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Exploring Alaskan Ports WITHOUT Breaking The Bank!
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Jan 28, 2025
I was asked by a fan of the channel, Heather, “How can we make the most of our port stops when we can't afford any excursions or activities?”. This is what I recommended they do in each port based on my various trips there to still ensure an amazing and memorable time on their Alaskan cruise. Download my "Alaska Ports On A Budget" eBook at https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/AlaskaPorts or https://www.dropbox.com/s/pqesif229a5ycdw/Alaska%20on%20Budget%20PDF%20May-23.pdf?dl=0 Links mentioned in the video: Skagway * Walking Tour Maps https://assets.simpleviewinc.com/simpleview/image/upload/v1/clients/skagwayak/walkingtourmap_69a8a293-99f6-410d-81e6-81302c2717f6.pdf https://uploads.alaska.org/maps/skagway-walking-tour-map.pdf https://assets.simpleviewinc.com/simpleview/image/upload/v1/clients/skagwayak/broadwaymap_c9096e27-a5c8-4885-9c6b-1da540df7c3b.pdf * Scenic walking tour map / brochure https://assets.simpleviewinc.com/simpleview/image/upload/v1/clients/skagwayak/Skagway_Trail_Map_0e2f1c2b-292e-4f0c-a37f-94a92d994ed1.pdf * National Park Office https://www.nps.gov/klgo/planyourvisit/visitorcenter.htm * Red Onion video on their YouTube channel https://youtu.be/kwLflPA7SVc * Skagway museum https://www.skagway.org/museum Video https://youtu.be/1SAJ1G7FlKE @Bluemoonexplorers * Cemetery and falls video https://youtu.be/jlDR68fIYFc @jjtraveladventures1435 Juneau
View Video Transcript
0:00
Heather fan of the channel send me a
0:02
message in a bit of a panic saying that
0:03
after all the costs and plane tickets
0:05
for Alaska she had no money left for
0:07
sure excursions I wanted to know how can
0:09
we make the most of our Port stops when
0:12
we can't afford any excursions or
0:14
activities now I loved this challenge
0:16
because for my cruises there I believe I
0:18
have incredible things to do in each
0:20
Port that are either totally free or
0:23
cost just a couple of dollars I was so
0:25
excited even created an Alaska ports on
0:27
a budget download with maps and
0:29
reminders for Heather to use and you can
0:31
download that too more on that later but
0:33
here's what I told her to do in every
0:36
single port starting with fantastic
0:38
things to do in Skagway without breaking
0:41
the bank Skagway is a Charming historic
0:44
town it's got many old buildings and the
0:46
ship stock literally a very short walk
0:48
away it exploded it grew really
0:50
dramatically during the 1890s yukon gold
0:53
rush because it was the gateway to the
0:55
quickest way to get there over the White
0:57
Pass behind the town this is though a
0:59
town really worth exploring but while
1:02
wandering around by themselves would be
1:04
enjoyable they will miss many hidden
1:06
gems like I did the first time I went
1:08
there not being prepared so I
1:10
recommended they do something very
1:11
simple they use the free Skagway
1:13
convention and visitors bureau map it
1:16
gives a great but very short history of
1:18
each building and they all have quite a
1:20
story behind them some of the places I
1:23
loved in the town and encouraged her to
1:25
spend some time and include the White
1:26
Pass and Yukon railroad Depot you can
1:29
see the trains Department arrive it's
1:31
also where the National Park Service is
1:33
and they have a free gold museum across
1:36
the way from that is the Red Onion
1:37
Saloon which was a brothel it has a free
1:39
museum now upstairs further into town is
1:42
the McCabe College building with the
1:45
Skagway Museum which is really
1:46
interesting but what most people don't
1:49
do but I really recommended Heather and
1:51
her group did is at the top end of the
1:53
town is to keep going and walking out to
1:56
the Gold Rush cemetery and then onto the
1:58
lower read force it really is a must-see
2:01
now while the map can be collected from
2:03
The Visitor Bureau office in the rather
2:05
interesting Driftwood covered Arctic
2:08
Brotherhood Hall it's also like others I
2:10
mentioned in that download that I
2:12
created if self-exploring with a map did
2:15
not appeal to Heather I would then
2:17
suggested perhaps go on the free
2:19
National Park Service Gold Rush Skagway
2:22
historic district walking tours a bit of
2:24
a name there they depart from the office
2:26
that I mentioned earlier they're 45
2:28
minutes long they depart at 9am 11AM and
2:31
3pm another great no cost option are the
2:34
various scenic walks which there also is
2:37
a map for but the best in my view is the
2:39
yakitania point which takes about an
2:41
hour it's a round trip of about one and
2:43
a half miles from just where the
2:45
shipstock there are great views of the
2:47
ships the water the mountains now
2:49
Heather will be actually there early in
2:51
the season but if she was there so July
2:53
to September time I then would have
2:55
encouraged a Scenic walk to the Pullen
2:57
Creek stream just on the outskirts of
2:59
town it's a must because you get to see
3:01
the salmon run there another put on
3:03
Heather's travels will be Juno and I
3:05
have some amazing low-cost things to do
3:07
here including what I think will be one
3:10
of the most memorable activities that
3:13
they do across the entire trip Juno has
3:16
been the capital of Alaska since 1906
3:18
when it was moved from Sitka which I
3:20
will talk about later it's a it's really
3:23
unique as a capital because there are no
3:26
Roads connecting it to the rest of the
3:27
state so everything and everyone must
3:30
come in and out by boat or by air it's
3:33
surrounded by steep mountains with the
3:35
Juno ice field with 30 glaciers on top
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of it my strong recommendation to
3:39
Heather was to get out of what I think
3:41
is a slightly uninspiring town and head
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to and get up close to the Mendenhall
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Glacier it's stunning The Visitor Center
3:49
is really interesting and you can then
3:51
also get right up to some spectacular
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Falls called the Nugget Falls you can
3:55
spend longer at the mental Glacier and
3:58
see much more than you are going to do
3:59
on most of the ship tours as well and it
4:02
can be done for very few dollars the
4:05
cheapest way to get there is on the
4:07
local Capital transit buses it'll cost
4:09
about three dollars each way at the time
4:12
of recording it's an hour long bus ride
4:14
and then there's a 30 minute one and a
4:15
half mile walk from the stop to The
4:17
Visitor Center each way so that's the
4:19
cheapest way of doing it so many people
4:21
though instead use the big blue bus
4:23
Glacier Express that's about 45 dollars
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per person return it's quicker about
4:29
half an hour it will take them right to
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The Visitor Center the driver does some
4:32
commentary and explanation on the way
4:34
it's easiest to buy tickets at the Boost
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dock side although you can buy them on
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sites like Viator Expedia if you're
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going to The Visitor Center manual
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Glacier that does cost five dollars but
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it's got displays and films but it's
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free to go on the really well paved
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walkways and trails to go and see the
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glaciers see if salmon runs do even at
