Haines

One of them was that there are towns you've all heard of, everybody's heard of in Alaska.

And not just like Anchorage, but Haines, Alaska, Sitka, you know, various towns.

They're tiny.

They're absolutely tiny.

I'm Eva White.

The state of Alaska has given a contractor the go-ahead to prep for the construction of a controversial ferry terminal between Haines and Juneau.

The move is raising concerns that the Dunleavy administration is improperly fast-tracking the project before a new governor takes office.

The Alaska Desk's Avery Elfelt reports.

This clearly is a situation of trying to beat the change of administration.

Stutes sits on the House Transportation Committee.

She's previously slammed DOT for moving forward with the project despite opposition from elected officials and ferry users in Haines, Skagway, and Juneau.

DOT says building a terminal further north than the current one in Auke Bay would shorten the ferry route, save on fuel, and make the system more efficient overall.

Not all of those passengers head into town.

Some might go south to Haines for a wildlife excursion, and some are diverted to the White Pass and Yukon Railway.

But there are a lot of people mulling around the boardwalks in Skagway's historic district.

The municipality commissioned the engineering firm DJ&A to conduct a pedestrian count survey in August of 2025.

And Aaron, you're joining us in Alaska, I understand.

I am in cold Haines, Alaska.

Yes.

Excellent.

Guests sailing the Alaska Explorer and Inside Passage itineraries can choose from excursions to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau.

Voyages that begin or end in Whittier offer access to excursions in South Central Alaska, while the 28-day legendary Alaska Arctic Circle itinerary includes stops in Haines, Valdez, and Anchorage.

The new collection is part of Holland America's line's broader Alaska offerings, which include more than 200 short excursions, glacier viewing experiences, onboard presentations featuring regional experts, and destination-inspired dining.

The cruise line offers extended inland itineraries and access to a private wilderness lodge.

I just love the relationship that one has with all the regions, not just their own, but how joyful and how meaningful and how comforting it is to be an Alaska Native.

Irene Rowan is Tlingit from Klukwan, near Haines.

In 1966, she was fresh out of college and took her first teaching job at the high school in Bethel, where she was known for her white go-go boots and pink raincoat.

She says one of the things she enjoys most at AFN today is seeing the delegates dressed in their traditional regalia.

And then if you sort of put your elbow on the bottom of Juneau and your fingertips on Gustavus, which is at the mouth of Glacier Bay, Glacier Bay National Park, and you do this, you will catch all of Juneau.

You'll get Haines, Kukwan, Skagway.

You'll have two border crossings into Canada, one of which is a traditional port to the sea for ore from the Yukon.

Okay.

...

I, you can hear the frustration in my voice, Deirdre.

What, it's a terri- a rotten thing that Canadians now aren't coming down in the numbers they should, and always have, to Haines and Skagway to take a break or a vacation, and you see that on the East Coast and in Minnesota, and that's hitting tourism.

Industrial economics are a little less flexible.