The Inside Passage

We are about to enter Alaska's "Inside Passage," a coastal route between the mainland and islands. The dotted line gives an idea of where the ships travel. While the Alexander Archipelago provides some protection from the Pacific Ocean weather, much of the area experiences strong semi-diurnal tides which can create extreme 30-foot differences between high and low tide.
The Alaskan portion of the Inside Passage extends 500 miles from north to south and 100 miles from east to west. The area encompasses 1,000 islands, 15,000 miles of shoreline and thousands of coves and bays. The towns and islands shown on the map above, with the exception of Skagway are only accessible by ferry (the Alaskan Marine Highway), cruise ship, or air. There are no bridges or highways here. There is though-hours of spectacular scenery, beautiful glaciers, loads of recreational opportunities, great little towns, tons of history, abundant wild life, and endless wilderness.