The Inside Passage is a labyrinth of islands, fjords and forested slopes that shelters ships from the open Pacific. For many, it’s the most memorable part of an Alaskan journey. The sea is often calm here, the light ever-changing, mist curling off the water in the early morning, then lifting to reveal snow-capped peaks and spruce-clad shores. Bald eagles circle above, dolphins dart alongside the bow and, now and again, a whale’s tail breaks the surface in a flash of silver spray. […]

Alaska’s state capital is unlike any other in America. Hemmed between snow-tipped mountains and the silvery waters of the Gastineau Channel, Juneau is a city that feels both remote and welcoming, a place where the wilderness begins at the end of every street. No roads connect it to the outside world. You arrive by air or sea, just as gold-rush prospectors did more than a century ago and are instantly struck by the clarity of the air, the shifting light on the glaciers and the sense of life close to nature’s edge. […]