The Inside Passage ( French : Passage Intérieur ) is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland . The route extends from southeastern Alaska in the United States , through western British Columbia in Canada , to northwestern Washington 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 by cruise ships , freighters , tugs with tows, fishing craft, pleasure craft, and ships of the Alaska Marine Highway , BC Ferries , and Washington State Ferries systems. Coast Guard vessels of both Canada and the United States patrol and transit in the Passage.
21-525: The Krakatoa Archipelago is a small uninhabited archipelago of volcanic islands formed by the Krakatoa stratovolcano located in the Sunda Strait , nestled between the much larger islands of Java and Sumatra . As of 2018, the archipelago consists of four main islands: Verlaten (aka Sertung), Lang (aka Rakata Kecil, or Panjang), Rakata , and the currently volcanically active Anak Krakatoa . Together,
42-606: A part of Ujung Kulon National Park . Krakatoa is an active stratovolcano located in Indonesia, and lying on the far western rim of the Pacific Ring of Fire . Krakatoa is a notably powerful volcano, with the 1883 eruption being one of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic events in all of recorded history. Archipelago An archipelago ( / ˌ ɑːr k ə ˈ p ɛ l ə ɡ oʊ / AR -kə- PEL -ə-goh ), sometimes called an island group or island chain ,
63-611: 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 , and Chatham 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
84-490: 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 the salmon 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
105-655: 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. 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
126-561: Is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands , or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Archipelagos are sometimes defined by political boundaries. For example, while they are geopolitically divided, the San Juan Islands and Gulf Islands geologically form part of a larger Gulf Archipelago. The word archipelago is derived from the Ancient Greek ἄρχι-( arkhi- , "chief") and πέλαγος ( pélagos , "sea") through
147-735: The Alaska Panhandle . The northernmost points of the Passage are Haines and Skagway 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 the Klondike 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
168-596: The Alexander Archipelago in Alaska provides some protection from the Pacific Ocean weather, much of the area experiences strong semi- diurnal tides . 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
189-570: The B.C. mainland, the Johnstone Strait and Discovery Passage between Vancouver Island and the mainland, as well as a short stretch along the wider and more exposed Hecate Strait near Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands). From Fitz Hugh Sound northwards, the route is sheltered from Pacific winds and waves by the various large islands in the area such as Princess Royal Island and Pitt Island . This section includes
210-523: The Inside Passage route. The nonprofit Marine Exchange of Alaska plots and follows vessel traffic in the Alaskan section of the Inside Passage. Captain Warren Good has catalogued some 3,641 shipwrecks along the Alaska portion of the Passage. The Underwater Archeological Society of British Columbia conducts periodic Regional Shipwreck Surveys. Washington's portion of the route is made up almost entirely of
231-757: The Italian arcipelago . In antiquity , "Archipelago" (from Medieval Greek * ἀρχιπέλαγος and Latin archipelagus ) was the proper name for the Aegean Sea . Later, usage shifted to refer to the Aegean Islands (since the sea has a large number of islands). Archipelagos may be found isolated in large amounts of water or neighbouring a large land mass. For example, Scotland has more than 700 islands surrounding its mainland, which form an archipelago. Archipelagos are often volcanic, forming along island arcs generated by subduction zones or hotspots , but may also be
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#1732849014929252-426: The U.S. government to directly reimburse US fishers for fines and other costs associated with seizures by foreign governments. British author Jonathan Raban described his journey by boat through the Inside Passage from Seattle to Juneau in his 1999 travelogue Passage to Juneau: A Sea and Its Meanings . In The Curve of Time (1961), Canadian travel writer M. Wylie Blanchet chronicled her travels by boat in
273-627: The islands are a part of the Indonesian island arc system, created by the northeastward subduction of the Indo-Australian Plate . As part of a dynamic volcanic system, the islands have been continuously reshaped throughout recorded history, most notably in the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa . Politically, the Krakatoa Archipelago lies entirely within Lampung province of Indonesia , and forms
294-468: 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 the Coronavirus Pandemic and uncertainty continued through February 2022 when Canada had kept cruise ships banned. Although
315-443: 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
336-460: The result of erosion , deposition , and land elevation . Depending on their geological origin, islands forming archipelagos can be referred to as oceanic islands , continental fragments , or continental islands . Oceanic islands are mainly of volcanic origin, and widely separated from any adjacent continent. The Hawaiian Islands and Galapagos Islands in the Pacific , and Mascarene Islands in
357-646: The shelf. The islands of the Inside Passage off the coast of British Columbia and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago are examples. Artificial archipelagos have been created in various countries for different purposes. Palm Islands and The World Islands off Dubai were or are being created for leisure and tourism purposes. Marker Wadden in the Netherlands is being built as a conservation area for birds and other wildlife. The largest archipelago in
378-432: The south Indian Ocean are examples. Continental fragments correspond to land masses that have separated from a continental mass due to tectonic displacement. The Farallon Islands off the coast of California are an example. Sets of islands formed close to the coast of a continent are considered continental archipelagos when they form part of the same continental shelf, when those islands are above-water extensions of
399-456: The southernmost point of the Inside Passage is Olympia , Washington, which is also the southernmost point of Puget Sound . Moving north, the passage continues into the waters of the greater Salish Sea . It then passes through the Strait of Georgia and Johnstone Strait , between northeastern Vancouver Island and the coast of mainland British Columbia. From there it continues further northwest into
420-580: The waterways of Puget Sound . Starting from the southernmost point of Budd Inlet , the waterway turns toward the northeast and broadens as it becomes the Nisqually Reach of Puget Sound. The waterway then continues northeast, through the Tacoma Narrows , northward toward the San Juan Islands just southeast of the border with Canada . British Columbia's portion of the route includes the narrow, protected Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and
441-458: The world by number of islands is the Archipelago Sea , which is part of Finland . There are approximately 40,000 islands, mostly uninhabited. The largest archipelagic state in the world by area, and by population, is Indonesia . Inside 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
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