traveling the alaska marine highway

Dates: July 18th, 2022 - July 24th, 2022
Distance traveled: 530mi/853km (land: 130mi/209km, water: 400mi/644km)
Route: Prince Rupert, BC > Ketchikan, AK > Juneau, AK

We don’t have a ton of experience with boats. In his younger days, Mike spent a summer working as a boat captain for a seasonal resort. As a kid, my family often vacationed on the lakes of Tennessee in house boats with our extended family. But even with these experiences, we sometimes forget how much boats are relied upon as a necessary means of transport in different parts of the world. 

In Alaska, only about 20% of the state is accessible by road–a challenging imposition to come to terms with for an overlander (someone who travels predominately by vehicle). The rest must be accessed by either air or water. The spattering of southeastern Alaskan islands are connected by a well-established marine highway with ferries running non-stop to connect the island towns and people together. 

Note: We’ve seen multiple signs at local businesses that read: we support full ferry service.  Curious about what these were referring to, we found that the governor and his administration are looking to privatize the ferry service and have subsequently reduced funding for the ferry, resulting in disruption of services and increased isolation of small Alaskan communities. Read more about the war Dunleavy waged against the Alaska Marine Highway (opinion).

This past week, we got to see first-hand how the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system operates–not once, but twice. First from Prince Rupert, British Columbia to Ketchikan, Alaska, and then from Ketch to Juneau, Alaska.

Our ship, the Matanuska, pulling into the port in Ketchikan.

Leading up to the first ferry ride, we had so many questions about the process, were nervous about not being properly prepared, and were concerned about how Granger and Walker would fare alone in the camper on the car deck. But by the second ferry, with a little experience under our belts, our anxieties had quieted, and it was smooth sailing. 

Note: Pets are only permitted to stay in your vehicle or camper for the duration of the ferry ride. During stops at port where passengers are able to deboard the boat, you can walk your pets outside. During spans of 8 hours or more with no port stops, the crew will announce a 20 minute window where you’re able to go check on your pets on the car deck. You can walk them and allow them to use the restroom on the deck. More information here.

Ferry to Ketchikan

After an incredibly delicious dinner of butter chicken pizza, a brilliant Indian fusion dish from Vihaan’s Pizzeria in Prince Rupert, we parked down by the water to ready ourselves for the ferry. 

To provide a sense of the ferry process, below is the timeline of events from arriving at the ferry terminal to docking at our destination in Ketchikan.

9:45pm - We promptly pulled into the check-in line for the ferry. Though our tickets stated check-in began at 9:45pm, we were last in line. The length of our rig was measured and then Mike went inside to check us in and print our boarding passes. Around this time, we also gave Granger a mild sedative (trazodone) to help ease any anxiety and help her sleep through the night. Walker is a pro at chilling out and sleeping, so we didn’t think he would need any pharmaceutical assistance. 

10:38pm - Mike returned to the truck after getting us checked in. Apparently the internet was out and the ferry workers weren’t able to print boarding passes, causing delays. Eventually they worked out an alternative solution and got everyone checked-in.

11:45pm - Workers began to usher the line towards the customs gates. 

Waiting in line to go through customs.

12:05am - We pulled up to the customs window. They simply asked about the purpose of our travels and if we had any firearms to declare (we had received a sticker with our makeshift boarding pass indicating that we had firearms on board). We explained that we had two canisters of bear spray (which you’re supposed to declare as firearms). The officer waved us through and we took our place in another line. Yet again, there were no questions about the pets nor a request to see their health certificates which are technically required to cross the border. 

12:47am - We loaded onto the ferry, put Granger and Walker in the camper and tried to explain to them what was going to happen (they didn’t seem to listen or care), and headed up to the passenger deck. By 1am we were settled into lounge chairs with our sleeping bags on the outside, covered deck under red light heaters. 

Boarding the Matanuska at 12:47am.

Proceeding to park on the car deck aboard the ship.

