The Alaska Ferry
A Highly Scenic Travel Route

The Alaska Ferry follows the route known as the Alaska Marine Highway System. It can be used for traveling to Alaska—which is what this page is about. Or, you can take the ferry to as many Alaskan coastal villages as you'd like to visit, for a special Alaska Marine Highway vacation.



Taking the Alaskan Ferry is a wise choice if you want to visit some of the very old Alaskan cities that are not reachable by road. They are rich with history and native cultures. You'll also see some of the world famous Alaskan glaciers that can only be viewed up close from a ship. In addition, you'll see lots of Alaska's wildlife, spectacular coastal mountain ranges and forests.

While the Alaska Ferry does not have the luxurious accommodations of a cruise ship, it gives you the opportunity to take almost any type and size of vehicle with you. You can take cars, trucks, campers, motorcycles, kayaks, canoes, bicycles, etc. You can even take your pets!

Facilities Available:

Accommodations consist of cabins with bunk-bed style berthing. There are single and double (2 and 4 bed) cabins. Each bed sleeps two people comfortably and you only pay one set fee for the cabin. So you could fit quite a few people in a double berth cabin, at no extra cost. The cabin fee is in addition to the passenger's fares.

There are also recliner lounges, a covered solarium and you can even pitch a small tent on the upper decks and sleep under the stars! There are no charges for sleeping in these spaces, just your basic passenger fare.

Most cabins have their own private bathroom facilities. There are public restrooms and showers for cabins without their own facilities and for passengers without cabins.

The "Columbia" has a full-service dining room. Hot and cold foods may be purchased and eaten in self-service dining areas throughout the day on all ships, and there are also vending machines for snacks. If you want to save on costs, you may bring your own cooler and food. Microwaves are available and ice may be purchased.

Possible Alaska Ferry Routes:

To get to Alaska from the 48 continental United States or from Canada, there are two ports you can start from that can be reached by road: Bellingham, WA or Prince Rupert, BC. There are several possible routes to take from these cities:

1. Starting at Bellingham, you can travel to Juneau, then switch to a cross-gulf ferry which will take you to Whittier. At Whittier, you'll connect to the main road system by driving through the train tunnel (2 1/2 miles long) and on Portage Glacier Road (about 11 miles total), to the Seward Highway. (Don't worry, you won't get lost--it's the only road out of Whittier.) Then, turn either north (right) to Anchorage or south (Left) to the Kenai Peninsula.

2. Starting at Bellingham, you can travel to the ports of Skagway or Haines and get off there.

A. From Skagway, you follow the Klondike Highway about 100 miles, then turn left onto the Alcan Highway in Canada. This road connects with the Alcan south of Whitehorse, capital city of the Yukon Territory.

B. At Haines, the Haines Highway goes north 148 miles, then turn left on the Alcan, well north of Whitehorse.

3. Starting from Prince Rupert, you can travel to Skagway or Haines and follow #2A or #2B.

4. Starting from Prince Rupert, you can travel to Whittier without changing ferries. Then follow #1 above.

Below is a brief summary of the above Alaska Ferry routes:

(Bellingham is in the State of Washington, Prince Rupert is in British Columbia, Canada and Juneau, Haines, Skagway, Valdez, Yakutat and Whittier are in the State of Alaska.)

1, 2A & 2B: All Bellingham departures occur every Friday at 6:00PM using "Columbia", "Malaspina" or "Kennicott" ferries. For #1, if you are not on the "Kennicott" already, you'll switch to that ferry in Juneau. The trip to Whittier is only available once a month.

3A & 3B: The "Kennicott" departs Prince Rupert on Tuesdays and Saturdays at various times for these trips.

4: The "Kennicott" departs Prince Rupert on Mondays and this trip only occurs once per month.

NOTE: If you take routes 1 or 4, and are bringing your own vehicle, call the Whittier Tunnel, toll-free at 877-611-2586 for the road usage schedule between Whittier and the Seward Highway. The tunnel is shared with the Alaska Railroad, and is only one lane wide, so cars can only go one direction at a time. There are also other restrictions and regulations, so be sure to ask about them when you make your Alaska Ferry reservations.

Passenger, Cabin and Vehicle fares for the above Alaska Ferry routes:

Anyone 12 years of age or over pays the adult fares; ages 6 to 11years, pay approximate 1/2 the adult fare and children under six years of age travel free. All fares are in U.S. Dollars. The following prices are just examples - other options are available.

NOTE: There are special fares at times and Drivers can go free under certain circumstances.

Hope this gives you the basic information you need to plan your trip to Alaska. But if you have further questions about using the Alaska Ferry or would like to make reservations, call them at 800-642-0066, or you can use their online reservation system.

Also see the Alaska Marine Highway Page for additional information on the Alaska Ferry route.

If the Alaska Ferry is not quite the right method of travel for you, perhaps some of the various flights to Alaska would better fit your plans better...

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