Wrangell cruise port

Bears at Anan, jet boats up the Stikine and a town with no cruise crowds at all.

Wrangell is the Alaska port the big ships skip: a fishing town of about 2,000 people on the mouth of the Stikine River where small and mid-size ships tie up at the City Dock on the north end of Main Street and you walk straight into town. The two reasons to come are an hour south by boat (the brown and black bears fishing at Anan Creek) and an hour north by jet boat (Shakes Glacier and the icebergs of the Stikine), and the rest of the day is petroglyphs, totems and garnets sold by local kids on the dock. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at Wrangell from every line, priced with taxes and fees included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.

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DockedCity Dock at the north end of downtown, walk-off; no tenders

Town2 minutes on foot; US dollars, Alaska time

Jul 5 to Aug 25Anan bear permit season, highs in the low 60s

All inevery price includes taxes and fees

Start here

Three ways to do Wrangell

Go for the bears at Anan, run the Stikine by jet boat to a glacier, or walk the petroglyph beach and totems on your own; the buttons filter the list of sailings below.

Bears

Anan Wildlife Observatory

About 5 hours: a 35 mile boat ride down the Eastern Passage (about an hour) or a 20 minute floatplane, then a half-mile trail to the viewing deck over the salmon run
Black and brown bears, eagles and seals fishing side by side; permits run July 5 to August 25 with 60 visitors a day
About $420 to $750 per person through the ship as of 2026, permit and Forest Service fee included

Best for: wildlife photographers, bucket-list travelers, anyone who missed bears elsewhere

Jet boat

Stikine River and Shakes Glacier

3.5 to 4 hours in a covered, heated jet boat across the sandbars of the Stikine delta and up Shakes Slough to a lake full of icebergs
Seals, eagles and salmon on the way; some trips add Chief Shakes Hot Springs or LeConte Glacier, the southernmost tidewater glacier in North America
About $335 through the ship for Shakes Glacier, about $470 for the LeConte version, as of 2026

Best for: first-timers, families with older kids, glacier chasers

On your own

Petroglyphs, totems and garnets

Petroglyph Beach, a 20 minute walk north of the dock, with about 50 carvings believed to be 8,000 years old; go at low tide
Chief Shakes Island, a footbridge in the boat harbor to a Tlingit tribal house and six totems
The Nolan Center museum, Mount Dewey trail and a bag of garnets from the kids at the dock

Best for: walkers, history lovers, anyone on a budget

Live from the cruise lines

Wrangell cruises: SmartCruiser picks first

Every cruise that calls at Wrangell from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.

SmartCruiser picks

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Every cruise that calls at Wrangell

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Prices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.

Where you start

Home ports that sail to Wrangell

Pick a home port and the list above filters to cruises leaving from there; Wrangell is a small-ship call, so most sailings start in Vancouver, Seattle or Alaska itself.

VancouverHolland America, Seabourn, Windstar and Cunard Inside Passage sailings that add Wrangell to the usual Juneau and Ketchikan calls SeattleOceania and other premium 10 to 12 night Alaska round trips that have room for the smaller ports Seward (Anchorage)One-way Gulf of Alaska and Inside Passage voyages that end or begin in Seward Whittier (Anchorage)Longer one-way sailings between Whittier and Vancouver on premium lines San FranciscoOccasional 10 to 14 night Alaska round trips in spring and fall

In port

Things to do in Wrangell

Everything in town is within a mile of the City Dock; the bears and the glacier are a boat ride away and need to be booked before you sail.

Anan Wildlife ObservatoryThe best bear viewing in Southeast Alaska: a platform above a pink salmon run 30 miles south of town where black and brown bears, eagles and seals feed in July and August. About 5 hours by boat or floatplane, about $420 to $750 through the ship as of 2026; permits are limited to 60 visitors a day so book early.

Stikine River jet boat to Shakes GlacierA covered jet boat across the Stikine delta and up to Shakes Lake, where icebergs calve off a glacier at the head of the lake; 3.5 hours, about $335 through the ship. Local operators run 5 to 6 hour versions with a soak at Chief Shakes Hot Springs for about $200.

Petroglyph Beach State Historic SiteAbout 50 rock carvings on a beach under a mile north of the ferry terminal, with a boardwalk and viewing deck; free, 20 minutes on foot from the dock. Most carvings are underwater at high tide, so check the tide table and bring paper for rubbings of the replicas on the deck.

Chief Shakes Island and Tribal HouseA grassy islet in the boat harbor reached by a footbridge, with a restored Tlingit clan house and six totems, and eagles in the cottonwoods above. Free to walk, a small admission when the house is open; 10 minutes from the dock.

Nolan Center museumWrangell’s museum, visitor center and movie theater on the waterfront: four hand-carved Tlingit houseposts from the 1700s, Russian samovars, gold rush and fishing history and 3,000 old photographs. A small admission, 45 minutes, 5 minutes from the dock.