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sometimes the year safe bare viewing
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there's no charge for using those
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but there is a must do walk to the
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Nugget Falls it's just under a mile away
4:59
so it'll take about 30 minutes each way
5:01
absolutely stunning if that didn't
5:04
appeal or they had time I also
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recommended getting up the huge Mount
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Roberts Mountain for incredible views of
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the town and the surrounding area now
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one way is to go up and down on the gold
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belt Mount Roberts Tramway it's right
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where the ship stock up at the top are
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some Trails there's some films about the
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history of the area there's a local
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crafts gift shop
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but they unfortunately have ramped up
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the cost from around thirty dollars to a
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hefty fifty dollars return for a day
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pass so instead to do it slightly
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cheaper they could hike up the trail
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it's quite steep it'll take about an
5:36
hour and a half but if they spend fifty
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dollars in the shop or actually lunch
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when they're there or there you can buy
5:42
a ticket for the same price they can
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then ride the tram down walking around
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the city even with the map is in my view
5:49
much less interesting than Skagway and
5:51
some of the other ports so what I did
5:53
suggest is if those other suggestions
5:56
I've got didn't appeal they could walk
5:58
up to the Alaska state capital building
6:00
it's about an eight minute walk from
6:02
where the ships dock there are leaflets
6:05
in the lobby to self-explore they can go
6:08
on the free guided tours as well now in
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addition to seeing the legislation
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chamber it's got an amazing collection
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of Alaskan art just behind this is the
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Juno Douglas City Museum with exhibits
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about the local history that costs about
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six dollars for everyone 12 but it is
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worth a visit another port on Heather's
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trip like for most Alaskan cruises is
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Ketchikan and I do have several great no
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or handful of dollar things to do here
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too Ketchikan builds itself as the
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salmon capital of the world it's also
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the rain capital of Alaska renting at
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least 234 days every single year but it
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also has the world's largest collection
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of standing totem poles around 80 of
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them at various locations and centers
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the ships dock right by the city center
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and I have two free or really low cost
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activities here one of my favorite
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things to do in Ketchikan is the totem
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bite State Historical Park it's an 11
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acre park it has 14 incredible authentic
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totem poles a tribal house on the
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water's edge and great scenery it costs
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five dollars per person which includes
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guided tour explaining all the totem
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poles and scenery it is though 10 miles
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from downtown Ketchikan the Silver Line
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public bus goes there it takes about
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half an hour each way but it does have
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great scenery and it runs at least every
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hour the bus timetable is online or you
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can download it in that little download
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I've done or you can get in the visitor
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center but also actually if you use
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Google Maps input the park that will
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also tell you the bus where to get it
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and the next one coming
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on my first visit I thought Ketchikan
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was a rather dull town just full of
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tourist trap shops until I used as in
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Skagway the official Ketchikan walking
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tour map this is what I recommend it to
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Heather because there are some real gems
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when you know where to go
8:01
it has 35 sites of note in the map but
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in addition to seeing the totem poles
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dotted around the town 12 of them the
8:09
best place in my view is Creek Street
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it's the old red light district it's got
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Charming wooden houses built over
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Ketchikan Creek they're all turned into
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craft shops restaurants and there is
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Dolly's House museum that does have a
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charge to get in late in the season
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follow the route to the Ketchikan Creek
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Falls viewing Footbridge and you can
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actually see the migrating salmon there
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the other stop worth exploring is the
