Our two-week cruise to Alaska in June 2026 started in Vancouver. It was a round-trip voyage from Vancouver to Whittier and back aboard a Princess Cruises ship.
Our first day was spent at sea, sailing through the passage between the mainland and Vancouver Island.
The best place to enjoy the scenery was from the balcony of our cabin.
Our first day was spent at sea, sailing through the passage between the mainland and Vancouver Island.
The best place to enjoy the scenery was from the balcony of our cabin.
Kethican
First stop was Ketchikan.
We decided for Deer Mountain Trail, a steep, rewarding 5.5-mile out-and-back hike.
We decided for Deer Mountain Trail, a steep, rewarding 5.5-mile out-and-back hike.
We traveled together with a couple from Minnesota. It turned out to be our lucky day for two reasons.
First, our new friends for the occasion had hiking poles, while we did not. My wife really needed them, and the gentleman from Minnesota kindly offered her his on the way up. They shared one pole each on the way back down.
Second, it was a beautiful sunny day, which is quite rare in Ketchikan, and we enjoyed nature with all our senses.
First, our new friends for the occasion had hiking poles, while we did not. My wife really needed them, and the gentleman from Minnesota kindly offered her his on the way up. They shared one pole each on the way back down.
Second, it was a beautiful sunny day, which is quite rare in Ketchikan, and we enjoyed nature with all our senses.
We visited Ketchikan again during the second week of our cruise on the return trip.
The city has a modern side, but we liked the historic area much more, where many of the buildings have stood for over a hundred years.
Of course, one attraction was Dolly's House Museum the famous brothel.
From Wikipedia:
“Between 1903 and 1953 the city of Ketchikan, Alaska was virtually funded by prostitution. There were women who owned some twenty two houses in a small area on a estuary called Creek Street. The lore is that these women controlled their own business. They paid off the police and the city officials to be able to stay in business for themselves. Several of the women owned big houses with six to ten “employees” that sold sex, drugs and bootleg whiskey. They were said to have boyfriends and bouncers in their employ in order to keep the peace and act as security. Most of the small houses had one or two women who would sometimes have sex with strangers passing through: salesmen or sailors, or itinerant tramp loggers. But many of the women on the creek had a relatively small clientele of some twenty or so local professionals, doctors, lawyers and bankers who kept the women in work on a year round basis.”
And here is Dolly… prostitute and owner, as far as I understood.
“Between 1903 and 1953 the city of Ketchikan, Alaska was virtually funded by prostitution. There were women who owned some twenty two houses in a small area on a estuary called Creek Street. The lore is that these women controlled their own business. They paid off the police and the city officials to be able to stay in business for themselves. Several of the women owned big houses with six to ten “employees” that sold sex, drugs and bootleg whiskey. They were said to have boyfriends and bouncers in their employ in order to keep the peace and act as security. Most of the small houses had one or two women who would sometimes have sex with strangers passing through: salesmen or sailors, or itinerant tramp loggers. But many of the women on the creek had a relatively small clientele of some twenty or so local professionals, doctors, lawyers and bankers who kept the women in work on a year round basis.”
And here is Dolly… prostitute and owner, as far as I understood.
Near the city, a trail led us through a forest and a city park, where we discovered salmonberries.
They were sweet but mostly tart—still delicious and very interesting. We ate a lot of them, no joke.
They were sweet but mostly tart—still delicious and very interesting. We ate a lot of them, no joke.
Juneau
The capital of Alaska, Juneau, offers a wide variety of outdoor activities.
We chose a paid excursion that we purchased from a small tour office near the dock. The first stop was Mendenhall Glacier, a magnificent 13-mile-long river of ice located just 13 miles (about a 20-minute drive) from downtown Juneau.
We chose a paid excursion that we purchased from a small tour office near the dock. The first stop was Mendenhall Glacier, a magnificent 13-mile-long river of ice located just 13 miles (about a 20-minute drive) from downtown Juneau.
Nearby was a fall splashing waterdrops far enough to reach us.
Next, we had a boat with about 30 tourists chasing marine life. They knew a place with many whales… they knew them by name. We saw many of them, but I was too slow to catch any on camera.
I had some seals, though. Easy to catch on camera since they were resting on a lighthouse. And the one who tried to find a spot, couldn't, since the others pushed it back.
I had some seals, though. Easy to catch on camera since they were resting on a lighthouse. And the one who tried to find a spot, couldn't, since the others pushed it back.
During the second week, we visited Juneau again. This time we chose to hike the Perseverance Trail, which starts right in downtown Juneau, and once again we were lucky with the weather.
As always in Alaska, the scenery was breathtaking.
As always in Alaska, the scenery was breathtaking.
On our way back, we stopped at Gold Creek, the stream where prospectors Joe Juneau and Richard Harris first struck gold in 1880, sparking the city's famous gold rush.
We saw several people panning for gold using special gold pans. I asked one of them a few questions. He told me that tourists can buy the pans in town if they want to try their luck. He also said that if someone finds gold, it belongs to them—they don't have to report it.
