Experience the best of Haines

Haines sits on the western shore of Lynn Canal, a long fjord in south-east Alaska, with the Chilkat Mountains rising straight behind the harbour. The Chilkat Tlingit have lived in the valley for centuries and are known for their woven ceremonial blankets and carved poles. Fort William H. Seward, an army post built in 1902 and now a group of white wooden buildings around a parade ground, stands above the water.

In autumn, bald eagles gather by the thousands along the Chilkat River in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, drawn by late runs of salmon, and brown bears fish at Chilkoot Lake in summer. The Haines Highway runs north through the Chilkat Pass to Haines Junction in the Yukon, and the gold-rush town of Skagway lies a short ferry ride up the canal.

Halibut, king salmon and Dungeness crab arrive fresh at the docks, and the town has a small community of artists, carvers and fishermen. Summer days last almost round the clock under cool, often damp skies, while winters bring deep snow and short, dark afternoons.