Google maps links:
Street view of our place a few years ago.The building under construction is our barn. Our new house is going up in the wooded area to the left of the grassy area.
Note: I asked Google Maps to give me directions from Lynnwood, WA to Haines, AK and it gave me the Cassiar route, and a route way east through Calgary and Edmonton, but not the fastest, most common route that links Prince George to Dawson Creek.
Now here’s some insider information on getting to Haines. Let’s assume you are coming from the Pacific Northwest.
By Sea:
If you don’t have your own boat, the next best water option option is the the Alaska Marine Highway System, a.k.a. Alaska State Ferry. The ferry leaves Bellingham every Friday and arrives in Haines on Monday. (It then continues the last 12 miles to Skagway, where it turns around and heads back south. So if you want to take it south it leaves every Monday.)
The ferry is a relaxed, scenic way to travel. You can see marine wildlife and meet lots of interesting people. The ferry makes a few stops along the way, so you get a glance at a few other towns. Some of these stops are good for getting off the ferry for a quick walk, but if you want to see more of these other towns, the way to do it is to schedule stopovers for a day or so.
The ferry is not the cheapest option, but is our favorite. Fares for summer 2015 have not been published yet, but current adult fares are $353 per person each way (1/2 price for 6-12 yr olds and under 6 free!). Add $57 for a bicycle. Cabins range from $337 to $580. (There is a link to a cost spreadsheet I did at the bottom of this post). Vehicles prices start at almost $500 and go up with size, but the only reason you would need a vehicle is if you want to drive the highways of interior Alaska, the Yukon or all the way back to the lower 48 (or do the drive-ferry hybrid). Food in the ferry cafeterias is not bad, but kind of pricey for what you get. The cheap way to take the ferry is bring a sleeping bag and a sack of food. You can sit at a table in the cafeteria with your own food and use the microwave etc. Many people sleep in the solarium or on the back deck (or a few spots inside). Some people put up tents for privacy. Plastic deck recliners are available and are pretty comfortable (keeps you off the deck). Showers are available.
Another option is to book an Alaskan cruise. Considering that your room and board are included, this option can compete price-wise if you get a good deal on the cruise. One year cruise prices were discounted so deeply that you could cruise to Haines at about a fourth the coast of the ferry with stateroom and meals! If you start searching you will find that most Inside Passage cruises stop at Skagway, but not Haines. This is not a big problem since it is easy to get from Skagway to Haines in the summer via a local private ferry. The other issue is that if you want to spend more than about 12 hrs in Haines you would need to jump ship here and forgo the rest of the cruise, plus repeat or use another method on the way back. The 2015 cruise ship schedules are set. They can tell you at a glance which boats dock when in Haines or Skagway.
By Air:
Flying is quick and easy. Alaska Airlines has multiple flights per day between Seattle and Juneau. This summer, Delta added the route, and prevailing fares dropped by about half. Word is Delta will offer it again next summer, likely making the air option the cheapest of all for 1 or 2 people. Once in Juneau, you can switch to a small plane and continue the air option all the way to Haines, or take the 4.5 hour ferry ride here. The ferry option usually requires a night’s stay in Juneau since the ferry tends to leave early in the morning, which negates the savings of using the ferry instead of the small plane, but also affords the opportunity of seeing Juneau for a bit. If you don’t want to spend the night in Juneau, search the schedule for a rare afternoon ferry, or take a small plane to Haines. Wings of Alaska and Alaska Sea Planes fly here. Either way, you can’t lose…the scenery between Juneau and Haines is fabulous by air or sea.
By Land:
It’s a long but beautiful drive, (or bike ride). There are several variation in the basic route, but each involves at least 30-35 hours of driving time for the 1600+ miles (3000 km) from the Seattle area. Three days is minimum but why not take four or more and enjoy what comes along. The driving is easy, mostly. Traffic gradually thins out as you go north, till you feel like you own the road. There is a fair amount of large truck traffic on the main routes in BC until you get to Fort Nelson, after which you really feel like you are in the wilderness. Taking the Cassiar Highway avoids the traffic but is a narrower/curvier road with fewer towns and gas stations…a more wild adventure that many might like (the best way for a pedal or motor bike for sure). We usually camp out along the way, but there are motels at close enough frequency to have your choice (not on the Cassiar). There are a fair number of campgrounds along the way plus occasional opportunities for unofficial camping. Government campgrounds charge $12-15 and are usually quite nice, and surprisingly lonely. Rarely are they more than 1/4 occupied, so are nice and quiet. The exceptions are recreation spots near sizeable cities, where they are more heavily used, especially on weekends, and Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park. The campground there is almost always full by early in the day…but it is a must stop anyway. It’s a real nice spring. If you want to camp there they have overflow areas (which are really not bad!) that will usually get you in for the night. Or make it a day stop. Liard is a good reason for choosing the Alaska Highway over the Cassiar highway, though you could still visit the springs on the latter if you did not mind a backtrack of around three hours each way. When you get north into the Yukon Territory, the various options converge, except there is one more choice…take the highway all the way, or drive to Skagway and take the one hour ferry ride to Haines. I’d recommend doing it one way on the way up and the other option home (ferry on the way home relives the burden of keeping a schedule on the long drive up). If you have the time you could make detours through Jasper and Banff parks in the Canadian Rockies (also an exception to the campground rule above…campgrounds in theses NPs are expensive and heavily booked). Another side trip would be to visit Stewart BC/Hyder Alaska. Whatever your driving plans you should pick up a copy of the Milepost, and don’t forget your passport!
Drive-Ferry Hybrid:
The most common hybrid is to drive to Prince Rupert, BC and ferry from there. You get a taste of both methods.