Check out maps of this area
| There are a few options here. Both Alaska and British Columbia have ferries that travel the coastline. They take passengers and cars from the highly populated areas of NW Washington and SW British Columbia up through the inside passage to the small Canadian and Alaskan towns along the coast. |
Check out maps of this area |
Our plan is to use the British Columbia ferry system. One of their ferries leaves the north end of Vancouver Island every other morning (odd numbered dates for summer of 2001) and makes the 15 hour journey through the Canadian portion of the Inside Passage during daylight, arriving at Prince Rupert at 10:30PM (See a map). In contrast, the Alaska Ferry's Columbia leaves at 6PM, so much of the trip through some of the most scenic coastal waters of the west would be passed during the night.
Check out the BC Ferry schedule (Port Hardy -> Prince Rupert)
We will drive the 8+ hours north from Victoria to Port Hardy and catch the Queen of the North around August 3 to Prince Rupert. From Prince Rupert we'll have plenty of choices of how to get north from there. An Alaskan Ferry departs from Prince Rupert 5-6 days/week.
| Queen of the North Built: 1969, Germany Overall Length: 124.99 m (410'1") Gross Tonnage: 8,889.46 Car Capacity: 157 Passenger Capacity: 800 Service Speed: 22.0 knots Horsepower: 15,600 Amenities: Licensed lounges, cafeteria, buffet (when available), gift shop, cabins, onboard videos, video arcade, children's play area, telephones, elevator, washroom for people with disabilities, tourist information (brochures) Route: Inside Passage |
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If for some reason we don't take the Queen of the North, the Alaska ferry system is quite established and runs many routes along the coast to get to just about any established town along the Alaska coast. Once a week an Alaskan Ferry ship named the Columbia makes a trip down to Bellingham, Washington and will take you as far north as Skagway, Alaska. There are several other Alaskan Ferries that travel the coastline. All of them go no further south than Prince Rupert, B.C. We'll also be using this system to go from place to place in SE Alaska.
| The M/V COLUMBIA is the flagship of the Marine Highway fleet and its largest vessel. Launched by Lockheed Shipbuilding in Seattle in 1974, the Columbia is 418 feet long, with capacity for 625 passengers and 134 vehicles (20' lengths). It is also the fastest vessel, operating at a service speed of 17.3 knots. Its 91 total cabins include 60 four-berth units, nine 3-berth units, and 22 two-berth units. The Columbia boasts both a fine dining room and a cafeteria. The gift shop, cocktail lounge, solarium, and forward observation lounge round out the passenger amenities. |  |