LeConte Glacier and whale watchingBoat trips to the southernmost tidewater glacier in North America, about 4 hours and about $470 through the ship, or a half-day whale and sea lion cruise through the islands; humpbacks and orcas are common from June to September.

Mount Dewey and Volunteer ParkA half-mile boardwalk trail climbs Mount Dewey from behind Main Street for a view over the harbor and your ship, 30 minutes round trip; the Volunteer Park loop is an easy mile through muskeg and rainforest. Both free.

Garnets at the dockWrangell’s garnet ledge on the Stikine was deeded to the children of the town, and local kids sell the dark red stones from folding tables when ships come in; a few dollars buys a handful and the best souvenir in Alaska.

Pick your style

Which lines call at Wrangell?

Wrangell has no megaship pier, so it is a premium, luxury and expedition call; the live list above shows exactly who is scheduled.

      Holland AmericaZaandam and Nieuw Amsterdam add Wrangell to Inside Passage sailings from Vancouver in 2027SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      SeabournSeabourn Encore on 7 to 14 night Alaska voyages from Vancouver and Juneau, with the Anan and Stikine excursions in its programSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      WindstarStar Seeker yacht-style Alaska itineraries from Vancouver with long days in the small portsSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Lindblad ExpeditionsNational Geographic Sea Lion and Sea Bird call most weeks in summer on Southeast Alaska expeditionsSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      American Cruise LinesAmerican Constellation and Ranger on Alaska coastal cruises, with a new floating dock planned near the Nolan Center for 2027SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      OceaniaOceania Riviera on 10 to 12 night Alaska sailings from Seattle and Vancouver in 2027SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      CunardQueen Elizabeth’s Vancouver round trips include a Wrangell day on some June sailingsSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Explora JourneysExplora III on luxury Alaska voyages in 2027SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
    

Timing

When to go

Wrangell is cool and damp all summer, with highs in the 50s and low 60s and rain about half the days; the bears decide the best weeks, and the permit season at Anan runs July 5 to August 25.

May to JuneHighs in the mid 50s, the driest weeks of the year, migrating birds on the Stikine delta in May and the first Lindblad and Windstar calls; bears are not yet at Anan

July to mid AugustHighs in the low 60s, the Anan salmon run and bear season at its peak, humpbacks and orcas in the channels; the month to pay for if the bears are the point

Late AugustStill 60s with more showers, the last Anan permits (August 25), salmon everywhere and Alaska Bearfest in town

SeptemberHighs in the mid 50s, rain most days and about 14 inches for the month, but the lowest fares and the Stikine still runnable; the season ends by early October

Good to know

Wrangell questions we answer every day

Where do cruise ships dock in Wrangell and how far is town?

Ships tie up at the City Dock, a T-shaped pier at the north end of downtown, and you walk off straight onto Front Street; there is no tendering and no shuttle needed. Shops, the Nolan Center and the boat harbor are within 5 minutes, Chief Shakes Island about 10, and Petroglyph Beach about 20 minutes north along the shore road. American Cruise Lines is building a second floating dock by the Nolan Center for 2027.

How do I get around Wrangell?

On foot for everything in town. There are only a couple of taxis and no rideshare, so the bear and jet boat trips should be booked ahead and they meet you at the dock. Local operators run a van to Petroglyph Beach and Rainbow Falls, and the Nolan Center desk can call a cab for Muskeg Meadows golf course or the Shoemaker Bay trails.

What currency, language and time zone?

US dollars and English. Wrangell is on Alaska Time, an hour behind Seattle and Vancouver, so check whether your ship keeps ship time. Cell service is fine in town and gone on the river; cards work almost everywhere, but bring small bills for the garnet sellers on the dock.

Is Wrangell safe?

Yes, it is a town of 2,000 where the main hazards are tides and bears. Check the tide table before Petroglyph Beach, stay on the trail at Anan and do exactly what the Forest Service steward says, and dress for rain on the boats; the jet boats have no restrooms, so plan accordingly.

Should I book Anan through the ship?

Yes. Anan permits are limited to 60 people a day and the guide companies hold almost all of them, so the ship’s allocation is usually the only way in on a cruise day; it sells out months ahead. The Stikine jet boat trips have more room, but on a short call book through the ship so you are covered if the river runs late.

Do I need a passport for an Alaska cruise?

Round trips from Seattle or San Francisco are closed-loop sailings, so US citizens may sail with a government photo ID plus an original or certified birth certificate, but we recommend a passport. Cruises that start or end in Vancouver, Seward or Whittier, and any one-way sailing, require a valid passport.

Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?

Yes. Every price on this page includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions and gratuities are extra.

Talk to a Wrangell cruise specialist

Only a handful of ships call here and the Anan permits go first, so tell us your dates and we will find the small-ship sailing that includes Wrangell and carries SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.

1-800-444-1560