This trip begins in the quaint Alaskan fishing village of Petersburg – also known as Alaska’s “Little Norway”. Early on in the trip we have the possibility of hiking to the base of Baird Glacier, which has receded back from the sea and into a stunning rocky canyon. From there, we will head Northwest in search of Humpback Whales, Sea Lions, Porpoise and other marine mammals in their summer feeding grounds of Fredrick Sound. We will spend hours floating, watching, and listening to the sights and sounds of the animals that call Fredrick Sound home. We hope to see bears as we explore the shores of Admiralty Island – which supports the densest population of Brown Bears anywhere on earth.
We will spend part of a day in the small native village of Kake, where we have a chance to experience a friendly native village, and hope to see Black bear feeding on salmon in the streams. By foot, by kayak, and from the decks of the Snow Goose, we will explore the shores of Tongass National Forest, which is the largest temperate rainforest in North America. Evenings will bring us to isolated anchorages with time to relax as we drop kayaks, fishing lines, and crab pots.
From Fredrick Sound we will continue north into Stevens Passage and navigate the icy fjords of Endicott and Tracy Arm in Holkam Bay. The grandeur of this area is spectacular – imagine shear granite cliffs extending a thousand feet vertically from the sea into the sky. Here, we will wind our way through ice to the face of a tidewater glacier, where we can kayak among icebergs and watch the massive glacier calve into the sea. Fords Terror, described by John Muir as the “Yosemite of Alaska”, will highlight this journey. We will then continue north to Juneau, the capital of Alaska, where passengers will disembark with opportunities to explore a multitude of hiking trails and experience a true Alaskan city.