Alaska ports: Bordellos, bald eagles, blue ice

By Anita Dunham-Potter

updated 2:20 p.m. ET July 5, 2006

Have you ever seen the amazing blue ice of a glacier, or dozens of bald eagles in the sky or bears stuffing themselves full of fish? You can in Alaska, a land of unimaginably wild beauty. And what’s the best way to experience this magnificent state? Cruising, of course.

Almost 1 million people cruise Alaska’s southeast coast every year, during a cruise season that runs from the second week of May to the third week of September. Cruises through the Inside Passage are generally round trips from Vancouver or Seattle; on these you’ll see little of the interior.

Gulf of Alaska cruises travel one way between Seward or Whittier (the cruise ports for Anchorage) and Vancouver or Seattle; these also include the Inside Passage. The majority of cruises take visitors to the historic port towns of Sitka, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan.

Here’s what you’ll experience in these ports of call.

Sitka
Sitka was established by Russian colonists and many remnants of that period remain. The most prominent relic is the onion-domed St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral, which dominates the town’s skyline. Learn more about the town’s Russian past with a visit to the Russian Bishop’s House, which is operated by the National Park Service; it offers excellent displays and insight into that era.

Just a short walk from town is the Sitka National Historic Park, a beautiful wooded area that was the site of the final battle between the native Tlingits and the Russians. The visitor’s center offers many exhibits and multimedia presentations. The highlight of the park is its many colorful totem poles, one of the best collections in the state. The Inside Passage is noted for its rainforests, and this park has one of the best. A walk along the paths through the dense and enormous foliage is humbling, yet the fresh air is almost intoxicating. It’s a strange feeling.

Across the street from the park is the Alaska Raptor Center, the best place to get up-close and personal with the great bald eagle. This all-volunteer center has become a national leader in raptor rehabilitation and public education. Each year the center treats between 100 and 200 injured eagles, owls, hawks and falcons. Many birds are rehabilitated and released; others, whose injuries are too severe to allow them to survive in the wild, remain at the center or are sent off to zoos or other aviaries around the country. Don’t miss “Sitka,” the center’s “educational bald eagle.” Sitka was injured when she was hit by a car, causing a severe injury to her right foot that required partial amputation. Her sprit wasn’t broken, however; in fact, she has a lot of personality. Rock your head side to side and she’ll mimic you.

Juneau
Juneau was founded in 1880 following the discovery of gold. Its steep hills, which cling to the sides of Mount Juneau and Mount Roberts, gave it the nickname “Little San Francisco.” Though it is Alaska’s capital, the only way you can reach Juneau is by plane or ship; there are no roads into or out of town.

For a landlocked town it sure is busy, and most of the activity comes from cruise ship passengers. Sadly, the new “gold rush” for many who visit here is a mad dash to shop in one of the numerous souvenir shops that now occupy many of the city’s historic wooden buildings, to visit one of the old-time saloons, or to pan for gold in defunct mine tailings. Savvy visitors make it past these places to look for the real soul of Juneau, which offers wildlife, glaciers, flight-seeing, hiking, biking and paddling.

To get the lay of the land, take the Mount Roberts Tramway, which will whisk you from sea level to 1,800 feet in less than five minutes. From the top, the view over the city and out across Lynn Canal and Gastineau Channel is spectacular. Thirteen miles outside the city lies another must-see: Mendenhall Glacier, touted as the world’s only “drive-up” glacier.

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