 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Inside Passage" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
TheInside Passage (French:Passage Intérieur) is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network ofpassages which weave through the islands on thePacific Northwest coast of theNorth American Fjordland. The route extends from southeasternAlaska in theUnited States, through westernBritish Columbia inCanada, to northwesternWashington state in the United States. Ships using the route can avoid some of the bad weather in the open ocean and may visit some of the many isolated communities along the route. The Inside Passage is heavily travelled bycruise ships,freighters, tugs with tows, fishing craft, pleasure craft, and ships of theAlaska Marine Highway,BC Ferries, andWashington State Ferries systems. Coast Guard vessels of both Canada and the United States patrol and transit in the Passage.
The term "Inside Passage" is also often used to refer to the ocean and islands around the passage itself.
It is generally accepted that the southernmost point of the Inside Passage isOlympia, Washington, which is also the southernmost point ofPuget Sound. Moving north, the passage continues into the waters of the greaterSalish Sea. It then passes through theStrait of Georgia andJohnstone Strait, between northeasternVancouver Island and the coast of mainland British Columbia. From there it continues further northwest into theAlaska Panhandle.[1][2] The northernmost points of the Passage areHaines andSkagway at the head of the Lynn Canal. As a result of often uncertain weather, large tidal range, fast or unpredictable currents, and infrequent safe anchorages, navigating the Inside Passage can be difficult.
During theKlondike Gold Rush the passage was one of the sea routes from Seattle and California, carrying American prospectors northward.
Today, approximately 36,000 recreational cruising boats utilize portions of the Inside Passage route.[3][better source needed] The nonprofitMarine Exchange of Alaska plots and follows vessel traffic in the Alaskan section of the Inside Passage.[4] Captain Warren Good has catalogued some 3,641 shipwrecks along the Alaska portion of the Passage.[5] The Underwater Archeological Society of British Columbia conducts periodic Regional Shipwreck Surveys.[6]
Washington's portion of the route is made up almost entirely of the waterways ofPuget Sound. Starting from the southernmost point ofBudd Inlet, the waterway turns toward the northeast and broadens as it becomes theNisqually Reach of Puget Sound. The waterway then continues northeast, through theTacoma Narrows, northward toward theSan Juan Islands just southeast of the border withCanada.
British Columbia's 1,125 km (700 mi) portion of the route includes the wide, protectedStrait of Georgia betweenVancouver Island and the B.C. mainland, the narrowJohnstone Strait andDiscovery Passage betweenVancouver Island and the mainland, Blackfish Sound at the northern end of Vancouver Island as well as a long stretch of 400 km (250 mi) between islands and reaches or along the wider and more exposedHecate Strait nearHaida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands). FromFitz Hugh Sound northwards, the route is sheltered from Pacific winds and waves by the various large islands in the area such asPrincess Royal Island andPitt Island. This section includes a series of channels and straits, from south to north:Fisher Channel,Lama Passage,Seaforth Channel,Milbanke Sound,Finlayson Channel,Sarah Passage,Tolmie Channel,Princess Royal Channel (includes Graham Reach and Fraser Reach),McKay Reach,Wright Sound,Grenville Channel,Arthur Passage, andChatham Sound.
Alaska's portion of the Inside Passage extends 500 miles (800 km) from north to south and 100 miles (160 km) from east to west. The area encompasses 1,000 islands and thousands of coves and bays. While theAlexander Archipelago in Alaska provides some protection from thePacific Ocean weather, much of the area experiences strong semi-diurnaltides.Lynn Canal is the northernmost waterway of the Inside Passage.
The Inside Passage is a popular tourism destination. The coastal mountain ranges and islands offer wildlife viewing and opportunities for boating, fishing, kayaking, camping and hiking. Wildlife viewing in the region ranges from birding to whale watching and bear viewing. Designated bear viewing is available at Anan Creek near Wrangell and at Pack Creek Bear Sanctuary on Admiralty Island near Juneau.
The most popular way to explore the Inside Passage during summer is by cruise ship. Over 2 million people take cruises each year in this region, impacting the local economy significantly. Because there are few restrictions on ship size, all of the large main line cruise ships offer Inside Passage itineraries. Some of the major players include Norwegian, Disney, Princess, Celebrity, Cunard, etc. Most of these cruises offer round-trips from either Vancouver or Seattle. Cruise ship travel in 2020 was cancelled due to theCoronavirus Pandemic and uncertainty continued through February 2022 when Canada had kept cruise ships banned.[7][8]
Although a smaller industry, there are also a handful of expedition cruises that explore the Inside Passage. These ships tend to be smaller than main line cruises and focus more on wildlife watching. National Geographic operate several expedition boats here.
During thesalmon treaty negotiations in early 1994, Canada concluded that the United States was not responsive to Canada's concerns. Accordingly, on June 15, 1994, Canada imposed a transit fee on all US commercial fishing boats using the Canadian Inside Passage. This fee was eventually lifted through bilateral negotiations. The crisis remained peaceful and there were no violent incidents between US fishing boats and Canadian enforcement officials.[9]
In response to the Canadian action, on October 24, 1995, the US Congress passed an amendment to the Fishermen's Protective Act, adding provisions permitting the U.S. government to directly reimburse US fishers for fines and other costs associated with seizures by foreign governments.[9]
British authorJonathan Raban described his journey by boat through the Inside Passage from Seattle to Juneau in his 1999 traveloguePassage to Juneau: A Sea and Its Meanings.
InThe Curve of Time (1961), Canadiantravel writerM. Wylie Blanchet chronicled her travels by boat in the 1920s and 1930s with her five children throughout the Inside Passage waters betweenVancouver Island and the mainland. Blanchet's biographer states that the book has become "one of the leading books on cruising the Inside Passage from the southeast coast of Vancouver Island toCape Caution".[10]: 5
