Halfway through the week, the ferry slides past dark spruce islands while mist hangs low over the Tongass, and the whole boat goes quiet for a moment. Southeast Alaska is a land of water, rainforest and small towns that no road connects. This route links Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Skagway into a week along the Inside Passage.
Is 7 Days enough for Alaska?
A week is enough for one region of Alaska done well, and Southeast Alaska is the right region for it: a thin strip of land and islands between British Columbia and the northern Pacific, with the Inside Passage running through it. It suits travelers who like small towns, rainforest, totem poles and gold rush history more than big mountains and long drives. Alaska is far too large to see in seven days, so this route does not try.
What the week covers is the coast. Juneau is the capital and sits inside the Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the country. Sitka brings Russian and Tlingit history. Ketchikan, an island town surrounded by rainforest and sea, has deep roots in salmon canning and Alaska Native culture. Skagway is the gold rush town where the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad starts.
What the week leaves for another trip is the interior. Denali, at 20,310 feet the highest mountain in North America, lies in a different part of the state, as do Fairbanks and the Kenai Peninsula.
Cruises along this coast are a good way to see glaciers, marine wildlife and towns, but they miss the highest mountains, the big land mammals and the vast interior landscapes. A week on the Panhandle is a complete trip of its own, and it pairs well with a later visit to Anchorage and the railroad north.
The towns share a trait that shapes the whole plan: most are not connected by road to the rest of the continent. Only Haines, Hyder and Skagway have direct road links to the North American road system, and other communities rely on the Alaska Marine Highway or on planes. That is why this itinerary moves by water and air, and why each stop gets a day or two rather than a quick glance.
Wildlife is part of the draw, as a chance rather than a promise. Around Juneau, visitors are likely to see bears, bald eagles or humpback whales, especially from April through November. Rain is part of the picture too: Ketchikan is nicknamed the Rain Capital of Alaska, so a rain jacket belongs in every day of the plan.
The itinerary stage by stage
Days 1 and 2: Juneau
Juneau is the capital of Alaska, set along Gastineau Channel with mountains rising almost from the waterfront. It cannot be reached by land, only by air or sea, so you arrive by plane or ferry. Seattle is the only direct departure city in the Lower 48, and the flight is a little over two hours. Spend the first afternoon walking downtown, where the gold rush past shows in the old buildings.
The Alaskan, a hotel and bar more than a century old, is the state’s oldest operating hotel, and a glass of Alaskan beer from the local brewery fits the evening. On day 2, go out to Mendenhall Glacier, which you can reach by driving directly to it from the airport area. In the cruise months, from May to September, thousands of visitors arrive daily, so the waterfront is busy. Sleep in downtown Juneau.
Days 3 and 4: Sitka
Sitka sits on Baranof Island and is reachable only by air and by sea, with Alaska Airlines serving the airport all year. This is the town where Russian America ended and the capital was moved to Juneau. Spend day 3 at Sitka National Historical Park, where replica totem poles line wooded pathways, and visit the Russian Bishop’s House, restored by the National Park Service.
Day 4 is for the waterfront and Sitka Sound, bordered by Baranof and Kruzof Islands and the open Pacific. If you come in October, Sitka holds its week-long Alaska Day Festival, with a reenactment of the signing of the Alaska purchase. Sleep in downtown Sitka, then fly or take the ferry on.
Days 5 and 6: Ketchikan
Ketchikan is a town of about 14,000 people strung along Tongass Narrows, at the foot of Deer Mountain on Revillagigedo Island. It began as a seasonal Tlingit fish camp and later became the Canned Salmon Capital of the World. Spend day 5 learning that history, then look for the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures that shape the town today.
Day 6 can be unhurried. Expect rain, since the town earns its nickname, and plan indoor stops for the wettest hours: museums, shops and a long lunch with salmon. The cruise docks bring crowds in the summer months, and downtown mornings and evenings feel quieter. Sleep in the downtown area.
Day 7: Skagway
Skagway is the northern end of the Alaska Marine Highway System, a town of fewer than a thousand people that doubles in size in the summer tourist season. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is here, and you can explore on your own without a guide. The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad, once a mining line, now runs for visitors during the summer months, starting at the port.
Walk the historic streets, read the stories of the stampeders and finish with a meal in town. From Skagway, one of the few Southeast towns with a road link, you can head onward by road, air or water.
Getting between stops
| Leg | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle to Juneau | Nonstop flight | About 2.5 hours |
| Anchorage to Juneau | Flight | About 90 minutes |
Between the Panhandle towns themselves, travel is by air or by water, since the communities rely on the Alaska Marine Highway or on planes. The ferry system covers 3,500 miles of coastline and serves over 30 communities, from Bellingham, Washington, to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians. Walk-on passengers check in two hours before departure in Bellingham and Juneau and one hour before at the other ports, and may carry up to 100 pounds of hand baggage.
