Planning a Trip

Getting There

The Alaska Marine Highway System (tel. 800/642-0066 or 907/766-2111 locally; www.ferryalaska.com) is how most people get to Haines, and the cruise on the Lynn Canal fjord from Juneau or Skagway is among the most beautiful in the Inside Passage. The conventional ferry takes almost 5 hours from Juneau, the fast ferry about half that. The Juneau-Haines fare is $37. The trip from Skagway takes an hour and the fare is $31. The dock is 5 miles north of town.

There is currently only one van service meeting the ferry, Haines Shuttle and Tours (tel. 907/766-3138), which charges a pricey $20 per person for the short ride.

However, both of the hotels in town offer courtesy shuttles.

You may be able to take a fast private boat to or from Skagway. After the bankruptcy of the established operator, a new company had just picked up the service as I finished the book in 2008. Haines-Skagway Fast Ferry (tel. 907/766-2100; www.hainesskagwayfastferry.com) planned to charge $31 each way. The boat lands in town, saving on transfers.

If you're driving, the Haines Highway leads 155 miles to Haines Junction, Yukon Territory, an intersection with the Alaska Highway. (You must pass through Canadian Customs.) The road runs along the Chilkat River and the bald eagle preserve, then climbs into spectacular alpine terrain. Anchorage is 760 driving miles from Haines, and Fairbanks is 644.

Several air services offer scheduled prop service, air taxis, and flightseeing tours to surrounding communities from Haines. Wings of Alaska (tel. 907/789-0790 reservations, or 907/766-2030 in Haines; www.ichoosewings.com) has plenty of flights, charging $202 round-trip from Juneau.

Visitor Information

The small but well-staffed and stocked Haines Convention and Visitors Bureau Visitor Information Center, 2nd Avenue near Willard (P.O. Box 530), Haines, AK 99827 (tel. 800/458-3579 or 907/766-2234; www.haines.ak.us), is operated by the local government, which also sends out a vacation-planning packet. It's open summer Monday through Friday from 8am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm; in winter, hours are Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm.

Orientation

Haines sits on the narrow Chilkat Peninsula near the north end of the Southeast Alaska Panhandle. Highways run north and east on either side of the peninsula; the one on the east side goes to the ferry dock, 5 miles out, and ends after 11 miles at Chilkoot Lake. The other is the Haines Highway, which leads to the Canadian border, the Alaska Highway, and the rest of the world. The town has two parts: the sparsely built downtown grid and, a short walk to the west down Front Street or 2nd Avenue, the Fort William Seward area.

Getting Around

Bikes are available from Sockeye Cycle, just uphill from the Port Chilkoot Dock on Portage Street in the Fort William Seward area (tel. 907/766-2869; www.cyclealaska.com), for $14 for 2 hours or $35 for 8 hours. Haines Shuttle and Tours is a taxi and shuttle service. It can be reached at tel. 907/766-3138. Rent cars at the Captain's Choice Motel or Hotel Halsingland.

Special Events

The 160-mile Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay (www.kcibr.org) is held the third Saturday in June, heading steeply down the Haines Highway from Haines Junction, with more than 1,300 entrants riding solo or in teams of two, four, or eight.

The Southeast Alaska State Fair (tel. 907/766-2476; www.seakfair.org) is the biggest event of the summer, held for 4 days in late July; it's a regional small-town get-together, with livestock, cooking, a logging show, a parade, music, and other entertainment. Buildings constructed for the filming of the movie White Fang in 1990 were donated to the fair and form the nucleus of a retail area. One stop of interest here, at any time, is the local microbrewery, Haines Brewing Co. (tel. 907/766-3823), which offers samples and informal tours.

The Alaska Bald Eagle Festival (tel. 907/766-3094; www.baldeaglefestival.org) offers seminars and special events to mark the annual eagle congregation. Held over 5 days in mid-November.