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Cruise with local Alaskans on a lovingly restored 12 passenger research yacht. Explore rugged coastal wilderness of Alaska’s Inside Passage from the gold rush capitol Juneau to the Scandanavian fishing village of Petersburg. Cruise among an island studded marine wilderness managed by the Tongass National Forest. Visit Frederick Sound, Baranof Wilderness, Tracy Arm-Ford’s Terror Wilderness including Endicott Arm. Spring cruises in May also include several days of up close exploration inside Glacier Bay National Park. Days are spent kayaking, exploring ashore, looking for wildlife while evenings offer quite solitude in secluded anchorages, a hot shower and warm bed. An Alaska cruise aboard the Catalyst is like having your own floating wilderness lodge, run by local Alaskans. Weekly summer cruises are available for individuals, families or small groups. This cruise is also available as a custom charter.

We are proud this trip was featured in National Geographic Magazine's October 2006 Top 50 Tours of a Lifetime.

Read a Staff Trip Report

Day 1 - Arrive Petersburg

Welcome aboard! Meet the MV Catalyst and her crew in the South Harbor near downtown Petersburg. Passengers are welcome to come aboard at 12:30pm. Stow your gear, explore your floating home, and meet your fellow travelers. After an orientation and safety meeting on the foredeck, we will be underway at 1:15 to begin our coastal exploration. We will head North through Wrangell narrows and into Frederick Sound, enjoying a buffet lunch on the way. Our first anchorage is Scenery Cove in Thomas Bay-a remote anchorage etched into slopes of towering spruce. Tides permitting, a boat-ride and hike provide a unique opportunity to time-travel back to the Ice Age. We'll explore the Baird Glacier's cobbled outwash plain and touch the glacier's icy foot! This evening, everyone is thoroughly introduced to sea kayaking, paddling, and safety skills. Our five stable two-person kayaks are great for beginners; three single kayaks allow seasoned boaters to enjoy their skills.

Accommodations: Pacific Catalyst
Included Meals: lunch and dinner

Day 2 - Frederick Sound Whale-Watching

The aroma of fresh-baked scones wafting from the galley beckons you to breakfast. Soon we are underway, bound for the Brothers Islands-in the heart of Frederick Sound. This is one of the premier places in the world to observe the feeding behaviors of Humpback Whales. Drifting with the engine shut down, we can watch them breach or lunge-feed and listen to their sonorous calls with our hydrophone. Keep watch for bow-riding Dall Porpoises and Orca Whale's six-foot-tall dorsal fin. We'll explore a temperate rainforest cushioned by mattress-thick sphagnum moss and test our kayak skills watching for sea creatures in exposed tide pools.

Accommodations: Pacific Catalyst
Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 3 - Admiralty Island

This morning we may awaken to the sounds of seabirds and marine mammals. A Steller's Sea Lion haulout is close by, where several hundred of the vocal 1200-pound bulls, cows and pups summer. We will explore the Brothers by kayak and discover the incredible diversity of marine and shore life including kelp forests, wildflowers, and nesting Pigeon Guillemots and Oyster Catchers. By midday we head for Pybus Bay on Admiralty Island-and the Kootznoowoo Wilderness. Nearly 100-miles long, Admiralty is one North America's largest protected old-growth rainforests, and is home to one of the world's densest populations of brown bears and bald eagles. Cathedral-like Sitka Spruce and Hemlock open into a vast estuarine river where acres of sedges and droves of spawning salmon support gorging brown bears.

Accommodations: Pacific Catalyst
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 4 - Endicott Arm

The Catalyst is underway early this morning as we travel up Stephens Passage toward Wood Spit and Endicott Arm. We watch for whales along the way, stopping to listen to them breathing as they prepare to dive for krill or bubble net for herring. Reaching Wood Spit, the terminal moraine of Dawes Glacier, we will take a hike and be introduced to the fascinating geology of this glacial area, its Tlingit culture and gold rush history. The spit is frequented by deer, wolf, nesting bald eagles, and an array of sea birds. We’ll drop a few crab pots to pick up on our way out in a few days.

Accommodations: Pacific Catalyst
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 5 - Dawes Glacier

This morning enjoy the majestic views as the Catalyst dodges icebergs and winds her way into the fjord, watching for bear and moose along the way. It is twenty seven miles up the Arm to the face of Dawes Glacier where we will linger for awhile to witness the calving and booming of the burgs. Then we will make our way to a seldom visited anchorage called Ford’s Terror to enjoy the late light of Alaska’s summer, from the perspective of a kayak. Surrounded by 5,000 foot granite faces, the mist hanging to the precipices, the vessel is suspended in crystal clear water, and we will kayak through the tidal rapids (at slack water of course) and paddle into the majestic inner fjord.

