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| A BRIEF OF THE AREA--------The northern Panhandle runs from Skagway,to Haines, to Juneau, to Admiralty Island. The map below does not show many of the small towns and villages. The Tlingit and the Haida tribes have been in this area for thousands of years. And still today you will meet these wonderfull people when traveling about the Panhandle. And they still depend on the land and the sea to provide many of the things they need. - Travel in the Panhandle from town to town requires either boat or plane. The states Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System allows travelers to take their car, truck, bike, or R.V. from town to town. The Ferrys are slow but are a wonderfull way to see the area. They provide a warm dry lounge to watch the mountains and islands go by. And now and then you may see humpback whales, orcas, eagles, and other wildlife from the ferry.- Another form of travel is the small plane or bush plane. These aircraft are the fast way to get around. Most are 4 to 6 seats per plane. And if the weather gets too bad they can't fly, so expect delays in your flight if the cloud layer is too low. During the summer months this isn't very often, but from the fall to spring planes my not fly for days at a time. - The northern Panhandle dosen't get as much rain as the southern part. Where as in Ketchikan, they get over 130 inches of rain a year. The need for rain gear in the Panhandle's Costal Rain Forest is a no brainer. But then there are those bright summer days that pop up out of the clouds now and then, and may even last a week at a time! As a rule of thumb for dress; if its heavy clouds and rainy in the summer it will be around the 50s or 60s, if its clear and sunny it will be the upper 60s to the 80s. Although it may hit 90F , but not often. If you plan to walk about the outdoors bring a good pair of rubber boots. It will save you from wearing wet cold hiking boots every day. And remember to learn "The Do's and Dont's of Bear Country!!!" There is no need to be a bears lunch. And there are lots of bears in the Panhandle. | |||||||
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