Exploring the Haines Highway: Beautiful Things to See and Do with Your Own Car

I love hearing about people exploring Southeast Alaska on their own by driving or taking the Alaska Marine Highway between ports. When you get to Haines at the northern end of the Inside Passage you’ve got a wonderful adventure ahead. The Haines Highway, a 40 mile stretch from the town of Haines, Alaska to the Canadian border, has lots of beautiful stops to make. If you’re driving in from the AlCan Highway or just arrived via a boat, you can easily plan this scenic drive for a half or whole day and have a great time.

Are you trying to figure out your own trip through Southeast Alaska or to Haines and you’re not quite sure how to make it work? Take our Haines Highways plan and mix it with your other itinerary bits to make a great visit to one of the prettiest places in Southeast Alaska. If you have any questions about visiting Haines or need additional suggestions, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help YOU put together an unforgettable Alaska trip.

Places to Explore Around Haines with Your Own Car

I think one of the best things about doing the Inside Passage without a cruise ship is getting the freedom to explore on your own and driving beyond the areas that are walkable from the port. With Haines, this means having access to the Chilkat Valley and the fjord on the way to Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Area. There are some wonderful stops to make along the way for bear viewing and enjoying the epic landscape. Here are five places that you should try to visit when you’re exploring in Haines with your own vehicle:

Drive the Haines Highway

Head north out of town along the Chilkat River and see what you’ll find along the Haines Highway. Haines Road goes from downtown and through the river valley for about 40 miles before you hit the British Columbia border and cross into Canada. There are some beautiful stops to make along the way through. The first is just after you start to head north, and that’s the airport.

I know this sounds anticlimactic, but the airport is a unique spot due to its development on the river and that it’s one of the few places around Haines where you’re likely to see a moose. Moose aren’t as common in Southeast Alaska as they are on the Kenai Peninsula or in Denali National Park, but they can show up. This is an interesting spot also because with the depositing of rocks and dirt from up river, over the years the land here has grown so the person who owned the land initially actually has more now than when he purchased it.

Bald Eagle Preserve

While the best way to experience the Bald Eagle Preserve is to do a float trip on the Chilkat River, you can also visit as a stop-off on your drive on the Haines Highway. There’s a really wonderful interpretive area on the west side of the road full of exhibits about bald eagles, bears, fish and the changing seasons in Alaska. The best part is actually walking the boardwalk and trail system along the Chilkat River to look for wildlife. It’s beautiful and most of it is even wheelchair accessible. I find that the Bald Eagle Preserve interpretive area is one of the best places to sit and see what wildlife comes wandering through.

Visit Mosquito Lake

If you’ve come to Haines with the plan to go fishing, you’ve probably already found some great spots that you love, but if you want a totally different sort of fishing experience or if you just want a quiet picnic area, Mosquito Lake is beautiful and calm, worlds away from the tourists you may see in downtown Haines. The drive is gorgeous, and as you come down to lake level it’s just peaceful and the water is so calm. I will say that there are times that the mosquitoes are intense, hence the name of the lake, but in early summer or early fall it’s perfection for a picnic or fishing.

Jilkaat Kwan Native Heritage Center

It’s worth the drive to visit the Jilkaat Kwan Native Heritage Center if you can do it on a day that it’s open. Set on the Chilkat River, the Jilkaat Kwan Center is a wonderful place to see what’s happening currently with the Tlingit Nation in the Haines area, including art, historical exhibits and photos, and wonderful people to talk with. It’s a beautiful setting and if you’re visiting the museum, you can enjoy a picnic along the river as well. If there are tribal events happening, please be respectful in both your presence and photography. If the event is private or “tribe members only” that is a directive to visit at another time.

10 Mile on the Haines Highway

I know this is random, but there’s a spot around Mile 10 on the Haines Road with several pull offs so that you can enjoy the nature of the area (they’re actually for powerline access). There are several small trails and viewing areas here and it’s a great opportunity to see bears and spawning salmon. The creek flows down the hill through a large culvert into a side stream of the Chilkat River, and this is a great spot for wildlife photography. One day we stopped to do underwater photos of salmon and it was amazing… and then a brown bear showed up and life got real really quickly. The trails on both sides of the highway showed signs of bear activity, but it’s still surprising when it happens while you’re there.

Welcome to Alaska Sign

There are only a few of the “Welcome to Alaska” signs that you can stop at, and most of them require being on an epic road trip. The border crossing sign on Haines Road is actually manageable with just a nice day trip and you don’t even have to cross into Canada. It’s about an hour’s drive from downtown to the Welcome to Alaska sign, but if you want another iconic Haines photo, this is it.

Chilkat Valley Overlook

The whole drive on the Haines Highway is beautiful, but there is a viewpoint you cannot miss. The overlook where you can see the Chilkat River and surrounding range and it’s gorgeous. There are exhibits about spawning salmon, wildlife migration, and just breathtaking views. Also, there are some stone carvings of bears, which is so fitting for the area. If you brought snacks or wine, this is a great place to enjoy them.

Places to Go Beyond Downtown Haines

For exploring off the Haines Highway and branching out from town, you have two options. One is to head east, up the Fjord, called the Lynn Canal, towards Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Area, and the other is to head west to Chilkat State Park.

Driving Along Lynn Canal

As you drive, the mountains meet the sea and it’s pure perfection. Don’t miss the “Welcome to Haines” sign just outside of town, complete with beautiful totem poles and the perfect view. There are several pulloffs you can use to just enjoy the views, but as you get closer to the Chilkoot River and you’re driving along the Lynn Canal there are some tidelands that are wonderful for watching bears.

Coastal brown bears appreciate a sunset just as much as you and I, so keep your eyes on the shore of the fjord and hopefully you’ll see some brown bears and bald eagles. Late afternoon and dusk are the best times to visit and the bears may be active near the road or down on the rocks. You might even spy them resting in the grass and just being cute.

Chilkoot River and Lake

Continuing on Lutak Road along the fjord, Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Area is another stop you need to make when you’re out driving. There is a weir in the river where they count the salmon that head upstream to spawn and the bears have figured out that this is THE place to go fishing. Every night in the summer it seems, the bears come out of the woods and enjoy their evening meal and fun along the river. If there aren’t any bears during your visit, continue onto the lake and watch the eagles and take in the sunset on the surrounding mountains. It’s all so pretty and you’ll fall in love with Haines just by visiting the area at sunset.

Chilkat State Park and the West

Haines seems like it stops at Fort William Henry Seward, but if you keep heading west you’ll find that there are some wonderful trails through the woods and to the beaches. Portage Cove and Battery Point are really nice and great places to wander the woods heading for the water. You can do a few different hikes from here, and they aren’t even too crazy with elevation as you’re just heading down to the water. If you plug Chilkat State Park into your directions, you’ll have a bit further to go and you’ll love it. Quiet coves with fishing boats, wildlife, and eventually a long gravel road down to the water makes for a wonderful afternoon adventure. There are so many beautiful spots like this around Haines, and you’ll enjoy exploring each one.

Being Prepared for Driving Around Haines, Alaska

As you plan your Haines Highway adventure and exploring on your own beyond downtown, keep in mind that services are very limited. Get gas BEFORE you leave town and bring snacks and lunch with you. You can find food at 33 Mile Roadhouse when you’re nearing the Canadian border, but besides that and the Jilkaat Kwan Native Heritage Center you won’t likely meet too many people and there are no other services. That’s one of the joys of exploring the Haines area on your own.

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: