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An Alaska Port City Vignette - Haines

It Really Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

Consider, if you will, these travel-worthy, coastal city attributes:

... A stunning setting on the shores of Chilkoot Inlet in the frigid salmon-filled upper reaches of Lynn Canal; and

… a massive very picture-worthy backdrop of jagged mountains (Cathedral Peaks, of the Chilkat Mountains Range); and

… picturesque still-standing and still-active structures of Alaska’s first full-blown American fort (Fort William Henry Seward, founded in 1902); and

…the largest annual concentration of American Bald Eagles to be found anywhere (at the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve located and best viewable from pullouts at Mile 19 and Mile 26 alongside the Haines Highway); and 

…a world-class setting for the learning and crafting (and purchase) of  authentic Alaska Native art (totem poles, masks, decorative paddles, silver bracelets, paintings, and much more – at the locally-based Alaska Indian Arts organization); and

…great hiking, biking, river-rafting, fishing, and wildlife viewing (for whales, porpoises, and seals during a saltwater tour, or  bears, moose, and mountains on travels ashore); and

…oh yeah, add to that mix a harbor full of colorful Alaska fishing boats (and colorful Alaskan fisher-folk) plus a stellar collection of Alaska history (at the Sheldon Museum) and  the highly acclaimed diorama settings at the American Bald Eagle Foundation which honors this nation’s symbol and just about every other critter that roams the forests, mountains, waters, and skies of Southeast Alaska.



But... as they say in the TV commercials, "Wait! ...There's more!"

If you're a camper your choices are many, with some capgrounds operated by state and local governments, and some by private operators. Jewel of the area in the opinnion of many campers is Chilkat State Park located seven miles south of the city on Mud Bay Road. There you'll find no fewer than 32 pull-through RV sites, three beach sites for tenters, plus fire rings, toilets, water pump, picnic tables,  boat launch, hiking trails, and some of the most gorgeous mountain and water views to be seen and photographed anywhere.

Hotels, motels, B&Bs, and Inns abound. As do guiding services to take you touring on land, by dayboat, by kayak  by air and on foot.
A party of campers (and kayakers) enjoy the setting at Chilkat Inlet near Haines. (Alaska Travel Industry Association photo by Robin Hood)

And, at the end of the day if all these things-to-do and places-to-see have made you thirsty, do drop by the Haines Brewing Company (at "Dalton City" on the state fairgrounds) to sample some of the local ales. You'll not be disappointed.

For more information, contact Haines Visitor Center, P.O. Box 530, Haines, AK 99827; visit their website at www.haines.ak.us; or call 1-800-458-3579.  

Copyright © 2008 Mike Miller All Rights Reserved
Alaskan travel writer Mike Miller lives in Juneau where his current passion is publishing an information-packed website about Alaska cruising and ferry travel: http://www.AlaskaCruisingReport.com. Miller has authored a number of books (Fodors, Sierra Club Books, Globe Pequot,  and others), and contributes to The Milepost, TravelAge West (for travel agents) and frequently writes for major newspapers and magazines.