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Haines is Famous for its Bald Eagles

Haines is a small village surrounded by remote mountains and is where the Chilkat River empties into the sea. It is famous for its population of Bald Eagles. Each November Haines sponsors the "Alaska Bald Eagle Festival", a 3-day event celebrating bald eagles. There is a portion (about 1-mile) of the Chilkat River that does not freeze because of an upwelling of water. Because the salmon are thick and available, bald eagles come from all over to feast on them. Hundreds of bald eagles can be seen at one time feeding on the salmon. The Chilkat Bald Eagle Peserve is the main reason that cruise lines stop in Haines. Another reason that folks visit Haines is to return to the Alaskan highway system after aking a ferry up the Inside Passage. They generally pick up the highway and continue north into the Yukon. Haines is surrounded by hundreds of thousands of acres of wilderness, which supports a huge population of wildlife.

Cruise Port and Location and Information

Cruise ships dock at the Port of Chilkoot. The dock is located directly in front of historical Fort Seward and less than a half mile from "downtown" Haines. The views from the ship of Haines and its surrounding mountains are simply breathtaking. Main Street, the center of Haines is located right behind the small marina that you can easily see from the ship.

Exploring On Your Own

Haines is easy to explore on your own. You will find an excellent map of downtown Haines located at http://map.mapnetwork.com/destination/haines/ that lists all of the sights, shops or anything else that you are interested in visiting. Since your stay will probably be a short one, your best bet is to map out what you want to do in the geographic order that you want to do it. If you are lucky enough to be able to spend the entire day in Haines, then either a ship's excursion or one booked locally would be necessary to get to the Chilkat River or other back country rivers and area.

Note that if one has mobility problems that walking in Haines requires uphill walking to get into and around town.

Shopping Tips

Haines is not known for its shopping. Shopping opportunities are nothing like Skagway's or other more developed ports on the Inside Passage, but Haines does have some interesting sporting goods stores and outfitters, galleries and other interesting shops Haines now even has a surf shop that sells surfing Alaska tee shirts and other surf oriented apparel.

Port Highlights

Without question, the highlight of Haines is a trip to or through the Chilkat Bald Eagle Reserve. A river float or flat bottomed jet boat trip is usually offered and one usually purchases it from the cruise line, as a transfer from Skagway to Haines may also included in the trip. This is a very memorable excursion, as one will not only see eagles, but bears, moose, salmon and other lots of other wildlife are also common sightings.

Also, exploring the William. H. Seward Fort is interesting. The Fort is located just above where the ship docks and a walking tour map can be picked up at the visitor information kiosk right on the pier.

There are a few smaller museums in Haines. Most notable is the Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center located at the foot of Main Street across from the small yacht harbor. On display are lots of local artifacts, art and other items about Haines and surrounding areas history.

Local operators also offer kayaking trips and bicycle rentals and tours. A bicycle is a great way to explore Haines, which while not steep, does require one to continually climb its uphill layout.

Off the Beaten Path

Glaciers in Glacier Bay

Doing a flight seeing tour from Haines airport to Glacier Bay is very memorable and reasonably priced (well for a flightseeing tour). Also, if you are a thrill seeking skier, EXTREME skiing is available by airplane from Haines airport to the surrounding mountains and glaciers.

Dining & Drinking Suggestions

While I have not had a chance to dine in Haines, a group of us did have some cocktails at the Lighthouse Restaurant and Harbor Bar and enjoyed it quite a bit. It has a local flavor to it and the drinks were reasonably priced.

“Must Do” List

Doing a river raft or flat bottomed jet boat trip on the Chilkat River through the Bald Eagle Preserve is a "must do" if you are lucky enough to get to Haines.

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