Humpback whale diving near Ketchikan, Alaska. Photograph © Rick Rickman

Ketchikan, Alaska, by "Blue Canoe"
By Richard Bangs

Alaska is big and wild but not quite as remote as you might think. From Seattle, you can get there and back during an incredibly scenic long weekend.

To begin, catch the Matanuska, a blue-hulled ferry (the "Blue Canoe"), which departs at 6 p.m. from Bellingham, Washington, an hour-and-a-half drive from Seattle. Now relax and watch the scenery flow by as you navigate the fabled Inside Passage 595 miles to Ketchikan.

The ferry, following a fjord-filled route once plied by Tlingit Indians in cedar canoes, offers a mini-vacation in itself, complete with solarium, lounge, cafeteria, and a full bar where I enjoyed a shot of Canadian Club before tucking into my stateroom for the night. Next morning, I repaired to the upper deck and passed the day chatting with flannel-shirted passengers and watching eagles, porpoises, and orcas feeding in krill-rich waters lined with temperate rain forest and bluffs.

On the second morning, 36 hours out of Bellingham, we docked in Ketchikan, population 14,756, a southeast Alaskan town rich in native culture. With a half-day to explore, I started with the free funicular that rises to a 130-foot overlook and then set off on foot. At the Deer Mountain Tribal Salmon Hatchery, I saw trays of eggs destined to become 30-pound Chinooks, and nearby, at the Totem Heritage Center, the world's finest collection of 19th-century totem poles. I strolled the boardwalk of the former red-light district, stopped at the Pioneer Cafe for cinnamon rolls, and then made my way to the airport for my return flight to Seattle. Leaving Ketchikan, I knew I'd come back someday—perhaps to ferry the entire Inside Passage all the way to Skagway. There is indeed a fjord in my future.

The information in this story was accurate at the time it was published, but we suggest you confirm all details before making travel plans.