Sitka’s airport has year-round Alaska Airlines service, and Ketchikan has its own international airport. Juneau’s airport has a seaplane landing area as well as its runway. Skagway is one of only three Southeast communities with a direct road connection. For any road you do drive, Alaska 511 posts road conditions from Good to Road Closure, with cameras and incident reports.
Because Juneau is relatively remote and not fully accessible by car, plan transport early. That is the practical rule behind the whole week: the order of the stops follows what air and water connections allow, so settle those first and fit the days around them.
What to book before your 7 Days in Alaska
Settle the transport first, because it ties the stops together. Juneau is reached only by air or sea, so confirm your flight or ferry into the capital before anything else.
For the ferry, remember the check-in times at each port, and for a cruise on this coast, choose a cross-Gulf itinerary and add a land tour if you want to see more of Alaska. Small ship cruises reach smaller ports and bays where big ships cannot go.
Adapting the route
For a shorter trip, keep Juneau and one more town. Alaska.org says an epic adventure fits into a long weekend, and with four to five days you can fly into Juneau and do two or three excursions a day, such as fishing in the morning and flightseeing in the afternoon. Juneau plus Skagway makes a tight pair, and Juneau plus Sitka suits history lovers.
For a longer trip, add the interior. A traveler with more days can fly into Anchorage and take the railroad or drive the highways. The Alaska Railroad’s Denali Star runs from Anchorage to Fairbanks, the Coastal Classic runs to Seward, and the Glacier Discovery Train lets passengers take a day cruise in Prince William Sound from Whittier. GoldStar Service is offered on the Coastal Classic and Denali Star routes.
Season changes the week. The cruise months, May to September, fill Juneau with visitors every day, while wildlife sightings are likely from April through November. Summer highs in Juneau reach the low to mid 60s, though they can climb above 75, and winter temperatures average 29 degrees. Anchorage, if you pass through, runs from a January high of 22.7°F to a July high of 66.2°F.
| Anchorage | Average high (°F) | Average low (°F) | Precipitation (in) | Days with precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22.7 | 11.0 | 0.75 | 2.7 |
| July | 66.2 | 52.9 | 1.82 | 5.1 |
For a slower trip, drop one stop and give each remaining town an extra day. Sitka and Ketchikan reward lingering: a second day in either lets rain become part of the plan instead of a problem.
Good to know before you go
Roads and ferries are the first thing to watch: Alaska 511 shows road conditions and cameras for drives, and the ferry system lists check-in times by port. If you cross into Canada from Hyder, a passport is needed when returning to Canada or flying to Ketchikan. Pack rain gear for every day of the week.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Alaska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska), checked October 11, 2026
- Alaska.org, how many days (https://www.alaska.org/advice/how-many-days-you-need), checked October 11, 2026
- Alaska.org, best way (https://www.alaska.org/advice/best-way-to-see-alaska), checked October 11, 2026
- Alaska Railroad, Our trains (https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/our-trains), checked October 11, 2026
- Alaska Department of Transportation, Alaska Marine Highway System, Alaska Marine Highway System (https://dot.alaska.gov/amhs/index.shtml), checked October 11, 2026
- Alaska 511 (https://511.alaska.gov/), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikivoyage, Alaska Panhandle (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Alaska_Panhandle), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Southeast Alaska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Alaska), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Inside Passage (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Passage), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Tongass National Forest (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongass_National_Forest), checked October 11, 2026
- Travel Juneau (https://www.traveljuneau.com/), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikivoyage, Juneau (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Juneau), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Juneau, Alaska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneau,_Alaska), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Juneau International Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneau_International_Airport), checked October 11, 2026
- Visit Ketchikan (https://www.visit-ketchikan.com/), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikivoyage, Ketchikan (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Ketchikan), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Ketchikan, Alaska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchikan,_Alaska), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Ketchikan International Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchikan_International_Airport), checked October 11, 2026
- Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau (https://www.skagway.com/), checked October 11, 2026
- Skagway, things to do (https://www.skagway.com/things-to-do), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikivoyage, Skagway (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Skagway), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Skagway, Alaska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skagway,_Alaska), checked October 11, 2026
- Greater Sitka Chamber of Commerce (https://www.sitkachamber.com/), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikivoyage, Sitka (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Sitka), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Sitka, Alaska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitka,_Alaska), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Sitka National Historical Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitka_National_Historical_Park), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitka_Rocky_Gutierrez_Airport), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Sitka Sound (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitka_Sound), checked October 11, 2026
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, monthly (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USW00026451), station Anchorage Intl Ap, elevation 120 feet, checked October 11, 2026
- Plan de the (duree choisie by the redaction)