I tried searching with my bare hands, but I had no luck. Or perhaps my eyes simply weren't good enough to spot anything.
We saw several people panning for gold using special gold pans. I asked one of them a few questions. He told me that tourists can buy the pans in town if they want to try their luck. He also said that if someone finds gold, it belongs to them—they don't have to report it.
I tried searching with my bare hands, but I had no luck. Or perhaps my eyes simply weren't good enough to spot anything.
Back in the city, we witnessed an unforgettable scene.
A girl accidentally dropped her phone into the water from a high bridge. Her father noticed two brothers—one about twelve years old and the other around fourteen—climbing out of the water beside one of the bridge's support posts. He offered them $25 to retrieve the phone.
The younger brother volunteered immediately. He climbed back down, swam to the spot where the girl believed the phone had fallen, and managed to recover it from among the rocks.
A girl accidentally dropped her phone into the water from a high bridge. Her father noticed two brothers—one about twelve years old and the other around fourteen—climbing out of the water beside one of the bridge's support posts. He offered them $25 to retrieve the phone.
The younger brother volunteered immediately. He climbed back down, swam to the spot where the girl believed the phone had fallen, and managed to recover it from among the rocks.
He then swam back toward the bridge, holding the phone high above the water so it wouldn't get wet again.
His older brother helped him climb back onto the bridge without dropping the phone.
The father—whose bald head can be seen near the bottom of the photo—was so impressed that he gave the boys $60 instead of the $25 he had originally offered. The young hero is the brother on the left in the picture.
The father—whose bald head can be seen near the bottom of the photo—was so impressed that he gave the boys $60 instead of the $25 he had originally offered. The young hero is the brother on the left in the picture.
Two ladies standing on the right were equally impressed by the boy's courage and offered the brothers some extra money as well. The boys gratefully accepted.
Hubbard
We absorbed the magnificent scenery from the balcony of our cabin. The glacier is on the right.
Small pieces of ice constantly break away from the glacier and float around as icebergs.The ship remained at Hubbard Glacier for about three hours, slowly turning around so everyone could enjoy the view from every angle, no matter where they were on board.
There were optional excursions on small boats that took passengers closer to the glacier, but we decided not to take one.
Small pieces of ice constantly break away from the glacier and float around as icebergs.The ship remained at Hubbard Glacier for about three hours, slowly turning around so everyone could enjoy the view from every angle, no matter where they were on board.
There were optional excursions on small boats that took passengers closer to the glacier, but we decided not to take one.
Small pieces break away from the glacier and float around
College Fjord
Next was College Fjord, maybe even nicer that Hubbard.
Skagway
Skagway has preserved the look and feel of the gold rush era—except, of course, for the tourists. There are plenty of them, since almost every day more than one cruise ship docks there.
During our first stop, we hiked the Lower Dewey Lake Trail.
Do I have to mention again how beautiful nature is wherever you go in Alaska? Well, it's just as beautiful here in Skagway.
Do I have to mention again how beautiful nature is wherever you go in Alaska? Well, it's just as beautiful here in Skagway.
Another interesting place to visit is the cemetery, where many people from the gold rush era are buried—and, if you believe the stories, a few celebrities as well.
During our second stop in Skagway, we took the famous train into Canada.
The scenery changes constantly as the train crosses bridges, passes through tunnels, and climbs higher into the mountains. In my opinion, the experience is well worth it.
Fraser - Canada
Fraser, in British Columbia, Canada, is a very small settlement with only a handful of buildings, occupied mainly by border control officers and construction workers.
The train stopped there, and our group continued by bus. We traveled about one kilometer farther into Canada to a beautiful restaurant overlooking the Tutshi River Canyon.
We were served bison sausages, special homemade bread, and coffee or tea.
We were served bison sausages, special homemade bread, and coffee or tea.
One popular attraction is crossing the Yukon Suspension Bridge over the river.
A small note: despite its name, the bridge is not in the Yukon Territory. "Yukon" is simply part of the bridge's name. The actual Yukon border is about a 40-minute drive farther north.
A small note: despite its name, the bridge is not in the Yukon Territory. "Yukon" is simply part of the bridge's name. The actual Yukon border is about a 40-minute drive farther north.
On the other side of the bridge is a viewing platform where visitors can admire the scenery—and, of course, take a picture inside a large photo frame. It may be a bit of a tourist trap, but we took the picture anyway.
It seemed to me that the landscape on the Canadian side of the border is gentler, with rolling hills and, of course, many more lakes.
There is one more place I would like to mention: Glacier Bay.
We admired it either from the balcony of our cabin or from the ship's cafeteria, always keeping our binoculars close at hand in case we spotted wildlife.
We admired it either from the balcony of our cabin or from the ship's cafeteria, always keeping our binoculars close at hand in case we spotted wildlife.
We saw many-many otters
Small icebergs floating all over the place...
And, of course, the glacier - between mountains.
