Itineraries

Sample Itinerary - Sitka & Juneau

The following is a sample itinerary, but your particular cruise may be different. The vessel routes change due to the vagaries of weather or the spontaneous interests of guests. Fly fishers should note that this is not a dedicated fly-fishing trip similar to programs at Orvis-endorsed fishing lodges elsewhere. Guests may anticipate several fishing opportunities during the course of a cruise, but there will be some days when other activities such as whale-watching or glacier viewing take center stage. Vessels carry limited fly fishing gear, so serious anglers should bring their own.

For Juneau to Sitka cruises, simply reverse the itinerary.

SATURDAY – Arrive Sitka

Sitka is a remote fishing community located southwest of Juneau on Baranof Island, easily reached by scheduled commercial jet service. Arrive on one of several flights per day and check into the Sitka Westmark Hotel. Enjoy exploring the quaint town, and at dinnertime try a local seafood delicacy in the hotel dining room. Your hotel is included in your charter.

SUNDAY – Board ship, Cruise to Sukoi Inlet

Sleep in, enjoy an 11am checkout, have lunch and meet the crew in the hotel lobby to be transported to the dock for a safety orientation and departure.  The ship heads to its first night’s anchorage in scenic Sukoi Inlet on Kruzof Island. Bald eagles and Steller sea lions are a common sight when leaving Sitka Harbor.

After a short cruise and an exquisite first-night’s dinner on board, you visit with old and new friends in the ship’s comfortable salon or stroll the deck soaking in the beauty and serenity of Southeast Alaska. If you have not already done so, do not forget to take a few minutes this evening to get a fishing license from the crew.

MONDAY – Salisbury Sound & Stergis Narrows

Not far from the night’s anchorage is a popular saltwater sportfishing area, Salisbury Sound, where an all-morning salmon trolling trip aboard one of the ship’s sturdy skiffs may be of interest to the angling enthusiast. Halibut are common hereabouts, as well.

Guests can take fish home at the end of a trip. Crew can custom-process your catch, vacuum pack and freeze it on board, and advise you on the best methods for shipment. Alternatively, the ship’s Chef is happy to prepare your catch for dinner and share recipes.

If fishing does not interest you, join in a skiff tour along the rocky shoreline to spot sea otters in company with an on-board Naturalist who will share insights into the natural history of this region. We are in the heart of a coastal Alaskan wilderness so we will keep a lookout for brown bears, often seen grazing on lush beach grasses throughout summer…easy to spot from a skiff.

By lunchtime, we return to the ship to haul anchor and head through Sergius Narrows into Peril Strait. We cruise until dinnertime, when we find ourselves anchored in Saook Bay, another scenic Southeast Alaska harbor.

TUESDAY – Paradise Flats & Kelp Bay

The stream at the head of Saook Bay flows through a broad grassy beach estuary called, appropriately, Paradise Flats. This place is heaven for fly fishers. We spend the morning here casting for Dolly Varden char and Cutthroat trout (or, later in the season, pink salmon) and then haul anchor after lunch and head along the coast of Baranof Island into the broad sheltered waters of Chatham Strait.

During this afternoon’s cruise we will likely spot Humpback whales, Dalls porpoises, Stellar sea lions and maybe, if we’re lucky, Orcas. Our shipboard Naturalist will be happy to give a presentation while under way on the marine mammals we typically encounter on a cruise.

On the way to Kelp Bay we sometimes stop and jig for halibut off Morris Reef or take a quick detour to hike up to Lake Eva where you can visit a grove of Sitka Spruce trees that are among the tallest and largest-girthed in the Tongass National Forest.

There are choices of activities every day, and the ship’s crew-to-guest ratio is such that guests can go off in small groups with a knowledgeable staff member to explore according to their interests. Small groups also have less of an impact on the fragile, temperate rainforests environment of the Tongass National Forest.

WEDNESDAY – Red Bluff & Pybus Bays, Admiralty Island

Early risers may go kayaking before breakfast with a guide, where you might see harbor seals and harlequin ducks. Both have little fear of kayakers on the water. Photographers love these outings.

Later, motoring south on the ship, we cruise along the “waterfall coast” of Baranof Island – one of the most scenic coastal wilderness areas in southeast Alaska. Glaciers form in high snowfields on the island, and in summer their melting waters gather to flow in noisy cascades, tumbling off cliffs and creating a spectacle of lofty cataracts everywhere you look.

