John and Karen Nowell (left) and Greg and Suzi Stone (right) have been traveling across Southeast Alaska. Wrangell was their last stop on a multi-week trip across the area.
It is no secret that Southeast Alaska is a hot tourist destination. Every year, the region is flooded with nature enthusiasts, retirees, and other tourists. According to a calendar from the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska, Petersburg will receive a total of 62 cruise ship stops in the 2019 season. Ketchikan, one of the larger cruise ship destinations in Southeast Alaska, is expecting 576 cruise ship stops this year, bringing in a total estimated 1.15 million passengers. The tourist industry is growing in Wrangell, too. Meilani Schijvens, with Rain Coast Data, said that the city of Wrangell is expecting to see 22,000 tourists via cruise ships next year.
Of course, from the deck of a cruise ship is not the only way to experience Alaska. Two families, the Nowells and the Stones, recently spent five weeks on a "DIY trip" through Southeast Alaska. This trip was part of their bucket list, John Nowell said. They wanted to trace the steps of John Muir, a famous naturalist and explorer of the late 19th century, who spent quite some time exploring Alaskan territory. In fact, Muir visited Wrangell in 1879 where, according to a board along the Mt. Dewey trail, he had "one of the best campfires that he had ever enjoyed."
A very important part of their trip has been the Alaska Marine Highway System, they said. Thanks to the ferries, they have been able to get a much more in-depth look at Southeast Alaska than would have been possible on a cruise ship.
"We've been on the ferries throughout the state of Alaska and Canada with our motorhomes, and were actually anxious to try and do that here," John Nowell said. "When we went to the ferry system and did the math on bringing our large motorhomes up here and camping through the region, we realized that financially it made better sense to park the motorhomes in Bellingham, disconnect our Jeeps, and drive our Jeeps up here on the ferry system, and stay in the local bed and breakfasts, inns, and Airbnbs."
The Nowell and Stone families said their trip had taken them about five weeks; six or seven, if one counted the time it took them to leave California. They been traveling all over the region. Starting in Bellingham, they went to Ketchikan, Prince of Wales Island, back to Ketchikan, Petersburg, Juneau, Gustavus, back to Juneau, and lastly Wrangell.
In all, they said, they've taken nine trips on the ferries. Despite having to leave their campers behind, they said that it has been an incredible trip. John added that every island and town they visited had something unique to offer. It has been an amazing experience, and one that would not be possible if they had travelled on a cruise ship. Taking things slow, and traveling from island to island on the ferries, really provided the two families a closer look at life and the natural beauty of Southeast Alaska.
"I gotta say the people everywhere, the people are the highlight," Greg Stone said. "So friendly and so helpful, and want to share their life with you."
"No commercialism, just the real thing, just to see it like it is," Karen Nowell said.
They said that they are very upset to see the ferry system struggling to keep afloat these days, and they want to advocate for its continuation. John said that if the ferries would better advertise their services, and make prices more reasonable to bring motorhomes, their boats would be packed with campers like them. There is a large group of people who want to take extended trips in motorhomes, he said. Without the ferries, a truly unique opportunity for tourists in the area would be lost.
That is not to say anything about the permanent residents of Southeast Alaska who also rely on the ferry system, of course.
"We're doing it for fun, but people need it, the people that live here," Suzi Stone said. "The people that need the ferry, they count on it."
The Nowells and Stones turned for home on Tuesday, July 9, following a trip to the Anan bear observatory. All in all, they said that was an amazing experience, and they hope the ferries will stick around to provide similar opportunities for other travelers in the future.
"We knew what we wanted to avoid was the cruises and the tens of thousands of people associated with the cruises," John said. "We were more interested in seeing real Alaska, and we knew we couldn't do that on a seven-day cruise."
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