Day 5: July 11 – Skagway and the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve and Fjord Cruise

We woke up to Skagway, had breakfast and headed out for our day-long excursion to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in Haines, Alaska. After meeting our guide for the day, Steve, it was a short drive across the harbor to the awaiting boat to take us on a 45-minute fjord cruise to Haines. Again, the weather was amazing as you’ll see in the photos.
We weren’t out of the harbor ten minutes when Captain Dick Rice spotted a family of mountain goats on the mountain above. The trip was already satisfying. Steve, a young punk of 24 years from Vermont was the best guide we could have hoped for. I wish everyone was as excited about their jobs as this guy, who at one point said, “I can’t believe they pay me for this job.”


Once we docked in Haines, it was a 35-minute ride to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. There we boarded an eight-person inflatable raft to take in the sights, which included nearly 30 sightings of bald eagles. In a word, it was ridiculous.


I really don’t have any more descriptive words to drop, so just look at the photos HERE.