When we get to Red Bluff Bay, we will divide the ship’s company into several groups to go ashore. Some may choose to fly fish in the river at the head of the bay. But the highlight of this place is the short but steep hike up onto the brick red bluffs, which give this place its name. Here, wildflowers are dense in summer, and the natural rock gardens are resplendent with splashy displays of blue and yellow violets, columbine and fragrant meadow orchids.

After our hike, we return to the ship again and haul anchor, bound for Pybus Bay on Admiralty Island where we will spend the night.

The local Tlingit tribe’s name for Admiralty Island is Kootznoowoo, which means “fortress of the bears.”

THURSDAY – Admiralty & Brothers Islands

Today is our final opportunity for hiking and fishing, and we have saved some of the best of both for last. We pack lunches and head out in the skiffs right after breakfast. Brothers Islands, lying just off the mouth of Pybus Bay, are notable for their unique mossy terrain. A gentle walk through the lush rainforest on one of these small islands leads us to a wild stretch of rocky beach.

Great numbers of Stellar sea lions will sometimes haul out onto some of these beaches, and if we are careful we can approach these noisy “rookeries” by skiff without disturbing the sunbathing animals.

Halibut fishing in Pybus Bay is often productive, as is fly-fishing or spin casting for Pink salmon or Dolly Varden char in nearby Donkey Creek.

Bald eagles perch solemnly in the tree tops waiting for an opportunity to snatch an unwary fish from the water. Bears are common here, and your fishing guides on shore will carry a tackle box under one arm and pepper spray, just in case, under the other.

FRIDAY – Glacier Day

We are bound today for either Tracy Arm or Endicott Arm, two spectacular fjords carved deep into the Coast Range by rivers of ice.

Both these inlets feature tidewater glaciers, so navigation can be made challenging at times by the presence of floating bergs. If the entrance to one fjord is blocked, we will enter the other.

Our objective is to cruise to the head of a fjord and approach to within about a mile of the face of a glacier where we may watch great chunks of ice, some the size of our ship, crash into the ocean in a frenzy of foam and spray.

Harbor seals find abundant food in the nutrient-rich waters of these inlets and, for a period of time in summer, we can observe female seals hauling-out onto ice bergs in order to give birth to their young.

Late in the day we leave the fjords behind and anchor in Taku Harbor, not far from Juneau, where guests enjoy a particularly sumptuous cruise wrap-up dinner, followed by an “underground tour” of the ship’s engine room and a celebratory “roast & toast” with crew.

SATURDAY – Juneau, disembark ship

We arise early and take breakfast under way, with ancient and untouched spruce and hemlock forests marching past our ship’s wake as we make way back to civilization.

By 10:00 AM we are tied to the dock in downtown Juneau, where you disembark and are transported to your hotel or to the airport in time for flights home.

Sample Itinerary - Sitka & Ketchikan

The following is a sample itinerary, but your particular cruise may be different. The vessel routes change due to the vagaries of weather or the spontaneous interests of guests. This itinerary was intentionally crafted to offer a new and different experience than our Sitka and Juneau itinerary. Therefore, guests may anticipate some fishing opportunities during the course of a cruise, but there will be days when other activities such as sight-seeing Misty Fjord landscapes, whale-watching or glacier viewing take center stage. Vessels carry limited fly fishing gear, so serious anglers should bring their own.

SATURDAY – Arrive Sitka

Sitka is a remote fishing community located southwest of Juneau on Baranof Island, easily reached by scheduled commercial jet service. Arrive on one of several flights per day and check into the Sitka Westmark Hotel. Enjoy exploring the quaint town, and at dinnertime try a local seafood delicacy in the hotel dining room. Your hotel is included in your charter.

SUNDAY – Board ship, cruise through scenic waterways en route to evening anchorage

Sleep in, enjoy an 11am checkout, have lunch and meet the crew in the hotel lobby to be transported to the dock for a safety orientation and departure. The ship heads through nearby sheltered and forested scenic narrow waterways – Olga and Neva Straits to its first night’s anchorage.

Steep, snowcapped mountains on Baranof Island will dominate the scenic background. Depending on tides, the Liseron will either anchor in scenic Sukoi Inlet on Kruzof Island, or pass through Serguis Narrows en route to Saook or Ushk Bay in Peril Strait. Sergius Narrows is famous for its raging currents, and the timing of the slack tides controls whether the M/V Liseron will transit the narrows Sunday evening – or wait until Monday morning. 

