Things to do / Travel Guide
The Alaska Panhandle is a bastion of natural, raw beauty, and is tinged with a variety of historical backgrounds - from the native Tlingit and Aleut to Russian, Spanish, and North American. The area is comprised of the southeast coastline of the state of Alaska and is situated slightly west of British Columbia, Canada.
The Panhandle is made up of Tongass National Forest (which covers most of this area), Glacier Bay National Park, Misty Fjords National Monument, Admiralty Island National Monument, and Alaska's famed Inside Passage. There are also a large number of islands found in this region, some small, some quite large. The largest of them are Admiralty Island, Baranof Island, Chichagof Island, and Prince of Wales Island. These islands are found among a fascinating water-based ecosystem rich with natural resources. The bodies of water surrounding the islands are Summer Strait, Clarence Strait, Glacier Bay, Icy Strait, Lynn Canal, and Chatham Strait. Today, these waterways are plied by both massive oil tankers and luxury passenger liners, which carry close to a million tourists to the Panhandle's shores each year to see the sights. Indeed, the Alaska Panhandle is one of the most popular cruise destinations in the world.
The major cities in this region are Ketchikan, Sitka, Haines, and the state capital, Juneau. While the bigger cities are certainly fascinating in many different ways, it is sometimes the smaller towns and hamlets like Angoon, Yakutat, Skagway, and Gustavus that give this region its unique frontier culture and feel.
The Alaska Panhandle is also known for its phenomenal array of wildlife. Visitors to the region can see animals such as wolves, humpback whales, caribou, orcas, deer, bald eagles, seals, sea lions, harlequin ducks, scoters, marbled murrelets, and brown and black bears.
Like many areas in the great Pacific Northwest, mining has also played a key role in this region's development. Gold was first discovered on the Stikine River near Telegraph Creek in 1861, and, much like northern California, the Alaska Panhandle has been permanently marked as a “Gold Rush” area, for better or worse.
Known as a hotspot (if you can say that about Alaska!) for fishing, camping, and general outdoor exploring, the Alaska Panhandle has been a favored destination for visitors since long before Alaska became the 49th state on July 7th, 1958. With a unique culture and enormous, wide-open spaces to explore, it's easy to see why the Alaska Panhandle is a great place to visit!
The Alaska Panhandle is on Alaska Time, one hour behind Pacific Time and four behind Eastern Time.
During the spring and summer months, mosquitoes can be a problem along the Alaska Panhandle's coast, so come prepared with effective repellant.
During the winter, options are considerably less in the way of activities, but hotels are generally open year-round. Also, while it can be very temperate in the summer months, the occasional gusts of Arctic air do sneak in for a visit, making it suddenly cool and rainy, if not downright chilly. Temperatures can swing downwards as much as 30 degrees in a couple hours, so be sure to bring warmer clothing along with you on day trips within the region.
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