-bike ride along a scenic fjord with a kayak tour in a pristine lake. It begins with a narrated drive north from Haines along the Lynn Fjord. Just past the ferry terminal, you’re outfitted with a mountain bike and helmet and you’ll pedal for an hour on a flat, paved road to the lake. You pass a number of waterfalls and look across Lutak Inlet to the steep, forested avalanche slopes on the other side.

Arrive at the lake and exchange your bike for a kayak. Kayaking is easy to learn; soon you’ll be gliding silently on placid Chilkoot Lake for an hour in stable, two-person sea kayaks. Take in the gorgeous view, as the lake is surrounded by snow-capped and glaciated peaks, with numerous large waterfalls streaming off the steep, green cliffs. Beginning in July, spawning sockeye salmon are often seen in the lake and bears are sometimes seen feeding on them.

This is an exceptionally unique tour, as Klukwan Village has recently opened its doors to tourism. You will be welcomed by a Native guide, and enjoy a first-hand look at cultural practices and traditional arts like woodcarving, basketry, beading, and Chilkat weaving.

Tip: Don’t drive into the village on your own—contact the village first to arrange a guided tour. Due to construction, there will be limited tours in 2008; however, in 2009 the village hopes to be fully open, with a new cultural center.

For more information:

• Chilkat Indian Village
• Keet Gooshi Tours: Owners John and Cheryl Katzeek offer tours that include a narrated drive through the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve.

Rainbow Glacier Adventures features local guides and can arrange custom tours depending on your interest, including hiking, kayaking, photography, artist’s tours and flightseeing.

Start off at the Visitor’s Center on Second Avenue. The friendly staff can answer questions and give you handouts like "Haines is for Hikers," "Ft. Seward Walking Tour," and "Chilkat Valley Bird Checklist." Then visit the Sheldon Museum, the Hammer Museum, and Tsirku Canning Company. A short walk down the hill takes you to the Haines harbor, where you can sometimes buy salmon, halibut, and crab fresh from the fisherman or arrange a fishing charter.

Essentials: Looking for breakfast? Try the Bamboo Room, Chilkat Bakery, or Mountain Market (which has the best coffee in town). A recommended hotel is the Captain’s Choice, the most modern hotel in Haines..

Just a 10-minute walk from downtown along the waterfront, this fort was built by the U.S. Army starting in 1902, then purchased by Army veterans in 1947. The former hospital building has been transformed into Alaska Indian Arts, where totem poles, masks, and jewelry are created in the Tlingit style. Meet the artists and “see what’s going on at the AIA.” Admission is free. 

Essentials: There are four excellent restaurants, including Mosey’s Mexican Cantina, the Fireweed (great pizza), and Portage Street Café. The Fort is the most scenic and historic part of Haines, and many visitors choose to stay here. Two long-standing favorites are the Hotel Halsingland (with another first-class restaurant) and the Ft. Seward Bed and Breakfast (located at the top of the hill on “Officer’s Row”).

Follow along the waterfront north out of town. One mile away on your right is “Picture Point,” a nice pullout to get a picture-perfect overview of Ft. Seward and the Chilkat Mountains. Continue on, pass the Alaska Marine Highway terminal, and soon you arrive at Chilkoot Lake State Park. The road narrows and parallels the Chilkoot River, which has moss-covered granite boulders in the midst of the turquoise water. This river corridor is always alive with some type of activity. In the winter, locals ski the road and ice skate on the lake. In May, huge runs of smelt work their way up the river, with Stellar’s sea lions following them upriver.

You’ll see fisherman in the early summer fishing for Dolly Varden char and, in late summer, sockeye, pink, and coho salmon. Beginning in August, especially in the evenings, the Chilkoot River is a favorite spot for brown bear viewing. A short distance up the river is the fish weir, operated by the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, and you might see the fish technician counting salmon as they pass through the weir. The road dead-ends at Chilkoot Lake—a favorite for fisherman and kayakers.

Essentials: Rainbow Glacier Adventures and Alaska Nature Tours offer trips to the Chilkoot River and Lake.

Heading south out of town, you drop over a hill and follow the Chilkat River, which braids its way through a massive valley with glacier-capped peaks as a backdrop. At the mouth of the Chilkat River, stop and check out the aptly named “Pyramid Island,” marking where the river meets the sea. Continue on to the Letnikof Cove Cannery—its red buildings will be interesting to both photographers and history buffs. Then you’ll come to John and Sharon Svenson’s Extreme Dreams Art Studio, a beautiful timber-frame structure on your right. John is a watercolorist, bead worker, and mountaineer; Sharon is a talented weaver who also excels at glass mosaic work, and their shop is filled with their own creations as well as a those from other local artists. Check out the view from their back deck, and try their climbing wall. Turn down the gravel road toward Chilkat State Park—it’s bumpy, but the reward is stunning views straight across the Chilkat Inlet to the Rainbow and Davidson Glaciers. The road dead ends here, but there are hiking trails that continue out to Moose Meadows and on to Seduction Point. Bring lunch and take advantage of the picnic tables.

Essentials: Rainbow Glacier Adventures offers artist’s tours that include the Svenson’s studio; Rainbow’s Ultimate Nature Combo tour includes Chilkat State Park.

Drive north, just past the airport, and there’s a pull-out on your left with a sign describing the run of eulachon (pronounced “hooligan”), a type of smelt important for food, Tlingit cultural tradition, and—after oil was rendered from the fish—trade. In early May, the eulachon will probably be running and the river valley will be filled with seagulls and bald eagles.

A few miles upriver is the 48,000-acre Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, established to protect the critical habitat of the bald eagle. Each November, up to 3,000 bald eagles come here to feed on a late run of salmon. The drive is always scenic and there are a number of bald eagles that nest here in the summer. Keep your eye out for moose, bear, and trumpeter swans. There’s a pull-out and short nature trail 19 miles from Haines, at the Bald Eagle Critical Habitat Area—a worthwhile stop with interpretive displays. This level, 300-foot-long boardwalk winds through cottonwood forest to a viewpoint along the river.

Three miles further up the road is Klukwan Village, which is in the process of creating a cultural center to share their history and traditions with tourists. Please do not drive through the village on your own. If you would like to visit, contact Klukwan Village or Keet Gooshi Tours.

Continue 11 miles to Thirty-Three Mile Restaurant (located, yes, 33 miles from Haines). Owners Jerry and Kathy Lapp are famous for their burgers and pies. This log cabin restaurant is a favorite hangout for the heli-ski crowd in March and April, and locals year-round. Another 16 miles and you’ve reached the Canadian border. The road continues north 100 miles along the edge of the Tatshenshini/Alsek Wilderness Provincial Park and on to Kluane National Park. At Haines Junction, the road intersects with the Alaska Highway. Turn left and you end up in Anchorage or Fairbanks. Turn right and 100 miles later you’re in Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon Territory. Keep driving and in a mere 1,100 miles, you’ll be in Seattle!

Essentials: Chilkat Guides, Chilkat River Adventures, and Glacier Valley Wilderness Adventures offer tours to the Preserve in the summer. During the Bald Eagle Festival in November, Alaska Nature Tours and Rainbow Glacier Adventures offer tours to the preserve.