Bald eagles, Steller sea lions and sea otters are a common sight when leaving Sitka Harbor.

After a short cruise and an exquisite first-night’s dinner on board, you visit with old and new friends in the ship’s comfortable salon or stroll the deck soaking in the beauty and serenity of Southeast Alaska. If you have not already done so, do not forget to take a few minutes this evening to get a fishing license from the crew. The first several days of the cruise will include marine sport fishing opportunities for halibut and rockfish in Peril Strait, Chatham Strait and Frederick Sound as well as freshwater fishing opportunities for Dolly Varden and perhaps other trout in nearby rivers.

Guests can take fish home at the end of a trip. Crew can custom-process your catch, vacuum pack and freeze it on board, and advise you on the best methods for shipment. Alternatively, the ship’s Chef is happy to prepare rockfish for dinner and share recipes. We’ve even been known to put a little trout in our onboard fish smoker for snacks and spreads.

There are choices of activities every day, and the ship’s crew-to-guest ratio is such that guests can go off in small groups with a knowledgeable staff member to explore according to their interests. Small groups also have less of an impact on the fragile, temperate rainforests environment of the Tongass National Forest.

MONDAY – Peril and Northern Chatham Strait cruise with scenic bays, streams and waterfalls

Monday activities may include hiking, kayaking and freshwater and/or saltwater fishing in Peril and northern Chatham Strait. During this portion of the cruise, the M/V Liseron may stop in Saook Bay, another scenic Southeast Alaska harbor. The stream at the head of Saook Bay flows through a broad grassy beach estuary called, appropriately, Paradise Flats. This place is heaven for fly fishers.

We may spend the morning here casting for Dolly Varden char and Cutthroat trout and then haul anchor and head east along the north coast of Baranof Island into the broad waters of Chatham Strait.

If fishing does not interest you, join in a skiff tour along the shoreline in company with an on-board Naturalist who will share insights into the natural history of this region. Enjoy beach-combing in the heart of a coastal Alaskan wilderness where we may see awakening brown bears, often seen grazing on lush beach grasses after emerging from their dens and easy to spot from a skiff.

If there are other vessels in Saook Bay, the M/V Liseron may pop into one of this area’s other protected bays for kayaking, beach combing and stream fishing. We often may jig for halibut off Morris Reef at the intersection of Peril and Chatham Straits.

It is almost certain that we will visit one of the crown jewels of the Tongass National Forest trail system - the Lake Eva Trail, where often most of the guests on the ship will wish to visit a grove of Sitka Spruce trees that are among the tallest and largest-girthed in the Tongass National Forest – or go with our experienced sport fishing guides fly fishing for Dolly Varden at Lake Eva Creek. The hike can be an invigorating 3 hour trek round trip, or a much shorter walk along Lake Eva Creek depending on your preference.

The M/V Liseron may then steam south for its evening anchorage in northern Chatham Strait, likely scenic Kelp Bay, but maybe even further south, into steep, mountainous and scenic Takatz Bay.

TUESDAY – Chatham Strait cruise: Kelp Bay, Kasnyku Bay and Baranof Warm Springs

Early risers may take in a guided morning kayak in Kelp or Takatz Bay before breakfast. Then, motoring south along Chatham Strait on the ship, we cruise along the “waterfall coast” of eastern Baranof Island – one of the most scenic coastal areas in Southeast Alaska. Mountains are steep and rugged, and glaciers form in high snowfields on the island, and in May their melting waters gather to flow in noisy cascades, tumbling off cliffs and creating a spectacle of lofty cataracts everywhere you look.

There are a number of possible stops and the M/V Liseron may adjust activities and visits “on the fly” in response to changes in weather and guest interests. Some guests enjoy a tour of Hidden Falls hatchery in Kasnyku Bay while others seeking adventurous hikes may ascent the ridge above Ell Cove at the same time.

If it’s a warm, sunny day, guests may want to hike the Baranof Lake Trail at the picturesque small community of Baranof Warm Springs, and then take the famous “polar plunge” into Baranof Lake – or try their hand at flyfishing at the confluence of the lake and the small stream that flows down into the bay. Baranof Warm Spring Bay is also a great place for a kayak or guided skiff tour.

