One of my most common questions from tourists coming to Southeast Alaska is how to see everything and not break the bank. Honestly, you aren’t going to see "everything” if you spend a week here – some of us are going on 15 years in Southeast, and we have yet to see everything!

You can spend hours and hours on multiple websites and still miss opportunities, but I’ll bring up some travel hacks that can save you time and money.

Glacier Bay offers a daily boat tour, leaving the lodge at 8:00 AM and returning at 3:00 PM.  Sadly Gustavus, the closest "city” to Glacier Bay, does not see daily ferry service – it is too far from Juneau to offer it as a regular excursion, and flights are limited.  Technology limitations with many travel sites also don’t show you how to "build” a day trip – so here’s the secret:

-If you want to do this as a day trip, you must fly from Juneau to Gustavus on Alaska Seaplane's first flight of the day; this is usually a 5:30 AM or 6:00 AM-ish flight. You’ll land just 20 minutes later, and the lodge will pick you up (if booked correctly on their website, and you notify them).  You’ll have time to visit their restaurant for a nice breakfast or grab a coffee before boarding the boat.   Once done, you can purchase a return trip on Alaska Seaplanes, or save some money and fly on Alaska Airlines, which has a 530PM – 6 PM departure (from mid-June through mid-August) with fares around $110 per person.  

-For families of 4 or more, I recommend flying Alaska Airlines both ways and staying the night at the lodge; room rates start at $279/night plus tax. The Alaska Airlines flight from Juneau departs at 430PM.

-When flying on Alaska Seaplanes, you need to book this as far in advance as possible! Their planes seat up to 9 passengers, and like most airlines, there are only a few "cheap” seats – so try booking 2 at a time.

The weather in Gustavus can sometimes delay flights, so keep that in mind and take a backup small carry-on with medication and a light change of clothes just in case. There is always a risk of missing the day boat tour, so we recommend coming the night before.

Skagway & Haines are easy to build day or quick overnight trips from Juneau when you add in a one-way flight on Alaska Seaplanes; the fares range from $180 and up per person, but the views are simply amazing, and think of the flight as a FLIGHTSEEING adventure. The state ferry operates 3 to 4 days a week, however it is a 6-to-8-hour journey; so, pairing a one-way flight will maximize your time in either location.  Alaska Fjord lines offer discounts when you purchase roundtrip travel; however, remember their times (e.g., you will probably want to get a hotel for 2 nights instead of just 1). Voyij offers our hotels through our link to Alaska Travel Desk in Haines & Skagway.

Sitka, Wrangell, and Hoonah are also very popular trips from Juneau, however the ferry service is not as frequent (along with flights) – so it’s better to think about spending 2 days in these locations; Sitka hotels sell out fast because we have a handful of boutique & small boats that begin & end there and rooms are limited. Hoonah & Wrangell has limited hotel accommodations and some short-term rentals available. Alaska Airlines offers the cheapest fares to Sitka & Wrangell when booked at least 21 days in advance; you can also use Alaska Airlines or American Airlines’ frequent flyer miles to purchase these seats!

Just remember to add some buffer time in Juneau or Ketchikan (if you are using it as a base) in case of weather – sometimes we can get fogged in for days at a time, even in the summer; so, make sure that you have some flexibility and purchase travel insurance!

About Nate Vallier:

 

Nate comes from a long history intertwined between the airline business and travel agencies. As the former Director of Revenue/Sales & Marketing for Chalks Ocean Airways in Florida and Mokulele Airlines in Hawai’i, Nate has spent the better part of his career managing sales, distribution channels, agency sales, and tour operators. Now living in Alaska, Nate’s focus is on his own Alaska-based travel agency & offering his insider knowledge of airlines, hotels, and tour operators to help his clients.