Craig Alaska Travel Information

Visitors to Prince of Wales Island have a number of options when planning a trip to the island. Most travelers (and locals) use the new ferry, the MV Prince of Wales. Prior to the launch of this vessel in 2002, the run from Ketchikan was served by the Alaska Marine Highway System. With increased need for daily service, a number of communities organized what is now known as the Inter-Island Ferry Authority or IFA.The MV Prince of Wales features a cafeteria served by a local restaurant in Craig, an obsevation lounge up front with airplane style seating and a few tables along each side for larger groups, a reading room with computer stations, a quiet room and solarium. The ship is approximately 200 feet long, can carry 150 passengers and 30 vehicles, and averages 15 knots on its three hour run from Ketchikan to Hollis. It runs twice daily from mid-May to September and then slows service to one boat per day each way.

For a different type of adventure, try taking a float plane from Ketchikan to Prince of Wales. Flying to Hollis takes about 30 minutes, while crossing the island to Craig brings the trip to just under an hour. The are numerous charter flight operations that offer both scheduled trips to many of the islands waterside communities or the option of scheduling your own charter route to access the vast and bountiful Prince of Wales backcountry. Wheeled planes, although not as popular, travel from the Ketchikan airport to Klawock, which has a mile-long paved runway.

Getting to Ketchikan to begin your Prince of Wales adventure is the easy part. Ketchikan is serviced by Alaska Airlines jet service on a daily basis from Seattle to the south and Anchorage to the north. Alaska Airlines also serves the other southeast towns of Wrangell, Juneau, Petersburg, and Sitka. If you are not in a rush or plan to bring your vehicle to Southeast Alaska, the Alaska Marine Highway System travels north from Bellingham,Washington taking approximately two days to reach Ketchikan. Another option is to drive through Canada and embark in Prince Rupert to make the six hour trip across to Ketchikan.

IFA and AMHS photos by Spink