There's more to Alaska than wildlife: How to discover the cultural treasures of the 49th state on a cruise
Ice Age nomads, native Indian tribes, Russian fur traders and 19th-century gold prospectors have all left their mark on the 49th state.
Today, you can still visit Tlingit settlements, pan for gold, sip a beer in a frontier saloon and take a ride on the White Pass and Yukon railway. Here are some examples of how to immerse yourself in Alaska’s cultural treasures during a cruise.
Delve into Tlingit culture and Russian heritage
The Tlingits lived around Sitka for centuries before the Russians arrived in the 1700s.
In 1867 the city hosted the transfer ceremony for the Russian sale of Alaska to the US for $7.2m (£5.5m) – roughly two cents per acre.
In town you'll find a mix of museums, totems and Saint Michael's onion-domed cathedral, which houses an important collection of Russian Orthodox art and treasures.
You can also experience Tlingit culture on a tour along the Sitka National Historical Park’s Totem Trail led by a park ranger. As well as admiring the towering First Nations totem poles, you’ll be treated to a folklore demonstration at Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi Tribal Community House, where native dancers perform ancient songs and regale visitors with legendary tales.
Most Inside Passage cruise itineraries include Sitka – for example, Royal Caribbean’s 11-night Alaska Glaciers cruise. From £1,579pp, departing Vancouver from May to September 2019. (0844 493 4005; royalcaribbean.co.uk)
Stroll through a former red light district
Ten miles north of Ketchikan, the Totem Bight State Park also offers a glimpse into the native Tlingit and Haida cultures. Skilled carvers, using traditional hand-made tools, have created 14 totems, which you can admire alongside a replica of a 19th-century Raven Clan House.
Ketchikan is known as “the salmon capital of the world” with a busy waterfront buzzing with float planes, fishing boats and pleasure craft. Take a walk along Creek Street, a boardwalk perched on stilts on the banks of Ketchikan Creek. As a former red light district where both men and salmon came upstream to spawn, Dolly’s House – once a brothel – is now a museum.
Inside you can take a peek into a rambunctious part of Ketchikan’s history with photos of Dolly adorning the walls, the cabbage rose wallpaper she favoured, and the “secret closet” in her bedroom, where she stashed contraband liquor during the Prohibition years to be imbibed by the loggers, miners and fishermen who paid her a visit.
Most Inside Passage cruise itineraries include Ketchikan – for example, Cunard’s 10-night Alaska cruise on Queen Elizabeth. From £2,699pp, including flights, departing Vancouver from May to the end of June 2019. (0344 338 8648; cunard.co.uk).
Relive the Gold Rush
As you walk through Skagway you'll feel as if you arrived in 1898 at the height of the Alaskan Gold Rush, when the city was known as the Gateway to the Klondike.
The Wild West-style saloons and bars form part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The Red Onion Saloon is a favourite. Built in 1897, it operated as one the town’s finest dance halls and bordellos and today it’s a lively place to enjoy a beer.
A visit to Skagway would not be complete without a ride on the White Pass and Yukon Railroad. You can relive the excitement of the 20,000 gold-seekers who braved the Chilkoot and White Pass trails in 1898 ascend the pass on the narrow gauge train.
As well as providing spectacular scenic views, the railway is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, a designation shared with the likes of the Panama Canal and the Eiffel Tower.
Reaching the Yukon, you can visit miners’ camps, pan for gold and meet costumed characters who'll show you what life was like during the boom-town days in the 1800s.
Most Inside Passage cruise itineraries include Skagway – for example, Norwegian Cruise Line’s seven-day Awe of Alaska cruise, which departs from Seattle. From £1,179pp, departures from April to September 2019. (0333 2412319; ncl.com)
Sample Alaskan cuisine
At Icy Strait Point there’s a chance to learn how to prepare Alaska seafood dishes in the company of a wilderness chef. You’ll be taught how to fillet fish and handle an alder-wood grill while the culinary expert shares insights into Alaska life and fisherman’s lore.
After the demonstration, you can prepare your own seafood feast, which may include wild salmon, halibut, Dungeness crab, wild berries, vegetables and seasonal herbs.
If your cruise takes you as far north as Anchorage, you can sample local cuisine in the city’s many restaurants. And while you’re there, a great place to experience Alaska’s art, history, science and culture is the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center – its permanent collection houses 17,500 objects including superb Native Alaskan art and pioneer treasures.
Enjoy these experiences on Princess Cruises’ seven-night Voyage of the Glaciers from Vancouver to Anchorage. From £699pp, departures from May to September 2019 (0344 338 8663; princess.com).
Watch the local sports
Alaska’s state sport is dog mushing. Once a primary form of transport, people now come from around the world to participate in Alaska's yearly Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
You can meet mushers and their amazing canine companions at the summertime training grounds in Skagway. You’ll be taken for a ride on a sled with a team of 16 dogs mushing you through the lush Tongass National Rainforest. You don’t need snow to go mushing. In summer, you ride on sleds with wheels.
Another popular Alaskan competitive sport is lumberjacking. Take a trip from Ketchikan to watch world champion frontier athletes compete in springboard chopping, buck sawing, axe throwing, log rolling and the thrilling 50ft (15.2m) tree climb.
Both excursions are available on many cruise itineraries, including Celebrity Cruises’ 10-night Ultimate Alaska Cruise from Vancouver. From £1,439pp, departing May 9, 2019. (0845 163 7924; celebritycruises.co.uk)