If weather permits, the M/V Liseron may venture further along the Baranof shore into the remarkable South Baranof Wilderness – a remote, pristine area designated by Congress as a federal Wilderness because of its outstanding opportunities for solitude, scenery and ecological values. Perhaps we’ll

stop in the narrow and beautiful Gut Bay – a fjord estuary – for a kayak and chance to catch a fish in the creek. If we spend the night at Red Bluff Bay, join our guides for a quick evening skiff tour as we drop some pots in search of Southeast Alaska’s famous spot shrimp.

WEDNESDAY – South Baranof Wilderness, Kuiu Island and/or southern Admiralty Island

At Red Bluff Bay, guests often go kayaking before breakfast with a guide, where you might see harbor seals and harlequin ducks. Both have little fear of kayakers on the water. Photographers love these outings. We may divide the ship’s company into several groups to go ashore: some guests may choose to fly fish in the river at the head of the bay – or take the short but steep hike up onto the brick red bluffs, which give this place its name.

We will haul anchor in the afternoon, bound either for the west coast of Kuiu Island or one of the bays on south Admiralty Island. Activities could include kayaking, beachcombing, fishing, or a short hike.

Be assured that if weather prevents the journey to Red Bluff, this day will still be rich with activity as we will instead start off at Admiralty Island.

The local Tlingit tribe’s name for Admiralty Island is Kootznoowoo, which means “fortress of the bears.” Well over 1,500 brown bears inhabit the island, which has the densest brown bear population in Southeast Alaska, and probably in North America. Halibut can be abundant along the south Admiralty shoreline which also features several protected bays. 

For hikers, we may pack lunches and head out in the skiffs right after breakfast bound for the Brothers Islands, which are notable for their unique mossy terrain. A gentle walk through the lush rainforest on one of these small islands leads us to a wild stretch of rocky beach. Great numbers of Stellar sea lions will sometimes haul out onto some of these beaches, and if we are careful we can approach these noisy “rookeries” by skiff without disturbing the sunbathing animals.

The M/V Liseron will cruise Frederick Sound during the late afternoon or early evening, seeking a protected, pristine anchorage for the next morning’s tour of mainland bays and glaciers.

THURSDAY – Cruise Frederick Sound - Farragut and Thomas Bay, Baird and LeConte Glaciers

In May, humpback whales begin to arrive in Southeast Alaska as part of their annual migration from breeding and calving grounds in Hawaii. While humpbacks are most abundant later in summer, Frederick Sound is one of their first stops in May and you may get a chance to see some of the first arrivals.

Thomas and Farragut bays offer a variety of wildlife viewing opportunities – there are major concentrations of harbor seals and seabirds, and you may even see a moose. 

Kayaking and skiff tours may be available in these bays, or even a stroll through Southeast Alaska State Forest lands located at the southeast corner of Thomas Bay. 

Skiff tours in Thomas Bay will seek views of Baird Glacier, a world class nature viewing site within a dynamic landscape influenced by waterfalls, steep granitic walls and several rivers. 

The LeConte Glacier is also nearby, although it is often difficult to get up close, especially in early May, due to the large number of icebergs.

In the late afternoon, the M/V Liseron will pass through scenic Petersburg – Alaska’s “Little Norway” and through Wrangell Narrows en route to upper Sumner Strait near Wrangell. Wrangell Narrows is a 22 mile long, very narrow, winding scenic waterway and you won’t want to miss it. 

It is famous for its sixty plus lighted navigational markers. Sea lions also enter Wrangell Narrows from Frederick Sound for spring foraging, and there are significant concentrations of bald eagles in the narrows between Petersburg and Scow Bay. 

Once through Wrangell Narrows, M/V Liseron will enter Sumner Strait, bound for St. John’s harbor at Zarembo Island.

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY – Cruise through the central Southeast Alaska Alexander Archipelago Islands

This central Southeast Alaska portion of the trip offers an opportunity to see Southeast Alaska’s richness in topography and variety in ecosystems as you transition from the steep and rugged northern islands to the forested and lower elevation Mitkof, Kupreanof, Zarembo, Wrangell and Etolin Islands.

The largest undammed river in North America, the Stikine River, flows into Sumner Strait and significantly influences the flora and fauna of central Southeast Alaska as a migratory corridor for wildlife species moving from mainland interior coastal forests to the archipelago, including moose. The Stikine River Delta is one of the largest estuaries in the Pacific Northwest and a main spring stopover on the “Pacific Flyway” – the migratory route for millions of shorebirds passing through Alaska as part of an annual migration from as far away as South America. Some of these shorebirds may pass overhead during portions of the cruise.

