Summer ferry schedule crimps ‘Golden Circle’

The published summer ferry schedule improves service between Haines and Juneau compared to an earlier draft, but holds potential impacts for local RV parks, independent visitors and tour operators, tourism director Leslie Ross said this week.

“It’s kind of a mix,” Ross said. “We got more ferries but we’re lacking Haines-Skagway connections.” Boats will run between the two communities on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, and on most Tuesdays, she said.

“As far as tourism is concerned, that connection is still very important. For three days, we have no Golden Circle (route). We have kind of a Golden Angle,” Ross said. That means travelers “driving around” the circle will have to plan their trips in advance and to schedule extra days on their trips, she said.

The schedule may have its most significant impact on weekend traffic, including regional travelers.

“People will have to actually schedule their trips instead of just showing up,” Ross said. Ross is making last-minute changes in the tourism department’s vacation planner to correct references to daily ferry service between the communities, but such references may still appear in some publications, she said.

The Golden Circle is a circuit between Haines, Skagway and the Yukon Territory that has been marketed for decades to independent travelers.

The schedule does connect the two Alaska towns during event weekends, including the Great Alaska Craft Beer and Homebrew Festival, Kluane-Chilkat International Bike Relay and Southeast Alaska State Fair.

The revised schedule shows no Haines service on Wednesdays, and visits by the ferry Colombia on Mondays and by the Matanuska on Thursdays. The fast ferry Fairweather provides service between Haines and Juneau only on Saturdays and Sundays. The ferry LeConte would link Haines and Skagway on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Ross said the schedule is an improvement over an earlier draft she described as a winter ferry schedule in summer.

State Department of Transportation spokesman Jeremy Woodrow said although the schedule has been published, the state might be able to make small changes to it.

The ferry system is taking reservations for the summer. A new online reservation system must be used for reservations after May 1, Woodrow said.