Accommodations: Pacific Catalyst
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 6 - Ford's Terror

Waking in the morning we will hike the highlands of Ford’s Terror unique glacial caused ecosystem of alpine, bog and forest and view the raging tidal rapids from above. We will then head out the Endicott Arm watching for bear, moose, wolves, and whales. Tides permitting, we may stop to hike a meadow and woods as we motor out of Endicott Arm, picking up our crab pots on the way and mosey up to drop the anchor at Limestone Inlet. Here we will paddle up the estuary river or explore it by skiff.

Accommodations: Pacific Catalyst
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 7 - Stephens Passage, Juneau

Brunch is served underway as we head north through Stephens Passage-a deep and lovely stretch of sea slicing between mountain ranges. Fog and low clouds often striate the early morning water. Seabirds raft in the bays where mini-icebergs escape with the tide. We'll keep a lookout for Humpback Whales and Orcas knifing the brackish waters. The MV Catalyst reaches Juneau-Alaska's state capital-about 10:00 am. We bid farewell to our new friends and hope you join us for another adventure soon on the Inside Passage.

Accommodations: na
Included Meals: breakfast

Reverse Itinerary:

Day 1: Juneau, Stephens Pass
Day 2: Ford's Terror
Day 3: Dawes Glacier
Day 4: Endicott Arm
Day 5: Admiralty Island
Day 6: Frederick Sound
Day 7: Petersburg


Notes on Itinerary: We may occasionally alter itineraries slightly for safety, or to take advantage of weather, wildlife, and unplanned discoveries. Our ability to be spontaneous makes our style of cruising unique. In addition to the standard and reverse itineraries listed above, we are also offering the following special departures.

2010 Special Departures
May 20 2010 Juneau to Juneau
July 18 2010 Petersburg to Craig
July 25 2010 Craig to Petersburg
Aug 15 2010 Petersburg to Ketchikan
Aug 22 2009 Ketchikan, AK to Friday Harbor, WA

Please Call For Details


Private Charters: You can charter the Catalyst for your special family or group. Call for details.

Single Travelers: Single cabin available. There is a 50% Single Supplement for single travelers in a double cabin.

Cost Includes: The following costs include accommodations, excursions, entrance fees, leadership, crew, all meals, local guides, and permits, unless otherwise indicated in the itinerary. We reserve the right to make any changes in the itinerary or to substitute modes of transport or guides, from those mentioned in the literature.

Not Included: The cost of air flights, unless otherwise indicated in the itinerary, airport taxes, passports, visas, immunizations, insurance of any kind, laundry, excess baggage, items of a personal nature, medical costs, costs of hospitalization, additional expenses arising from the delay or extension of a trip due to weather, political disputes, illness, failure of transportation, or other causes beyond our control.

Arrival/Departure: Depending on the dates of travel, this trip begins in Petersburg (PSG) or Juneau (JNU), Alaska and ends in Juneau or Petersburg, Alaska. Airport transfers are by your own arrangement. Welcome aboard starts at 12:30pm and the vessel embarks at 1:15pm. On Day 7, the cruise finishes and disembarks at about 10:00am. Please do not schedule your return flights until after 11:00am.


Payment and Cancellation Policy: Please see AdventureSmith Explorations Terms and Conditions.We highly recommend our travelers protect their investment with

Accommodations Aboard: Your comfortable home-base throughout Alaska will be aboard the M/Y Catalyst. This 75-foot vessel accommodates up to 12 guests in 5 comfortable cabins. The cabins share 2 bathrooms and 1 shower. There are 4 double and 3 single kayaks aboard.

Qualifications: These trips will be enjoyed by anyone with a love for nature and the outdoors.

Extending Your Trip: Call AdventureSmith Explorations about the possibilities of combining trips to Denali National Park and more.

General Information: This trip is subject to AdventureSmith Explorations Terms and Conditions. Please read this information carefully and call us if you have any questions. A packing list, extensive pre-departure and travel insurance information is sent upon confirmation. We strongly recommend the purchase of Trip Insurance through AdventureSmith Explorations. If purchased within 14 days of sign-up, the pre-existing condition exclusion is waived.

We look forward to having you join us for the trip of a lifetime! Call today.

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