Link to Alaska Marine Highway System:
http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/
Vessel Amenities:
http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/vessel_amenities.shtml
We’ve traveled the inside passage a couple times but not yet with our Born Free. We don’t have enough time to participate in the Born Free Alaska 2015 Caravan, but we have been planning a trip. On both prior ferry trips, we departed from Prince Rupert after touring Banff & Jasper National Parks in the Canadian Rockies. The ferry ride from Prince Rupert to Juneau/Haines was smooth. Sea sickness was not at all a problem on either trip. The ferry trip from Prince Rupert to Haines is only a couple days. I have no experience on the southern ferry stretch between Prince Rupert and Bellingham.
Sunset on the Alaska Ferry deck. This is my preferred place to sleep.
We didn’t have a cabin on either previous ferry trip. There are plenty of beach style full-length lounge recliners that work well with sleeping bags. Deck sleeping areas can be found both inside and outside. Some of the outside area is covered and open to the stern—that’s my preferred sleeping area. One couple that bunked on the deck near us had a cabin but didn’t use it. When they reserved their cabin, they didn’t know that you could stay out on the deck. While I realize that it’s not a good option for everyone, we are planning again to sleep on the deck. The photos are from our 1995 trip.
A tree full of eagles
There is something to see outside both day and night. In addition to the wildlife and scenery, I’ve enjoyed watching the crew navigate the Wrangell Narrows at night.
You can get into your vehicle on the bottom deck when the ferry stops at ports along the trip. This gives you a chance to care for your pets, replenish your snack bag, and to swap out clothes and sleeping gear. The prepared food available on the ferry is cafeteria style and adequate for the trip. Public restrooms and showers are available for those without cabins.
The propane in the coach must be turned off before boarding. If you start the ferry trip with ice frozen in gallon milk jugs, you can likely keep the fridge cold during the trip. Along with the ice, I plan to start the ferry trip with fully charged coach batteries and use an inverter to power the fridge for some of the trip. Before we leave, I’ll do a draw-down test on the coach batteries to see how long the inverter can power the fridge. I’ll then use a timer to spread out the fridge inverter power to cover the ferry trip.
Ketchikan
Petroglyphs at Wrangell
Sign near Juneau
We enjoyed walking into the port towns at every stop. On our last trip we took a layover in Juneau to hike in Mendenhall Glacier NP. We also covered every mile of road in the Juneau area (about 100 miles).
Our RV twenty years ago took us to 49 states, Alaska twice and most of Canada.
A very simple sign marked the end of a road in landlocked Juneau.
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