National Parks to visit on an Alaska National Park Cruise

Alaska is arguably one of the most sought-after cruise destinations in the world!

With a little planning, you can turn your Alaska Cruise into an unforgettable Alaska National Park Cruise and get to see and explore some of the most jaw-dropping National Parks.

 

Alaska National Park Cruise Ideas

With major ports in Seattle Washington, Whittier Alaska, and Seward Alaska, the majority of Alaska Cruises either depart and/or end in Alaska and Washington giving you access to 11 of the 63 National Parks plus numerous other National Park managed sites.

Alaska itself has 8 designated National Parks and a total of 24 National Park Sites

Washington provides yet another 3 Designated National Parks and a total of 15 National Park sites.

Some of the longer voyages start in San Francisco California which boasts 9 Designated National Parks and a total of 28 National Parks sites!

Alaska itself is an adventure but making it an Alaska National Park Cruise makes it the ultimate adventure!

Seattle, Washington 

Seattle is typically the beginning and/or end of an Alaska Cruise. You can take a seven-day roundtrip inside passage cruise that stops at ports like Juneau, AK, Skagway, AK, Ketchikan, AK, Icy Strait Point, AK, Sitka, AK, and Victoria B.C.  They also have a scenic cruising day for either Glacier Bay National Park or Tracy Arm Fjord.

There are also Seven-day voyages that either travel Northbound or Southbound with South end ports being either Seattle, San Francisco, or Vancouver BC and the North end ports being Seward, AK, or Whittier, AK for Anchorage.

Here is a list of National Park options for each port of call.

Olympic National Park is one of the prettiest sights you will ever take in. It doesn’t matter if you are standing on Hurricane Ridge starring out at snow-capped mountain peaks, walking through the Hoh Rainforest, trying to see how far you can reach your arms around the Giant Spruce Tree, or walking the ocean beach you will be taking home a lifetime of memories!

Mount Rainier National Park demands your attention, especially on that rare nice sunny day.  It is easily seen all over Western Washington including Seattle. The views from the mountain are epic too! My advice is to take the skyline trail where on a sunny day you can see Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, and Mount Hood at the same time! Don’t forget about the wildflowers too! They tend to be in bloom around June depending on the weather and the snowfall.

North Cascades National Park borders Canada and has one of the most scenic drives in the National Parks system. Highway 20 (Open Seasonally due to the amount of snowfall) has breathtaking views of the mountains. Stopping to see Diablo Lake and Ross Lake is a must along with lacing up your boots and exploring its pristine wilderness!

Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Site- Seattle Unit is located in downtown Seattle and tells the story of Seattle’s role of the stampede to the Yukon Gold Fields!

Wing Luke Museum Affiliated Area (Seattle) is your opportunity to understand what it is/was to be an Asian American in the Pacific Northwest.

 

Scenic Day of Cruising at Glacier Bay National Park  

 

Glacier Bay National Park is mostly seen by cruise ship visitors, in fact, less than 1 percent of all park visitors visit Glacier Bay by land!

This is mostly due to its remoteness and lack of services anywhere near this gem.

The good news is that a Park Naturalist is often onboard the cruise ship as it sails inside Glacier Bay.  Park Rangers will set up a pop-up visitor center available for cruise ship guests. They also assist in spotting wildlife and explaining Glacier Bay. Visitors can see Humpback whales, Orca Whales, puffins, bears, Stellar Sea Lions, Sea Otters, Bald Eagles and numerous other seabirds!

Park Ranger John Pro Tip:

For those 1 percenters that make it to Glacier Bay National Park by either flying into Gustavus, Alaska, or taking the ferry are in for a great experience!

The park has four designated trails, a beautiful lodge, a campground, and a park visitor center with a dining room and gift store.

There is also a tour boat that has full-day excursions into Glacier Bay. I enjoyed this boat tour as it is much smaller than a cruise ship and was able to get much closer to the shores, the massive glaciers,  and wildlife and had a much more personal experience.

Juneau, Alaska

Juneau is the capital of Alaska. It is also only accessible by boat or plane as there are no roads leading out.

It is also where I experienced a Duck Fart for the first time at the Red Dog Saloon, a truly Alaskan experience!

While there are no National Parks in Juneau, you can still have a great time outdoors!

Mendenhall Glacier is part of the Tongass National Forest and is a common cruise ship excursion stop. For a great reason too, it has amazing views of the Mendenhall Glacier!  It also has several Ice Caves. The most photographed are quite challenging to reach and are on the West flank of the Glacier.

Whale Watching Excursion

is one of the most popular excursions in Juneau. I love this tour and have seen numerous Humpback and Orca Whales. I even saw Humpback whales bubble net feeding and breaching out of the water!

Skagway, Alaska

Skagway is best known for the gold rush and the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad which runs vintage locomotives past the famously steep Chilkoot Trail offering incredible views of the mountains as it climbs to Canada

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Alaska Unit

in August of 1896, gold was found in the tributary of the Klondike River in Canada’s Yukon Territory. This set off one of the greatest gold rushes in history as gold seekers boarded ships from places like Seattle and headed to Skagway and Dyea where their journey began a 600-mile trip to the goldfields of the Klondike River. A big part of the city of Skagway is preserved as part of the park and tells all about the experiences of being in Skagway during these times.

