(Rashah McChesney/Chilkat Valley News) Northern Lights hang over Haines on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025.

About 7,456 people walked into the Haines Visitor Center this year, down from more than 10,600 in 2024. Tourism director Rebecca Hylton attributes that drop, in part, to a road closure during Second Avenue reconstruction and the lack of evening cruise-ship dockings. The center is estimating that approximately 67,833 cruise ship visitorscame to town this year, but that figure…