Alaska’s Marine Highway traverses the coastal landscape... Snowcapped mountains rise-up to 18,000 feet above the ocean surrounded by a lush temperate rainforest. Glaciers, volcanoes and waterfalls add to this visual experience. Fjords created by the last ice age may be seen along the route. The Marine Highway passes by some of the most active ice fields in the world. Best views of them are along the Inside Passage, Prince William Sound and the Cross Gulf Routes. (Note: All AMHS ships are named after glaciers in Alaska!) The Marine Highway also follows along the 'Ring of Fire' providing the opportunity to see 81 of America’s 86 active volcanoes along the route. The majority are located along the Kodiak and Aleutians route. From the Marine Highway ships, views of the 400 species of Whales, birds, sealions, otters, and other marine and terrestrial creatures that inhabit the coastline can be seen.
The Marine Highway provides Alaska’s most thrilling chance to view marine wildlife. This is the number one activity on the ships and the US Forest Service provides interpretive services on the ships, making your experience even richer. Alaska is the only state which has three bear species: brown (which includes grizzlies), black and polar. Admiralty Island, reached by the Alaska Marine Highway, is said to have the densest bear population on Earth at almost one per square mile. The Alaska brown bears can be found in all three segments of the Highway, including in and around many port communities served by the Marine Highway. The Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Parks all provide safe viewing opportunities with interpretive services to watch a variety of wildlife near many port communities.
Alaska also has a rich cultural heritage and one of its premier sites is in Kodiak, the first capital of Russian America and established in 1792. The Baranov Museum Building, a National Historic Landmark in Kodiak on the Alaska Marine Highway, is the oldest of only 4 Russian structures remaining in the U.S. Built in 1808, it is the oldest building in Alaska.