The summer schedule for state ferries is out and with few exceptions the Alaska Marine Highway System will operate near daily service between Haines, Juneau and Skagway.
Summer fares should be similar to winter rates. The ferry system website shows an adult driver with a small vehicle will cost about $181 for a trip between Juneau and Haines.
During a recent end-of-year wrap up for the Haines Borough Assembly, tourism director Reba Hylton said ferry ridership has been growing steadily.
According to her report, last year the more than 23,300 people and nearly 8,000 vehicles that passed through Haines surpassed 2019’s pre-pandemic levels.
“The [summer] schedule is promising and I think it’ll get us back to those numbers,” Hylton said during a later interview.
Much of the vacation travel in Southeast, Alaska is centered on cruise ships – but Hylton said the tourism department is trying a new marketing strategy this year where they encourage people to travel to Juneau, hop on the ferry and do the Golden Circle – a loop connecting Haines to Skagway, Whitehorse and Haines Junction via the Alaska, Klondike and Haines highways.
When the state released the new summer ferry schedule, the visitor center mapped out the route and posted it on its social media; Hylton said that animation got thousands of views.
“We’re definitely focused on that because it’s an important part of our economy, that independent traveler,” she said.
Hylton and others in town said they hope the ferry system is able to sustain the higher level of traffic, but are concerned as the state has been plagued with hiring issues.
“I really hope they get that all manned up, but it seemed pretty daunting,” Hylton said.
Other ports in Southeast will see significantly less ferry service, including Wrangell which will see a gap until mid-May due to a crew changeover between the Kennicott and the Columbia.
The schedule also does not include any service to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a popular connection point to the North American highway system. Alaska ferries called on Rupert for decades until crew shortages, budget cuts and new U.S. and Canadian border rules brought an end to the stops almost five years ago.
The Wrangell Sentinel’s Larry Persily contributed to this report.