Haines: Activities and Ferry?

[mtnhappy]

We will be traveling on Princess, but they don't stop in Haines. So we plan to take a ferry to Skagway since we are more interested in seeing Haines.

 

What are our options for a ferry between Skagway and Haines? Is http://www.hainesskagwayfastferry.com/ the only option?

 

I've heard it takes only about an hour to see the town of Haines. Are there many tourist shops there? What are the best things/sites to see there?

 

Are there any convenient (no car needed) outdoor activities in Haines? We love the outdoors, so any recommendations would be appreciated.

[Marie321]

We loved the scenery in Haines and found it to be an unspoiled town which was not filled with lots of jewelry stores. We took a tour through our ship about photography. Our guide was Bob Adkins. He gave us tips about how to make our photos better and he took us to some of his favorite locations. This would have to be one of my all time favorite excursions. Our photography tour lasted 4 hours.

 

We booked through our ship, but here is a link to his web site:

 

http://www.bobadkinsphotography.com/

[Budget Queen]

Consider some type of tour or a car rental. WAY more is available. There isn't a lot in the "downtown" area. The Eagle Museum is ok and so is the local museum in town (forgot the name). Also Fort Seward is historic. Going in Sept, it is vital you verify the ferry schedule, I've gone in this timeframe and service was cut back. Make sure space is available for you, before you start making big plans.''

 

 

Request their visitor guide http://www.visithaines.com

[lovebug33]

Haines honestly reminded me of rural Nevada: if you blink you'll miss it. However, it had two or three good souvenir shops. Honestly, I'd stay in Skagway. There isn't much in Haines to do unless you take a tour and then that was about it for us.

[cardbucfan]

Our cruise stopped in Haines and it was a REALLY small town! We did a bike tour which was fun and then did a kayak excursion on a beautiful lake. Other than eagles and some salmon and loons, didn't see any wildlife. After our excursions, we walked around the town-took about 15 minutes!

[canadarocks]

Is the Hammer Museum worth going to?

[lovebug33]

The Sheldon Museum is. I don't believe the Hammer Museum is. We stopped and looked in and it was literally two rooms with hammers in them. I wasn't about to pay 6 bucks for something that I've seen in my dad's garage!

[NeilFan]

What are some good questions to ask to determine whether a tour operator is legitimate or not? I've heard of people hiring driver/guides on the spot to drive them up the Haines Hwy or tour around town. Just don't want to get ripped off or worse....

Thank you.

[allentownahoy]

We went on a very nice tour of the scenery outside of town with

http://www.alaskanaturetours.net/

 

Cruise ship books with them or you can book independently as we did for less money.

 

I would not travel to Haines just to see the town but if you are willing to get out of town the scenery is beautiful.

[mtnhappy]

Thanks for your suggestions! What are some other options for companies to tour around the Haines area with a tour company?

[SEPyle]

We loved Haines and ended up getting off the ship and across the street was a Van and man offering a Native tour to the village of Klukwan. It was a beautiful trip along the Chilkat River. The mtns and scenery was alone worth the excursion; howeve visiting the town of Klukwan was a rare treat. We were taken inside a tribal house and saw their 200 year old hand carved wall screens. Our guide was one of the tribes elders and shared their rich traditions and history with us! He took us into a salmon smoke house to see how they smoke the salmon. Oh yes, along the way, he tried his best for a safe bear viewing; however we didn't see the bear; just the evidence of a very recent visit with half eaten salmon and other bear evidence. We had a great time and loved our time in Haines!