Start in Juneau, the capital city of Alaska, and paddle through glacially carved fjords along the towering mountains and hanging glaciers just outside of Glacier Bay National Park. Endicott and Tracy Arm Fjord just south of Juneau offers world-class sea kayaking amongst the fjords of Alaska’s Inside Passage.

The journey begins in Juneau, Alaska. Although part of the mainland, Juneau is not connected by any road system, making it a de facto island and the perfect place to start a sea kayaking expedition.

Tracy and Endicott Arms are fjords. Fjords are glacially carved valleys that have filled with sea water after the glaciers have receded, leaving typically a V-shaped and extremely deep body of water. About 45 miles south of Juneau, and adjacent to Stephens Passage, these two fjords are deep inside the Tongass National Forest and are designated wilderness areas, protected to ensure generations have access to them as they are for years to come. Both of these fjords are more than 30 miles long and have approximately twenty percent of their area covered by glaciers creating a field of floating icebergs in their waters during the spring, fall and summer seasons.

The end of each one of these fjords is the home of a massive glacier, the Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm and the Dawes Glacier in Endicott Arm. Wildlife in both of these fjords is rich and diverse. Cruising these waters are harbor seals, sea lions, and humpback whales to name just a few species. On shore, bears, both black and brown, and wolves stroll along the shoreline and in the mountains. Looking down on us from the cliffs above, mountain goats and wolverine can often be seen.

These deep bodies of water have complex interactions between offshore waters flowing in from Stephens Passage and the inner waters of the fjords. Cold water temperatures full of tons of nutrient-rich food and strong currents provide habitat for an incredible amount of sea life beneath the waters surface and are home to rare corals. The presence of these corals and other species has designated these waters as habitats of concern and afforded levels of protection to ensure it is available for research.

For seven days we will have the honor of paddling, hiking and camping in this unique wilderness area. When we are ready to climb aboard our boat for our return ride to Juneau, we will miss its beauty, but with a shower and the possibility of a pizza tonight, we wave goodbye and know we can return some day.