Ferries to Alaska
Everything you need to know
The Alaska Marine Highway System and its ferry routes are known for their complexity and frequent (smaller) changes, necessitating comprehensive guidance.
Additionally and – probably even more critical – the region's reliance on older vessels[1]Alaska government: Service noticesΒ and occasional crew shortages[2]Skagway News: Ferry system management says the state is working to fix hiring problemsΒ can further contribute to these challenges, making up-to-date guidance essential for tourists. All happenings that have direct influences on routes can be found here.
At AMHS, they are simply not good at translating all those routes, changes, and schedules in a user-friendly way. We've spent countless hours gathering the best possible data and plotting unique maps to provide better visual guidance. While you are able to view the schedules from AMHS, it's all difficult to use for the first time. We explain more about that here.Β
Information for ferry tourists
Over 103000 non-resident passengers and 27000 vehiclesΒ use a ferry crossing per year across all AMHS routes.[3]almk.org:Β Economic Impact: Alaska Marina Highway SystemΒ
Most people embark at Juneau, and other popular end destinations are Whittier, Haines, Ketchikan, and Homer.Β
Alaska residents are mostly from Juneau, Anchorage, or Ketchikan. Which also makes sense since those are the bigger cities along the route.Β
The AMHS Mainline: Southeast Alaska + Gulf of Alaskaβ
Everything you need to know before booking your ferry trip
In this region, Juneau is the port most tourists embark from (41.000 passengers in 2019), and after that, Haines (24.000), Ketchikan (23.000), and Skagway (15.000).Β
The AMHS South Central and Southwest Mainline
Most people embark in the following ports in the Southwest region: Whittier (10.000), Valdez (5.000), Kodiak (6.000), Homer (7.000), and Cordova (5.000). To bring the differences into perspective, only +/- 400 passengers per year embark from Dutch Harbor.
As soon as we know the 2024 sailing dates we will add these routes in a more detailed way. On our list:
- Ferry to Dutch Harbor / Unalaska (70)
- Akutan
- False Pass
- Cold Bay
- King Cove
- Sand Point
- Chignik
- Old Harbor (Kodiak Island)
- Kodiak
- Port Lions
- Ouzinkie
- Seldovia
- Tatitlek
The AMHS daily connections
Ferry routes from AMHS with daily crossings, most around Whittier and Juneau.
Alaska ferry connections not owned by AMHS
Smaller / more touristy or different routes not owned by AMHS.
The Only Interactive Alaska/AMHS Map: Enjoy!β
Ferry routes to and in Alaska
- Click on the ferry ports to see all crossings
Orange routes = The AMHS Mainline to Homer. (Southeast Alaska and Gulf of Alaska)Β
Green routesΒ Β = The AMHS South Central and Southwest Mainline.
Purple routesΒ = The AMHS daily connections.
YellowΒ routesΒ = Ferry connections from other operators (daily city-to-city ferries or ferries to tourist locations) near the AMHS routes.
Source: 2019 Annual Traffic Volume Report AMHS
The Seasonal influence on these routes is important to know, as many ferries don't run from October to March.
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Using the AMHS schedules
- Click here and then click on the Sailing Calendar.
- Press on the button ‘Get Schedule‘ When you have selected the month you want to travel.Β
- Click and play with the results, if you want to look at Cross Gulf crossings only click on the Colored Schedule Grid and select the schedule: Cross Gulf.
Let's hope they improve this in the near future, it might even be better to use the schedule made by FerryTravel.Β
Popular Guides and Blogs for ferries in Alaska
Blogs & News
Interesting blogs and useful tips about ferry travel and/or the Netherlands
Ferry Talk
Questions or experiences? We'd love for you to share them.
References
| ↑1 | Alaska government: Service notices |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Skagway News: Ferry system management says the state is working to fix hiring problems |
| ↑3 | almk.org:Β Economic Impact: Alaska Marina Highway System |
