Orca Friends | Photography Print

Some Alaska experiences are worth booking because they provide access, local knowledge, equipment, or a way into places you could not meaningfully reach alone. Others are better when you leave yourself time to walk, notice, and choose your own pace. Here is how I would decide where to spend and where to explore independently.

Thinking about fishing in Juneau? Here’s what to know before you book, from salmon, halibut and rockfish to charter regulations, timing, what the experience is actually like and how to choose the right trip.

Whale watching is one of Alaska's signature experiences, but not every trip feels the same. A Southeast Alaska local explains what actually matters when choosing a whale-watching tour: from boat size and time on the water to private charters, photography and responsible wildlife viewing.

Bear viewing is one of Alaska’s extraordinary wildlife experiences but what is it actually like to stand beside a salmon stream and watch a wild brown bear move through the landscape? After a fly-out bear-viewing trip from Juneau to Chichagof Island, here’s what I learned about the bears, the experience, and what travelers should know before they go.

A cabin changes the rhythm of exploring Southeast Alaska. Instead of turning back, you get the evening, the changing tide, the night sky and the morning. From John Muir and Dan Moller to Amalga and the remote cabins still on my list, this is what public-use cabins make possible and why I hope exploring Southeast Alaska always takes years.

As July begins to give way to August, Southeast Alaska reveals the shift in small ways: fading lupine, climbing fireweed, ripening berries, cooler air and the gradual return of salmon and wildlife. Around Juneau, summer is still here but the landscape has already begun preparing for what comes next.

Mendenhall Glacier is about 12 miles from downtown Juneau, and transportation can shape your entire day in Juneau. Here is how the shuttle, taxi, Uber, public bus and organized-tour options compare and which one I recommend as a Juneau local.

For six days, we traveled deep into Glacier Bay by private boat: sleeping in remote coves, watching glaciers rise beyond the water, and learning how much the experience depends on weather, timing, and life onboard. This is what exploring Glacier Bay actually felt like, beyond the postcard version.

Some Alaska experiences are worth booking because they take you somewhere you simply cannot reach on your own. Others are better explored slowly, independently, and without a schedule. This guide helps you decide where to spend, where to save, and how to build an Alaska trip with both access and breathing room.

Petersburg is often described as quaint, but quaintness is only what the work looks like from a distance. In this small Southeast Alaska town, commercial fishing, the cannery and the harbor still shape the rhythm of daily life.