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south east Alaska Discovery Center which
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costs five dollars for adults to get in
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but free for kids it has displays and
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films about the area's history and if
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you do have kids the rain just run some
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really fun activities for kids I did
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though encourage Heather if she could
8:44
find some budget to Splash out for the
8:46
Great Alaskan lumberjack show during
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their walk it's great fun watching the
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two Lumberjack teams compete on several
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crazy Timber chopping challenges the
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tower recording though that is about 37
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for adults and 19 for kids I put on
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Heather's proves that fewer Alaska
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Cruisers go to these days is sitkat but
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I'm pleased to say I did have some
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low-cost and amazing Wildlife things to
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do here as I mentioned earlier Sitka
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used to be the capital it declined in
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importance as whaling and the fur trade
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waned now unlike all the other ports
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where the ship stock right at the Town
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their dock at Sitka sound Cruise
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terminal that's five miles away there is
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a free shuttle getting you in and out of
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town the town itself is walkable it's
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pretty and it's small but I recommend it
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instead they head to two Wildlife
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options within really you see walking
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distance is the Alaska Raptor Center
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which takes in injured birds of prey
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from across Alaska including Eagles
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Hawks Falcons and owls and once there
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they are and they're well they're
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released back into the wild there's
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about 24 that can't and are there
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permanently now you can see these birds
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up close and you can watch them flying
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behind a glass barrier it will cost them
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15 for adults and six dollars for six to
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12 year olds but it's fantastic after
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the birds of prey I have something even
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more remarkable that they could then
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head off and do this is the Fortress of
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the bear there are groups of bears in
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three quarter acre habitats but they
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will get close as close as 25 feet away
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to view them from balconies ground level
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windows and viewing platforms it is
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absolutely amazing seeing the Bears The
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Fortress of the bear is five miles from
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the Town Center so it's not walkable
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really but there are two low-cost ways
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to get there one is the Blue Line bus
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Which goes from town to the Gary Paxton
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Industrial Park which then takes it
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takes about 45 minutes it's about a four
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minute walk to the entrance or they can
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go on a shuttle bus that's run by a
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local company called Sitka tours they
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usually run every day when the ships are
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in town and that will cost five dollars
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and you can find that shuttle in the
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parking lot at the Centennial Hall right
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there in town it's easy to find entrance
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to the Fortress of the bear is about
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fifteen dollars for adults five dollars
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for eight to eighteen year adults if
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Wildlife did not appeal or they had time
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there's also the Sitka National
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Historical Park now this is actually
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quite an easy walk from downtown the
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park is 107 Acres but the collection of
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15 totems put there in 1906 in the totem
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Park is the most popular attraction now
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there is a Blue Line bus stop there so I
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told her it's really easy to pop in on
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the way back from seeing the Bears into
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town by the way if you want that
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download that I mentioned at the start
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with maps and links to sites and more
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tips I pulled together for Heather you
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can download that on my site at tips for
11:33
travelers.com Alaska ports Travelers
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it's about with two L's but before you
11:38
do that watch this video with my
11:40
suggestions on the must-do things in
11:42
Alaska if you do have some budget
11:44
including probably the most memorable
11:46
unique and amazing one I've done
11:48
anywhere in the world see you over there
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