Alaska developed the marine park system during the 1970s and today the system of marine parks enables Alaskans and visitors to enjoy boating, kayaking and shorelines throughout Southeast Alaska protected coves, hidden bays and in some of its most pristine coastal areas. While saltwater fishing opportunities for halibut and rockfish are less frequent than they were during the first few days of the cruise, shrimp and crab are abundant throughout central Southeast Alaska waterways, and the cruise may include some of Southeast Alaska’s famous spot shrimp or Dungeness crab as a dinner entrée.

On Friday, the M/V Liseron will likely anchor in Anita Bay, a protected anchorage near Wrangell, for kayaking and dinner. Weather permitting, the M/V Liseron may be able to first cruise Stikine Strait and north Etolin Island, in search of seasonal dolphin and porpoise migration or kayaking opportunities in Kindergarten of Steamer Bay on north Etolin Island.

On Saturday, the M/V Liseron plans a stop at the 1,198-acre Thoms Place State Marine Park, located 25 miles south of Wrangell on the southwest corner of Wrangell Island. The park is in a sheltered cove. There are excellent opportunities for kayaking and skiff tours and Thoms Creek flows through the park, creating possible chances of seeing an awakening black bear foraging in the estuary, or freshwater fishing for trout or Dolly Varden. 

Harbor seals and shorebirds are prevalent in the marine park and throughout Zimovia Strait.

After departing Zimovia Straits and Thoms Place, the M/V Liseron will steam through Ernest Sound which has striking views of the coastal mainland mountain range to the east, and the remote, South Etolin Wilderness to the west before turning south into Clarence Strait for the final two days of the cruise in Behm Canal and the Misty Fjords National Monument. If time permits, we may do kayaking or beach-combing in one of the area’s many scenic bays and coves.

SUNDAY AND MONDAY – Behm Canal and Misty Fiords National Monument Wilderness

Sunday begins in a kayakers haven – the waters of Clover Passage. There are three Alaska state marine parks in the immediate vicinity – Grindall Island, Betton Island and Settlers Cove. Check out the sea lion haulout near Grindall Island, hike the developed system of short trails at Settlers Cove, or kayak to and wander in the undeveloped 480 acre Betton Island state park. Halibut may be present in spots near Grindall Island.

The M/V Liseron will explore bays along the southern shore of Cleveland Peninsula and northern Revilla Island in eastern Behm Canal before entering the most scenic portion of the cruise: the 2,142,907 acre Misty Fiords National Monument Wilderness. According to the Forest Service’s recreation management plan for this Wilderness:

“Misty Fiords is a vast, largely intact ecosystem offering a unique combination of features, including steep, granite walls rising from protected fjords, forested mountains, glaciers, numerous alpine and subalpine lakes, and an abundance of fish and wildlife. Misty Fiords was designated a National

Monument in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter. In 1980, with passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), Misty Fiords became a federally-designated wilderness area.

The large amount of land available in Misty Fiords provides a diversity of recreation settings that are primarily undeveloped and widely dispersed. The entire area is wild and remote, with no road access available. Recreation facilities, primarily public recreation cabins, shelters, trails, and buoys,

are limited. People visiting Misty Fiords generally expect a wilderness experience characterized by opportunities to experience solitude or primitive and unconfined recreation.

Recreation activities in the analysis area cover a broad spectrum of uses, including sightseeing, wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, kayaking, camping, and hiking. Marine waterways are also used for boating, crabbing, shrimping, and personal and commercial fishing. Marine and terrestrial wildlife is abundant in Misty Fiords and visitors often have the opportunity to see bald eagles, brown and black bear, mountain goats, and whales, among other species. Visitors also come to view the dramatic scenery, particularly in the area surrounding Punchbowl Cove.”

TUESDAY – Alaska’s First City, Ketchikan (Disembark)

Our cruise together completes with a trip up Tongass Narrows between Revilla and Gravina Islands where you will disembark in Alaska’s “First City” – Ketchikan.

Ketchikan is not the very first city established in Alaska but rather its southernmost city and the very first stop in Southeast Alaska’s Inside Passage. 

If you feel like staying in Alaska a day or two after your trip on the M/V Liseron, Ketchikan offers a variety of activities. The town is notable for its large and diverse population of resident artists inspired by the area’s scenic beauty, flora and fauna, history and culture. 

You can wander through its streamside collection of art galleries along “Creek Street.” 

Ketchikan also hosts the world’s largest collection of standing totem poles – you can catch a tour of Totem Bight park.