The Alaska Marine Highway: How Alaska's Ferry System Works

Stretching some 3,500 miles from the Pacific Northwest up through the fjords of Southeast Alaska and out along the Aleutian chain, the Alaska Marine Highway is one of the world's great ferry journeys. It's also, famously, one of the more confusing systems to plan — a state-run lifeline first and a tourist route second. Here's how it actually works.

What is the Alaska Marine Highway?

The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is the state ferry service, and it's exactly what the name says: a marine highway that connects coastal communities with no road access. It links more than 30 ports, from Bellingham in Washington State and Prince Rupert in British Columbia in the south, up through the Inside Passage to Southeast Alaska, and on to the remote Southwest and the Aleutian Islands. It's designated a National Scenic Byway — the only all-water one in the United States.

The main routes

• The Inside Passage — the classic run, threading the sheltered channels between forested mountains to Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Juneau, Haines and Skagway. Boarding at Bellingham, WA, makes it a genuine road-free journey north.
• The Cross-Gulf sailing — a longer, more exposed crossing linking Southeast Alaska with the ports of Southcentral Alaska such as Whittier.
• Southwest and the Aleutians — the epic, infrequent run out from Homer and Kodiak along the Alaska Peninsula toward Dutch Harbor, for the truly adventurous.

Cabins, or camping on deck

On the longer overnight sailings you have a choice. You can book a cabin — comfortable and worth reserving early — or travel the classic Alaskan budget way: claim a reclining chair, or pitch a tent on the top deck in the heated, glass-walled solarium, where hardy travellers sleep out under the Inside Passage sky. Our guide to overnight ferries, cabins and sleeping aboard explains the options.

Bringing a vehicle

You can take a car, camper or RV on the AMHS, which is what makes it such a draw for road-trippers heading north — but vehicle space is limited and books up early, so reserve well ahead. See our guide on taking a car on a ferry.

How to plan and book

The single most important thing to know is to book early: cabins and vehicle space on the popular summer sailings sell out months in advance. The schedule is seasonal, fullest in summer and pared back in winter, and it's released in blocks, so plan around the sailing dates rather than assuming a daily service. The official booking system is comprehensive but not beginner-friendly, so give yourself time and check schedules port by port.

Ferry vs cruise

Travellers often weigh the Marine Highway against a cruise. The ferry is cheaper, more flexible and far more local: you share the deck with Alaskans and their pickups, you can stop off and stay in towns along the way, and you build your own itinerary rather than following a fixed loop. What you trade away is the cruise-ship comfort and entertainment. For an independent traveller who wants the real coast, it's hard to beat.