Best anchorages and harbours in Alaska

Samsing Cove

Remote anchorage in south-east Alaska on the inland side of Baranof Island, in the Alexander Archipelago.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW

Sitka

Anchorage off Sitka, on the west coast of Baranof Island in Sitka Sound, south-east Alaska.

• Sheltered NW, NE, E, SE

Foggy Bay

Anchorage on the east shore of Revillagigedo Channel, about 50 miles north of Prince Rupert, on the Inside Passage route to Ketchikan.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Nuka Island

Anchorage at Nuka Island, on the south-western edge of Kenai Fjords National Park, about 26 miles south-east of Homer, Alaska.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Seward

Full service harbour at the head of Resurrection Bay on the south coast of Alaska, base for the Kenai Fjords fishing and tour fleet and northern cruise terminal for the Alaska Railroad to Anchorage.

Fanshaw Bay

Bay indenting the eastern shore of Frederick Sound, on the north-east side of Cape Fanshaw in the Alexander Archipelago, about 83 miles south of Juneau.

• Sheltered NW, NE, W, E, SW, SE

Skagway Small Boat Harbor

Municipal harbour at the head of Lynn Canal in the Alaska Panhandle, in the town of Skagway, southern terminus of the Inside Passage cruise route.

Red Bay

Bay on the north coast of Prince of Wales Island, opening northeast into Sumner Strait in Southeast Alaska.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW

Petersburg

Fishing town on the northern tip of Mitkof Island, at the junction of Wrangell Narrows and Frederick Sound in South-East Alaska.

• Sheltered NW, N, E, S, SE

Harbor Point

Anchorage on the Mansfield Peninsula in Lynn Canal, Southeast Alaska, with a mud and weed bottom.

• Sheltered NW, E, S, SE

Ketchikan Thomas Basin

City harbour at the south end of downtown Ketchikan, on Revillagigedo Island in the Inside Passage of south-east Alaska.

Horseshoe Bay

Anchorage on Prince of Wales Island in the Alexander Archipelago of Southeast Alaska, a remote stretch of the Inside Passage with no road access.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E, SW, S, SE

Whitestone Rock

Anchorage near Whitestone Rock, an islet off the north-west coast of Baranof Island, south-east Alaska.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

Juneau

Anchorage on Gastineau Channel off downtown Juneau, the capital of Alaska. Rock and mud bottom.

• Sheltered NE, W, SW, S

Wrangell Airport

Anchorage off the Wrangell Airport shore on the east side of Wrangell Island, along Zimovia Strait in South-East Alaska.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Ratz Harbor

Bay indenting the north-east coast of Prince of Wales Island on the west side of Clarence Strait, Southeast Alaska.

• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Statter Harbor

Transient harbour in Auke Bay, 12 miles by road north of downtown Juneau, used by fishing boats, charters and visiting yachts in south-east Alaska.

Yakutat Harbor

City and Borough harbour on Monti Bay, in the south-east Alaska community of Yakutat, used by the local fishing fleet and by yachts crossing the Gulf of Alaska.

Funter Bay Seaplane Base

Sheltered bay on the west coast of the Mansfield Peninsula on Admiralty Island, 14 miles south-west of Juneau, with a state marine park and a small public seaplane base.

Swanson Harbor

State-maintained anchorage and pair of floats in the Couverden Islands at the junction of Icy Strait, Chatham Strait and Lynn Canal, about 25 NM south-west of Juneau.

Chenega Harbour

Small community harbour on the east shore of Evans Island in Crab Bay, southwest Prince William Sound, about 67 NM south-east of Whittier.

East Clump Blow Hole

Anchorage in the Tongass Narrows near Ketchikan, southeast Alaska, on a rocky bottom and sheltered from W, SW and S winds.

• Sheltered W, SW, S

Elfin Cove

Remote fishing community on the north-west side of Chichagof Island, 85 miles west of Juneau, reachable only by boat or float plane.

Northern Enterprises Boat Yard

Full-service boatyard on Kachemak Drive in Homer, Alaska, north of the small boat harbour.

Homer Deep Water Dock

Commercial freight and cruise dock at the tip of the Homer Spit, on Kachemak Bay in Alaska, about 4.5 miles from downtown Homer.

Private Dock

Private pontoon on Ketchikan waterfront in south-east Alaska, on the Tongass Narrows opposite Pennock Island.

South Twin Bay

Anchorage in western Prince William Sound, Alaska, in the waters off Knight Island Passage near the Native village of Chenega.

• Sheltered NE, E, SW, S, SE

Tenakee Springs

Small community harbour on the east shore of Chichagof Island in Tenakee Inlet, southeast Alaska, 45 NM south-west of Juneau on the Inside Passage.

Thumb Cove

Anchorage on the east side of Resurrection Bay, within Thumb Cove State Marine Park, about 7.8 miles south-east of Seward, Alaska.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Valdez Marina

Municipal small boat harbour at the head of Port Valdez, on the north shore of Prince William Sound in south-central Alaska, the northernmost ice-free port of the United States.