Haines Shore Excursions: A Fort on Foot, a River Full of Eagles, and a Glacier You Reach by Canoe

This is the Haines morning that costs almost nothing.

Climb Portage Street from the dock and you’re on the old Army post’s parade ground. The loop around Fort Seward Drive passes the sculpture garden, the totem carvers at Alaska Indian Arts and the Port Chilkoot Distillery.

Then drop down into town, where the Hammer Museum at 108 Main Street charges $7 and opens daily 10 am to 5 pm from mid-May to mid-September — and on big cruise days too.

The Sheldon Museum, at 11 Main Street, covers life in the Chilkat Valley and charges $10 for adults. Kids 12 and under are free at both.

The visitor center on Second Avenue keeps self-guided tour material for the fort, the totem path and downtown. Pick it up before you start.

Time commitment

Two to three hours for the fort loop and both museums.

Getting there

On foot. The dock is just a few blocks from downtown.

Suits

First-timers, short calls, budget days, families.

Ship or independent

Independent. A guide adds stories, not access.

Why it's worth considering

It’s the whole of historic Haines in one loop, and the bill is two museum tickets.

You set the pace, which matters in a town this small — the clock is yours, not a guide’s.

The catch

The walk up to the fort is a real climb from the dock — one some people would rather skip.

The Sheldon’s October hours ran Wednesday to Saturday, 10 am to 3 pm. A Sunday-to-Tuesday call may find it shut.

If you want an eagle in front of you, not a speck over the river, come here.

The foundation keeps live raptors, an aviary and more than 200 museum specimens, and the summer program includes live bird presentations.

Admission is $25 for adults and $15 for children 6 to 12, tax included. Kids 5 and under are free. Give it about an hour and a half — 45 minutes at the very least.

Princess packages it as a 2-hour coach tour with stops at Fort Seward and Picture Point — useful if the walk across town is more than you want.

Time commitment

About 1½ hours inside; Princess’s tour runs 2 hours.

Getting there

In town, near the post office, on the Haines Highway — the far side of downtown from the dock.

Suits

Families, limited mobility, anyone set on seeing an eagle up close.

Ship or independent

Either. Walking over and paying at the door is cheaper; the ship’s version adds the ride and two photo stops.

Why it's worth considering

The birds are there whatever the season, which the wild eagles are not.

Princess rates its version easy — one of the gentler outings on this list.

The catch

ALASKA.ORG lists admission at $10, well below the foundation’s own $25. Budget for the higher one.

In October it was closed for the season and open by appointment only. Confirm summer hours before you walk over.

This is the Haines excursion most lines build their day around, and it’s the one worth booking.

Seabourn’s Eagle Preserve Float runs about 4 hours from $200: a drive up the Chilkat Valley, then a calm, non-whitewater float on an 18-foot raft, with a riverside picnic. HX lists its version at 4 hours from $161.

The main viewing stretch runs between Mile 18 and Mile 24 of the Haines Highway, so the drive is a real part of the day.

Set your expectations by the calendar. The famous gathering of more than 3,000 eagles runs October to February.

In summer, the preserve’s 200 to 400 residents are what you’re looking for.

Time commitment

About 4 hours on both Seabourn and HX.

Getting there

Coach from the dock up the Haines Highway, included.

Suits

Couples, active travelers, families with kids 7 and up.

Ship or independent

Ship, mostly. The drive is long enough, and transport thin enough, that having the line hold the timing is worth something.

Why it's worth considering

It puts you on the river the town is named for, at water level, with no paddling.

Seabourn lists moose and bears as possible sightings too — possible, not promised.

The catch

Neither listing is wheelchair accessible, and Seabourn sets a weight range of 50 to 350 lbs.

It’s cold on the water even in summer. Both lines tell you to bring warm, waterproof layers, and Seabourn adds a spare pair of socks.

This is the tour that solves the Chilkoot problem — getting out there at all.

Holland America’s Best of Haines Highlights runs about 3½ hours from $139. It drives through Fort Seward, stops at Picture Point for the town-and-ship photo, then heads out to Lutak Inlet and the Chilkoot River before finishing at the American Bald Eagle Foundation.

The Chilkoot is the part you’d struggle to reach alone. Chilkoot Lake sits five miles past the ferry terminal on Lutak Road, and bears come down to the river to feed on salmon.

Holland America says the stop order may vary — don’t time your day around which stop comes first.

Time commitment

About 3½ hours.

Getting there

From the dock on the tour vehicle.

Suits

First-timers, minimal-stress days, wildlife hopefuls who don’t want a raft.

Ship or independent

Ship. Transport is thin in Haines, so the line’s van is most of the value.

Why it's worth considering

It packs the fort, the river and the raptors into one morning, and the walking is short.

There are four salmon runs from mid-June to mid-October, so a summer call lines up with bear season on the river.

The catch

Fort Seward is the first stop, and you could walk it from the gangway for free.

Holland America says it isn’t wheelchair accessible, and there are some steps.

This is the big-scenery day, and it’s the longest tour on this page.

Princess’s Glacier Point Wilderness Safari starts with a 40-minute ride on a 26-passenger boat. A four-wheel-drive bus crosses the glacial moraine, then a quarter-mile forest walk brings you to the lake.

From there a 31-foot voyageur canoe crosses toward the face of Davidson Glacier, and Princess says you spend about an hour and fifteen minutes at that stop. There’s a beach picnic, and an optional half-mile walk over sand and cobble if conditions allow.

Time commitment

5 hours.

Getting there

By boat from Haines, included in the tour.

Suits

Active couples, repeat Alaska cruisers, anyone who wants a glacier at ground level.

Ship or independent

Ship. It’s a multi-vehicle day across water — not one to piece together yourself.

Why it's worth considering

You get close to a glacier on foot and by paddle, not from a rail on deck.

It mixes boat, bus and canoe, so no single leg runs long — the 40-minute boat ride is the longest one Princess times.

The catch

Princess asks for good general health and the ability to hike uneven ground. The minimum age is 7, the weight range 50 to 350 lbs, and expectant mothers can’t take part.

Princess doesn’t show a price up front — ask for it before you commit five hours.

If you want a walk in the woods and a quiet beach, this is your trail — as long as you don’t mind the walk to the start.

The Haines Borough describes Battery Point as a gentle hike of about 1.2 miles through rainforest to a grassy, rocky beach — allow at least 45 minutes each way.

Getting to the start is the long part. The trailhead is at 864 Beach Road, roughly a mile and a half to 2 miles south of town, and the whole outing from town runs over five miles.

Princess’s Haines Adventure Hike does it guided in 3½ hours, with a van ride through town first and smoked salmon on the beach at the end.

Time commitment

1 to 2 hours for the trail itself; Princess’s guided version runs 3½ hours.

Getting there

On foot along Beach Road, or on the Princess van.

Suits

Active travelers, budget days, repeat visitors.

Ship or independent

Either. The trail is free and well-defined; the guided version adds transport, a snack and someone watching for wildlife.

Why it's worth considering

It’s a free outdoor outing, which is rare out here.

The borough calls it a hike for all ages.

The catch

Roots and rocks underfoot — closed-toe shoes, not sneakers you care about.

Princess’s page gives the hike as both “over a mile” and 2.5 to 3 miles. The borough’s 1.2 miles each way is the figure to plan with.