An Inside Passage channel in Southeast Alaska under low coastal cloud

Region 3 of 4

Where to stay in Southeast Alaska

Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka and Skagway. The Inside Passage, where almost every visitor arrives by ship and the road network barely exists.

Southeast Alaska is a 500-mile ribbon of islands, fjords and rainforest along the Inside Passage, and it works differently from the rest of the state. There is no road connection to the outside: you arrive by ship or by plane, and you move between towns the same way. That single fact shapes the lodging market. Roughly half of all Alaska visitors arrive by cruise, and most of them touch Southeast, which means hotel demand is concentrated in short pre and post-cruise stays rather than long bases. Juneau is the largest market at around 500 hotel searches a month. It is also the wettest part of Alaska by a wide margin, and the aurora is a poor bet under that much cloud.

The gateways, and what each one is for

Juneau

The state capital, and the only one in the United States with no road to it. The busiest Inside Passage port, with the Mendenhall Glacier and the Tracy Arm fjord trips on the doorstep. The deepest hotel inventory in Southeast, and the most sensible base if you want more than a port day.

Ketchikan

The first Alaskan port most northbound ships reach, built on pilings over the Tongass Narrows. Totem-pole collections, Misty Fjords flightseeing and the heaviest rainfall of any Alaskan town.

Sitka

On the outer coast facing the Pacific rather than the Inside Passage, with a Russian-colonial history no other Alaskan town has. Smaller hotel inventory than its neighbours, so it fills fast.

Skagway

The Klondike gold rush town at the head of the Lynn Canal, and the start of the White Pass railway. Tiny permanent population, enormous summer cruise traffic, and one of the few Southeast towns with a road out, over the pass into the Yukon.

Hotels and lodges in this region

We have not yet published individual reviews for Southeast properties. The named-hotel reviews we do have are concentrated in the Interior and Southcentral, where the search demand is. In the meantime the cruise-port guide below is the most useful starting point for the Inside Passage, and each town page above covers the lodging pattern in that port.

Getting around

There is no road network linking the Southeast towns. Movement is by Alaska Marine Highway ferry, by Alaska Airlines between the larger towns, or by floatplane. The ferry is slow, cheap and the most enjoyable way to do it if you have the days; flights are quick and weather-dependent. Within towns, most of the interest is walkable from the cruise dock, which is exactly how the itineraries are designed.

When to go

The cruise season, roughly May to September, is when Southeast operates. Outside it many tour operators and some hotels close, ferry frequency drops and the towns go quiet, which some travellers actively prefer. Rain is the constant: Ketchikan averages well over 100 inches a year. Pack for it rather than plan around it, and treat a clear day as a bonus.

Keep planning

Or step back to where to stay in Alaska for all four regions.