Anchorage Daily News

Although I love to travel by air, it's not as relaxing as a cruise. And in Alaska, some of the best cruises are on the Alaska Marine Highway.

Oh, most travelers to Alaska's Inside Passage sail on the large ships that cruise up from Seattle and Vancouver. These floating resorts feature multi-story atriums, shopping malls, rock-climbing walls, spas and top-shelf restaurants. In Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway, three or four of them arrive each day with thousands of folks who want to see Alaska. They have about four to six hours in port before sailing off to the next destination. Cruises like this are enormously popular -- and Alaska is a favorite destination.

Contrast that with the small fleet of ships operated by the State of Alaska, each one named after an Alaska glacier. Although they call in the same major towns, they tie up at dedicated terminals to accommodate cars and trucks and typically haul vital supplies to smaller ports like Pelican, Tenakee Springs, Angoon and Petersburg. Some of the ships have cabins, while others offer oversized chairs so folks can doze off between ports.

The ferries link towns and villages together like a major road, which is why it's called the "Marine Highway." Besides vacationers, you'll find school groups, business travelers and a mix of local folks going to the next town or farther down the coast.

Food service is simple, and the meals we had on the Matanuska between Juneau and Ketchikan were good. Folks on the ferry serve up Alaska seafood -- and my favorite was the shrimp salad.

One of the unique features on the ferry is the solarium on the top deck. Here, travelers grab chaise lounges and spread out their sleeping bags for the entire voyage. Travelers are welcome to bring their own food on board -- and there are public showers available. Typically, folks will bring their food into the cafeteria area and grab a hot cup of coffee or tea.

Rates on the ferry are reasonable. Between Ketchikan and Juneau, the cost is $107 each way. Depending on the vessel, a double cabin for the journey costs a little more than $100. Pick your itinerary carefully: some ships sail directly between the two cities, stopping in Wrangell and Petersburg. Others include Sitka on the itinerary, which adds 12 more hours.

If you're going between Juneau and Sitka or between Juneau and Petersburg, sail on the Fairweather, the new fast ferry, which cuts travel time in half!

In addition to the service in Southeast Alaska, the ferry operates between Whittier and Valdez, Cordova and Kodiak. The Tustumena sails from Kodiak down the Aleutian chain all the way to Dutch Harbor. And the Kennicott sails once a month from Whittier to Juneau.

As the ferries go in for their seasonal upgrades, free wireless Internet is being added on some of the ships. The Malaspina has it already -- and the Matanuska is scheduled to get the upgrade this winter.

For summertime travel, the See Alaska Pass offers a 25 percent discount for walk-on passengers who start or finish their travel in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. You can make up to three stops. Choose from Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Juneau or Haines.

Other specials are available during the fall and winter. Between Oct. 1 and April 30, the driver goes free with the vehicle. And between Nov. 1 and March 31, there is a 30 percent discount on roundtrip travel. The discount does not apply to cabins -- only to passenger fares.

Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based travel marketing consultant. Contact him via his travel blog: www.alaskatravelgram.com.

Scott's tips

• ALASKA MARINE HIGHWAY. Check the site for specials and schedules. www.ferry alaska.com

• SOUTHEAST ALASKA TRAIL SYSTEM. Check out the trails in Southeast Alaska. www.seatrails.org

• TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST. Much of Southeast Alaska is included in Tongass National Forest. There is an extensive network of cabins available for travelers. www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass

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