2:37am - We disembarked from Prince Rupert. We both managed to get some sleep, but not great sleep. Our biggest mistakes that impeded a more restful night were (1) not bringing pillows and (2) Mike brought his lighter sleeping bag, which he got cold in overnight. A sleeping pad on top of the lounge chair would have also been a good idea (others had cleverly thought of this). Regardless of poor sleep, we enjoyed the unique experience and would do it again. 

Our sleeping quarters for the night. There were three others sleeping on the deck.

6:00am - Woke up well into daylight and islands on either side of the ferry gliding by. Mike bought coffee from the cafe, but they didn’t have decaf for me. We spent the morning taking photos from the deck, in awe of the scenery. 

Morning coffee and taking in the views.

8:38am - The ferry docked in Ketchikan–our first Alaskan destination. We descended to the car deck, opened the camper to find no signs of distress or damage, loaded the animals into the truck cab, and waited our turn in line to exit the vessel.

Ketchikan

Ketchikan is a cruise ship destination–meaning its downtown area is bustling with thousands of tourists on a daily basis, food is expensive, and there’s an abundance of touristy shops. Apart from a couple overpriced, but delicious meals, we didn’t spend a lot of time in this area. Instead, we drove as far as possible from downtown and stumbled upon a quiet cove and campground, where we decided to stay for the duration of our time in Ketchikan (3 nights).

We couldn’t believe our luck at having nearly the entire cove to ourselves. We watched the tide ebb and flow; Mike and Granger hiked the connecting trails; we took a chilly dip in the 60°F/15°C water. It was a perfect introduction to Alaska. 

Note: We’ve heard from locals that this cove is one of Ketchikan’s best kept secrets from tourists, which is why we’re not sharing its name or location. 

Ferry to Juneau

Though the ferry from Ketchikan to Juneau would be much longer (18.5 hours versus 6 hours), we felt more relaxed about the process. It’s funny how quickly new and foreign experiences can become familiar.

For this longer ride, we opted to pay an additional $196 for a cabin to sleep in. The cabin had two bunk beds, a private bathroom and shower, and an outward facing window. It was very simple and reminded me of a room in a hostel, but for us, it was worth the cost. Having a quiet place to rest is really important for me on my bad health days, which are hard to predict but necessary to plan for. Not only did we get a good night’s sleep, but I was also able to hide away and take a three hour nap in peace the next day.

Note: There are cheaper cabin options as well without private bathrooms or windows. 

We gave Granger some trazodone again for this leg of the journey and left the animals to their own devices overnight. At 7am the following morning, the crew announced we would be docking at the port in Petersburg for 25 minutes and passengers and pets could deboard the ship. Mike took Granger on a quick walk  outside, while I hung out with Walker in the camper and refilled their water and food bowls. 

After the port stop in Petersburg, we had the remainder of the day to do what we pleased before arriving in Juneau around 4pm. We ate our meals in the cafeteria, which offers a variety of cold and hot meal options that are reasonably priced. For  lunch, I had a ham and cheese sandwich with veggies for $6. Mike opted for the ribs special for $12. 

We busied ourselves with reading, journaling, napping and–most excitingly–spotting whales in the water. At one point, three orcas (aka killer whales) followed us closely in the ship’s wake for several seconds, cresting above the water in complete unison multiple times. And a humpback whale made an appearance from a further distance, clapping its fins on the water and then proceeded to launch itself into the air multiple times as if putting on a show for the ferry onlookers. 

A humpback whale entertaining the crowd.

Once we docked in Juneau and rolled off the Matanuska, we made a quick pit stop at the grocery store and proceeded to Mendenhall Campground. We found a site with a short path leading to Mendenhall Lake and a spectacular view of Mendenhall Glacier. This would be our homebase for the next three nights.

This was the first time using our moonshade awning so we could cook and hang out outside in the rain.

Our path to the water.

We only had a clear view of the glacier on our first night. The following days were rainy with low visibility. We were glad we decided to snap a few photos that first night.