Free The 100 Best Affordable Vacations by Jane Wooldridge Page A

and quiet and quite dramatic. It was one of those ‘This is why we went on this trip’ experiences.”
    The marine highway is essentially composed of four sections—the Inside Passage, the Cross Gulf Route, Prince William Sound to Kodiak Island, and the Aleutian Chain—with popular routes branching off the main north-south Inside Passage route that parallels Alaska’s southeast coast, linking Bellingham, Washington, with Skagway, Alaska. A nonstop trip from Bellingham to Skagway takes 67 hours and costs $363 per adult, with rates cut by about half for passengers under 12. It’s an additional $478 for a passenger car, while bicycles and kayaks cost about $60.
    The base fare does not include accommodations. Cabins begin at $333 for a two-berth room for the Bellingham to Skagway run. If you’d like to save that money, there are two free options: You can pitch a pup tent on the ferry’s back deck, which is heated, or sleep on reclining chairs in the public area in an impromptu slumber party with fellow passengers, a colorful mix of rugged Alaskans, international travelers, and U.S. vacationers.
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    $PLURGE
    SEE THE BEARS
With few roads and millions of acres of wilderness, touring doesn’t come cheap in Alaska. That said, some experiences are worth the expense.
How about seeing bears in the wild? From Wrangell, many commercial guides offer a six-hour round-trip excursion to the Anan Creek Wildlife Viewing Site, 30 miles south of town. A boat brings you deep into the Tongass National Forest to a half-mile boardwalk and protected observatory site where you can spend a few hours watching wild bears jostle each other and fish pink salmon out of a creek. Tours offered by Alaska Waters (800-347-4462 or 907-874-2378, www.alaskawaters.com ) run $265.
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    If you stay on the main Inside Passage route, the first leg of your adventure—Bellingham to Ketchikan, Alaska—will take 40 hours, providing plenty of time to get acquainted with the ship. Often park rangers are on board to interpret the stunning Inside Passage scenery, easily visible from the ship’s solarium. There also may be nature movies shown on board. For meals, you can bring a cooler or purchase meals in the cafeteria, which features Alaska seafood along with burgers and snacks.
    Ketchikan, like many coastal Alaska cities, can resemble a theme park when a cruise ship is in port, but as soon as the passengers are gone, the town relaxes and you will too. Take in sites like the Totem Heritage Center (601 Deermount St., 907-225-5900). Book a room at Captain’s Quarters B&B (325 Lund St., 907-225-4912, www.captainsquartersbb.com , from $105 in season), or, to really save, a bed at the First United Methodist Church hostel (400 Main St., 907-225-3319, www.ktnumc.com/hostel/index.html ) runs $20 in single-sex dormitories. For a memorable meal, Diaz Café (335 Stedman St., 907-225-2257) is a city favorite with its Filipino-Alaska seafood dishes.
    Make your next ferry stop one of the small communities rarely visited by cruise ships. In Wrangell, for example, you can visit Petroglyph Beach to view ancient rock carvings. Base yourself at the Stikine Inn (107 Front St., 888-874-3388 or 907-874-3388), with rooms from about $85.

    Now reboard the ferry and head to Juneau. The state capital has an only-in-Alaska urban buzz. Make the 13-mile trip to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center (8510 Mendenhall Loop Rd., Juneau, 907-789-0097, www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall/ ), where trails let you explore as much as you would like. You can take a bus for $14 round-trip (907-789-5460, www.mightygreattrips.com ). For a basic room from $95 in high season, try the Driftwood Lodge (435 W. Willoughby Ave., 907-586-2280, www.driftwoodalaska.com ). If you just need a bed until you catch the ferry, the Juneau International Hostel (614 Harris St., 907-586-9559, www.juneauhostel.net ) has single-sex dorm rooms from $10.
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    CANADA’S FERRYLAND
British Columbia’s extensive ferry