Juneau, Alaska’s remote capital, sits in the state’s panhandle, at the base of 3,819-ft. Mt. Roberts. It’s a popular cruise-ship stop, reachable only by boat or seaplane. A tram carries visitors 1,800 feet up Mt. Roberts to an alpine area with hiking trails, wildflowers and views of Gastineau Channel. This is also the site of the Juneau Raptor Center, dedicated to local birds.
Tracy Arm is a fjord in Alaska near Juneau (outlet at 57° 46' 40" N 133° 37' 0" W). It is named after the Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Franklin Tracy. Tracy Arm is the heart of the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, designated by the United States Congress in 1980.
Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness contains 653,179 acres and consists of two deep and narrow fjords: Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm. Both fjords are over 30 miles (48 km) long and one-fifth of their area is covered in ice. During the summer, the fjords have considerable floating ice ranging from hand-sized to pieces as large as a three-story building. During the most recent glaciated period, both fjords were filled with active glaciers.
Ketchikan is an Alaskan city facing the Inside Passage, a popular cruise route along the state's southeastern coast. It's known for its many Native American totem poles, on display throughout town. Nearby Misty Fiords National Monument is a glacier-carved wilderness featuring snowcapped mountains, waterfalls and salmon spawning streams. It's also home to rich wildlife including black bears, wolves and bald eagles.
Skagway is a compact city in southeast Alaska, set along the popular cruise route the Inside Passage. It's home to many gold-rush-era buildings, now preserved as part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad runs vintage locomotives past the famously steep Chilkoot trail and offers sweeping mountain views during its climb toward Canada.
Victoria, capital of British Columbia, sits on the craggy southern end of Vancouver Island. With a mild climate and an abundance of trails and parks – including sprawling, amusement-filled Beacon Hill – it’s a destination for outdoor activities. Its beginnings as a British colony show in its Victorian architecture, such as stately Craigdarroch Castle mansion, as well as in its many formal gardens.
