Enjoying Chilkat State Park in Beautiful Haines, Alaska

Haines is one of the few destinations in Southeast Alaska that you can visit via driving your car, and if you’re doing that, you can plan for some fun side trips when you’re here. Chilkat State Park is located just west of downtown Haines and is a beautiful place to hike, explore the forest and enjoy the turquoise coves of the Inside Passage. This isn’t something you can plan from a cruise ship, but is for the road tripper exploring Alaska by car.

We’ve got some great ideas for enjoying Chilkat State Park and experiencing nature all around Haines, Alaska. If you have any questions about planning your time here or driving to Alaska, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help others plan a memorable trip.

Highlights of Chilkat State Park

For me, Chilkat State Park is a great place to go to be alone with the beauty of Haines. Whether it’s for hiking or just staring at the water, there are places in the park that are just gorgeous and perfect for zoning out into Alaska. My favorite part of Chilkat State Park is actually the day use area at the end of the road. This is where you can launch a kayak, walk the shore trail, have a picnic or just chill. The Day Use area is beautiful and because it’s seemingly unexciting, it’s absolutely perfect. I also love the drive from downtown Haines out to the Day Use area of Chilkat State Park.

Another part of the park that is really lovely is the Battery Point trail area. There aren’t a ton of trails within Chilkat State Park, but what are here are great, and Battery Point is a favorite, both for locals and visitors. From here you can watch for eagles and whales and enjoy the views across the fjord. If there are cruise ships heading out of Skagway around sunset, this is one of the best places to watch them from. Battery Point isn’t a difficult hike, so it can be popular on a nice day. Enjoy the woods and views, but maybe don’t linger too long to allow others to enjoy the trail. You’ll see Battery Point from the Alaska Fjordlines boat or if you ride the Alaska Marine Highway to/from Haines.

There are two more big trails in Chilkat State Park, and the Ayiklutu Trail is the more popular of the two. It’s a long trail that’s a mix of the woods and the beach. If you’re in the mood for 7 miles of nature, go for it! For the best view in Chikat State Park, you can do the Mount Riley Trail, which is pretty intense, but then you get the epic panorama of Haines, the Lynn Canal and the Inside Passage all around. It really is something, but it is a difficult trail and you need to plan for it.

Tips for a Great Day in Chilkat State Park

When you’re planning your time at Chilkat State Park, decide if you want it to be a half day or whole day visit. If you’re thinking of having a half day visit, you can start with hiking the Battery Point Trail and enjoying it with about a two hour timeframe. From there head over the Mud Bay Road so you can hang out at the Day Use Area and enjoy a picnic or kayaking and walking the beach trail. Perfection! When you’re here you’ll fall in love with the beautiful of Southeast Alaska.

For a full day, do the Mount Riley Trail which will take 4 hours or so and will wear you out. Once you’re done, you can head over the day use area for an afternoon of relaxation and rock skipping. Have a picnic, enjoy some kayaking, walk along the beach. You choose. You’ll find that Chilkat State Park is just so very beautiful and peaceful that however much time you get, you’ll be happy and it’ll both be enough and you’ll want more.

Being Prepared Hiking in Chilkat State Park

For the Ayiklutu and Battery Point Trails, hiking boots are nice to have, or even, dare I say it, rubber boots. You can’t go wrong with a good pair of XTRATUFs especially if it’s been rainy. True, we’ve enjoyed hiking in Chilkat State Park just wearing tennis shoes, but we had to clean up afterwards. Bring a rain jacket because you are indeed in Southeast Alaska and you know how the weather can be fickle. In general, when you’re hiking in the woods you’re under a lot of cover, but you’ll still get dripped on a bit if it’s raining.

Whether you’re doing the Mount Riley hike or just heading to the day use area to enjoy the coves, be sure that you bring snacks or a picnic lunch. Once you’re out at Chilkat State Park there aren’t any services until you head back into town. It’s only five minutes or so back to town from the Battery Point Trail, but the others are farther.

Bring your camera gear when you come to Chilkat State Park! From the beach areas and coves you have a great chance of seeing bald eagles, whales and seals. Also, keep in mind that this is bear country, so although it might not be as likely to encounter a bear here as you might in Chilkoot Lake State Park on the other side of town, you still have a good chance. Be sure that you’re familiar with bear safety tips and if you are bringing bear spray, that you know how to use it properly.

Getting to Chilkat State Park in Haines

There is ample parking at each of the trailheads in Chilkat State Park. Of course if it’s a beautiful day and it’s peak summer season it may be a little busy, but it shouldn’t be bad at all. To get to Chilkat State Park, you do need to have a car or bike. Battery Point is the closest access point, then the Ayiklutu Trail and Day Use Area are in the same spot, which is about a twenty minute drive from downtown Haines. You can bike here easily, but you’ll have some elevation changes to conquer. The Mount Riley trailhead is located between town and the day use area (map link to trailhead here)

More Things to do in Haines

I feel like Haines is kind of this sort of secret spot on the Inside Passage. Most of the cruise ships go to Skagway or Icy Strait Point and completely miss Haines, which makes it wonderful and quiet. I love this town because there is lots to do and it’s beautiful. There are a few museums, you’ve got two state parks, lots of options for fishing, boat charters, LOTS of Chilkat Tlingit totem poles, art and more. Haines is the version of Alaska that I wish still existed all through the Inside Passage and up into South Central AK.

When you’re planning your visit to Haines and your activities, I think spending 3-4 nights is perfect. This gives you plenty of time to hike and enjoy the wildlife and rivers, but then also you can have time in town and up along the Haines Highway. Everyone has a different style of travel and activities they look for, and I think that’s what makes Haines such a good destination to visit.

Here are some of our recommendations for things to do in Haines: