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Gold Rush Legacy is a thoroughly modern history cruise along the Alaska Inside Passage. Relive the days of the '98 Gold Rush aboard an 88-guest replica Victorian steamer with all the amenities of today.

Discover ever-so-close shores along the 900 nautical miles of Canada and Alaska’s Inside Passage. Embrace snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, and tree-lined narrow passageways. View stunning glaciers and search for whales, bears, and eagles. Visit the old mining and trading towns of Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Skagway, Haines, and Juneau, and explore spectacular Glacier Bay National Park. And revel in the region's exciting past with special Heritage Adventure programming that combines on-board educational presentations, expert guest speakers, and character reenactments with tours ashore. This is a journey steeped in wildlife, history and culture.

Day 1 - Embark Seattle, Washington

Sailing from Seattle’s Fishermen's Terminal, transit the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and cruise along Seattle’s picturesque waterfront. Settle into the rhythm of the Salish Sea and begin your journey of discovery along the path of the Gold Rush.

Accommodations: S.S. Legacy
Included Meals: lunch and dinner

Day 2 - Friday Harbor & Salish Sea

Keep watch for the resident orca pods as the boat makes its way through the San Juan Islands. Explore the shops, galleries, and intriguing whale museum in charming Friday Harbor, once an important whaling center. Shaped and molded by the last ice age, forested islands dot the seascape of this yachter’s paradise.

Accommodations: S.S. Legacy
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 3 - Strait of Georgia & Johnstone Strait

Nestled between Vancouver Island and the mountainous mainland of British Columbia, the Strait of Georgia’s islands, fjords, and intricate waterways unfold before you. Sail north into Johnstone Strait — summer home to approximately 150 orca whales. Onboard Living History presentations unlock the storied past of these wild shorelines.

Accommodations: S.S. Legacy
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 4 - Canada's Inside Passage

Quiet reaches, whale watching, yoga on the deck, and engaging presentations fill your day in a landscape of glacially carved fjords and temperate rainforest. Passing by the Great Bear Rainforest, keep a watchful eye for the Kermode “spirit” bear, easily recognized by its white fur. Cruise past the ghost town of Butedale - founded in 1918 as a fishing, mining, and logging camp - before crossing the US/Canada border into Alaska.

Accommodations: S.S. Legacy
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 5 - Ketchikan, Alaska

Timing and tides deliver today’s scenic wonders before arriving in Ketchikan, “salmon capital of the world,” where it’s all ashore for a historic tour focused on Ketchikan’s local Tlingit culture. Discover the exceptional art forms of intricately carved totems, enjoy masterful storytelling with a local Tlingit guide, and don’t miss Dolly’s House in the former red light district of Creek Street.

Accommodations: S.S. Legacy
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 6 - Wrangell, Alaska

Established as a fur trading center by the Russians in the early 1800s, Wrangell is the only Alaskan town ever governed by four nations. In the late-1800s, it held a strategic location for Gold Rush prospectors and served as the launch point for pioneering conservationist John Muir’s famous glacier expedition.

Accommodations: S.S. Legacy
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 7 - Petersburg, Frederick Sound & Chatham Strait

Transit the Wrangell Narrows, a 22-mile winding, snake-like channel dubbed as “Christmas Tree Lane” for the abundant red and green navigational lights. Along the way, watch the shore for Sitka black-tailed deer, black bears, and seabirds. The “Town that Fish Built,” was founded over 100 years ago. Uncover the impact fishing had on Petersburg on a tour through town before getting underway for an afternoon of whale watching in the nutrient-rich waters of Frederick Sound and Chatham Strait.

Accommodations: S.S. Legacy
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 8 - Sergius Narrows & Sitka

Amidst the Tongass National Forest, you’ll navigate through Sergius Narrows, the “inside route” to Sitka — Southeast Alaska’s oldest non-Native settlement. A guided walk through Sitka National Historical Park — Alaska’s oldest federally designated park — and the Cathedral of St. Michael’s brings Sitka’s Russian American and Tlingit history to life.

Accommodations: S.S. Legacy
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 9 - Captain’s Choice, Chichagof Island & Icy Strait

Leave it to your Captain to uncover the best opportunities for today’s wilderness adventure. As your ship cruises along the shores of Chichagof Island and through the northern whale waters of Icy Strait, keep watch for the gentle humpbacks: feasting on krill, breaching, giving you the fluke.

Accommodations: S.S. Legacy
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 10 - Glacier Bay National Park

First established as a National Monument in 1925, Glacier Bay holds the status of National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Biosphere Reserve. Glaciers feature front and center today, and there are many to choose from: Margerie, Grand Pacific, Johns Hopkins, or Lamplugh. Cruise by Marble Islands and witness Steller sea lions barking on the rocky haul-out. Seabirds also flock to the area; murrelets, puffins, and black-legged kittiwakes are frequent residents. The 15,000-foot peaks of the Fairweather Range drape the skyline.

Accommodations: S.S. Legacy
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 11 - Haines & Skagway

This area thrived for years as an integral trade center to the Chilkat band of Tlingit natives, famous for their intricately designed blankets woven with mountain goat hair and cedar bark. Haines is home to the world's largest autumnal congregation of bald eagles. Take a tour in a signature 1920s-style bus in Skagway, gateway to the Chilkoot Trail, one of the original routes of the Klondike Gold Rush. Wooden boardwalks line the outer edges of the town’s historic buildings where tales of betrayal, fortune, and mystery come alive.

Accommodations: S.S. Legacy
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 12 - Disembark Juneau, Alaska

Disembark after breakfast for your transfer to the Juneau airport or to begin your add-on overnight stay or extended land tour.

Accommodations: n/a
Included Meals: breakfast



Itinerary Notes: Alaska Inside Passage cruises may occasionally alter itineraries slightly for safety, or to take advantage of weather, wildlife, and unplanned discoveries. This ability to be spontaneous makes the small ship style of cruising unique.

Included: All onboard meals, tastefully prepared with locally sourced ingredients where possible; fine wine, premium spirits and microbrews; exclusive transfers and baggage handling between airports/boat; port taxes and fees; entry fees to national parks/preserves; hot tub, sauna, yoga classes and a complimentary massage.

Exclusions: Airfare to and from your home city; discretionary gratuities to vessel’s crew, typically 5-10% of the cruise fare; travel insurance; optional excursions and land tours.

Room Configurations: Any stateroom (except designated Single) may be booked as a single for 175% of the double occupancy rate. Triple accommodations are available in the Admiral Staterooms 101 and 102. Quadruple accommodations are available in the Owner's Suite; inquire for pricing details.

Arrival & Departure: This cruise begins and ends in either Seattle, Washington or Juneau, Alaska depending on the date. Plan to arrive at the Seattle airport (JNU) no later 1:00pm and the Juneau Airport no later than 2:30pm on Day 1. On Day 12, the final day of the cruise, please do not schedule return flights until after 11:30am in Juneau and noon in Seattle.

Payment & Cancellation: A deposit of $1500 per traveler is required to secure a reservation. A Reservation Form, which includes a release of liability, must be completed and signed by all travelers. The balance of the trip price is due 90 days before the departure date. Guests who must cancel their trip for any reason must do so in writing. Cancellations are subject to the following per-person fees, based on number of days prior to departure:
91 days or more - 50% of initial deposit
90 to 61 days - Forfeiture of full deposit
60 to 46 days - 50% of gross fare
45 to 31 days - 75% of gross fare
30 to 0 days - 100% of gross fare

Terms & Conditions: 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 and extensive pre-departure and travel insurance information is sent upon confirmation.

Travel Insurance: We highly recommend our travelers protect their investment with travel insurance. Please note that you must purchase your travel insurance policy within 14 days of booking your trip for it to cover pre-existing medical conditions. Click the link below for a selection of policies from our partners at Travelex.



Qualifications: Gold Rush Legacy will be enjoyed by anyone with a love for history, nature and the outdoors.


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