You can also take one of the Train Excursions up the pass and the railroad parallels the path the gold miners took to get to the gold fields. Sit back and relax and wonder how difficult it must have been carrying a year's worth of supplies up this mountain pass!

There is also a Wildlife excursion that takes you to Haines Alaska just across the bay. This was one of my favorite trips as we saw several Grizzly bears!

Ketchikan, Alaska

Ketchikan is known for Creek Street, and its Native American Totem Poles that are located throughout town. Totem Bight State Historic Park had 14 restored or replaced poles in large with help from the Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC) before World War 2 began.

Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness is a part of the Tongass National Forest along with Mendenhall Glacier. Its 2.2 Million acres of wilderness was set aside by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. There are two options; take a floatplane and see the Misty Fjords or take an approximately 4.5-hour boat tour to get to Misty Fjords.

Totem Bight State Park

is an incredible State Park with 14 remastered Totems, and a Clan House all along a beautiful forested trail!

Sitka, Alaska

Sitka has a population of well under 10,000 inhabitants. It also shows its Russian roots with the Russian Orthodox St. Michael’s Cathedral and the Russian Bishop’s House. There is a very nice visitor center and a nice hiking trail with several Totem Poles spread throughout the forest.

Sitka National Historic Park

preserves the site of a battle between invading Russian traders and indigenous Kiks. and Tlingit.

Visitors should also take the park's coastal trail with totem poles from the Tlingit and Haida.

 

Seward, Alaska, and Whittier Alaska for Anchorage Alaska

Cruise ships don’t actually arrive in Anchorage; they dock in either Whittier or Seward.

Both cities are a good hour from Anchorage. Luckily Kenai Fjords is in Seward and well worth visiting!

Perhaps the most popular activity is taking a day boat trip to Aialik Bay from Seward.

Wildlife is abundant here and I have seen Humpback Whales, Orca Whales, sea otters, sea lions, black bears, puffins, and numerous other species!

You can also drive up to the  Exit Glacier area where there is primitive camping and hiking.

For those wanting an adventure, you can hike the Harding Ice Field Trail up to the Harding Ice Field.

Warning: this trail will test you as its 8.2 miles out and back and has over 3000' in elevation gain.

 

Kenai Fjords National Park is located in Seward Alaska. The Harding Icefield is Kenai Fjords crowning feature with nearly 40 glaciers flowing from it!

Here you can also see the effects of climate change through its shrinking glaciers.

I was shocked to see the change in eight short years!

You can take a hike to the Harding Icefield or perhaps take a boat tour and hopefully see one of its many glaciers calving.

Denali National Park and Preserve is one of the jewels of the National Parks System! It boasts six million acres with only a single road traveling into its interior! Cruise ship passengers doing the North to South or vice versa Alaska Cruise have the option of adding on an optional tour taking them to Denali National Park. Visitors have a great chance of seeing the Big 5 animals: moose, bear, Dall sheep, caribou, and Gray Wolves! Those lucky enough must have a keen eye and continue scanning the tundra and bush.  Did you know that Denali has working sled dogs? They are vital for Denali, and you can visit the Kennels! The kennels are typically open year-round from 8 am-5 pm except when they are in the park (frequent in the winter).

I would also highly suggest taking the Tundra Wilderness Tour.

This narrated bus tour is a 5-5.5 hour roundtrip bus tour that takes you up the main park road well past where personal vehicles are allowed in the summer giving you the opportunity to see Mount Denali, the tallest mountain in North America at 20,310 feet in elevation!

Wildlife is abundant along this road so keep your eyes peeled.

 

San Francisco, California

San Francisco is full of history! It also has perhaps the sexiest bridge in the world. The San Francisco Bay area alone boasts 11 National Parks sites in the immediate area with two more big National Parks only a couple hours away.

Muir Woods National Monument is an unbelievable place to visit! You are 15 miles from downtown San Francisco, and yet you feel that you are completely in tune with nature. There is not a single building in sight, no sounds from the city, only a stand of trees including the massive California Redwoods. Every city in the world should only be so lucky to have a treasure like this!

Yosemite National Park is another of the National Park Crown Jewels! Guaranteed you will never forget the first time you look into the Yosemite Valley. Half Dome, El Capitan, and Bridal Veil Falls will become your new standard for epic views!

Just remember that Yosemite now requires a reservation to enter the park between April and October. Make sure to click this link and make a reservation

Pinnacles National Park is located south of the bay area. We were attracted to the National Parks 59^th of 60 National Parks in search of the California Condor.

We saw many varieties of birds but were unable to catch a glimpse of a Condor.

Pinnacles is also known for some epic hikes. Just make sure to show up early enough to get a parking spot.

Make sure to check out my post on the 12 National Park Sites in the San Francisco Bay Area!

 

Planning a National Park vacation? America the Beautiful/National Park Pass covers entrance fees for an entire year to all US National Park Sites and over 2,000 Federal Recreation Fee Sites.

The park pass covers everyone in the car for per-vehicle sites and for up to 4 adults for per-person sites.

Buy on REI.com and REI will donate 10% of pass proceeds to the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities.

Free Entrance Days  -Mark your calendars with the five free entrance days the National Park Service offers annually.

 

Make sure and also check out all the great National Parks in California, National Parks in Washington, and Alaska National Parks. If you like cruising,  make sure to also check out Cruising to America's National Parks - Caribbean Ports of Call and Cruising to America's National Parks - Hawaii Ports of Calls for more ideas on cruises to take.