7-night Alaska Fjords and Glaciers Cruise

Your journey begins today in Ketchikan. (D),

There are places on the planet that completely overcome you. This is one of them. The beauty. The peace. The sense of place you feel. Misty Fjords National Monument represents nearly every ecosystem found in Southeast Alaska. And that alone is a lot to consider. Glacial valleys filled with sea water. Sheer 3,000 foot cliffs. Sea birds, brown and black bears, mountain goats, Sitka black-tailed deer, all find safe haven here. Kayak in Walker Cove or Rudyerd Bay and you find it's just as easy to paddle and go, as it is to sit and float and take it all in. Or skiff to the base of a waterfall for a fjord-released shower. The area's affectionate nickname, "The Yosemite of the North", is deserved. (BLD),

Wildlife abounds. Black bears, mink, eagles. In Behm Canal, it's all remote waterways and the isolated Tongass National Forest. On Cleveland Peninsula, your expedition team leads a low-elevation hike near clear, rushing streams. Good opportunities for enticing forested shots of Southeast. In the water, orca, porpoises, seals, and otters go about their business. Go about yours on a guided paddle in tiny, deserted waterways that feed into Behm Canal. (BLD),

Wind into the Wrangell Narrows. Abundant bright red and green navigation lights guide the way. It's nicknamed "Christmas Tree Lane", of course. When you come this far, you might as well go all in. This is a backcountry of Alaska's wilderness. Glacial landscapes marked by moraines, muskegs, and mud. In this playground, it's all an option today. Kayak and skiff in water almost clear as glass. The mirror image of fjord walls plays on the surface. Hike through the outwash of Baird Glacier. Or keep it green on an interpretive walk through a grassy meadow into the forest. (BLD),

Wind into the Wrangell Narrows. Abundant bright red and green navigation lights guide the way. It's nicknamed "Christmas Tree Lane", of course. When you come this far, you might as well go all in. This is a backcountry of Alaska's wilderness. Glacial landscapes marked by moraines, muskegs, and mud. In this playground, it's all an option today. Kayak and skiff in water almost clear as glass. The mirror image of fjord walls plays on the surface. Hike through the outwash of Baird Glacier. Or keep it green on an interpretive walk through a grassy meadow into the forest. (BLD),

Wind into the Wrangell Narrows. Abundant bright red and green navigation lights guide the way. It's nicknamed "Christmas Tree Lane", of course. When you come this far, you might as well go all in. This is a backcountry of Alaska's wilderness. Glacial landscapes marked by moraines, muskegs, and mud. In this playground, it's all an option today. Kayak and skiff in water almost clear as glass. The mirror image of fjord walls plays on the surface. Hike through the outwash of Baird Glacier. Or keep it green on an interpretive walk through a grassy meadow into the forest. (BLD),

The deep, cold waters of Frederick Sound abound in krill, the favored food of humpback whales - and visitors are likely to see whole pods of the gentle giants, their spume visible for miles against the forested backdrop of Admiralty Island. Learn all about breaching, diving, bubble feeding and fliper-flapping, often through up-close observation.

Take an early peek out your window. Fjord cliffs reach skyward. Floating ice. And deep u-shaped valleys. There's no abracadabra here. Mother Nature's magic is real. Cruise past harbor seals and their pups lounging on chunks of ice. At the end of Endicott, the blue face of Dawes Glacier is stories high. And in classic fjord form, Tracy Arm delivers with the cotton candy blue of the twin Sawyers glaciers of its furthest reaches. Tides permitting, your skiff driver knows the ropes and guides you along. It's a mashup of towering walls, temperamental currents, and the Coast Mountains. So many waterfalls. Mountain goats show off fancy foot work on the cliffs. Look for them. (BLD),

Endicott Arm, a 20-mile long fjord, has been compared to Yosemite with sheer granite cliffs, waterfalls and breathtaking mountain peaks. Less travelled than Tracy Arm, but just as spectacular.

Arriving in Juneau bid adieu to your new pals before you disembark. (B),