Editing Inside Passage (section)

==Route==
[[Image:Inside Passage aboard MV Queen of Prince Rupert, British Columbia.jpg|thumb|The Inside Passage in British Columbia]]

It is generally accepted that the southernmost point of the Inside Passage is [[Olympia, Washington|Olympia]], Washington, which is also the southernmost point of [[Puget Sound]]. Moving north, the passage continues into the waters of the greater [[Salish Sea]]. It then passes through the [[Strait of Georgia]] and [[Johnstone Strait]], between northeastern [[Vancouver Island]] and the coast of mainland British Columbia. From there it continues further northwest into the [[Southeast Alaska|Alaska Panhandle]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Merriam-Webster |first= Richard |title= Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Encyclopedia |publisher= Merriam-Webster |year= 2000 |isbn= 978-0-87779-017-4 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=V2d12iZkgOwC |page= 808}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Manning |first= Richard |title= Inside Passage: A Journey Beyond Borders |publisher= Island Press |year= 2001 |isbn= 978-1-55963-655-1 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=D7OULK95PfcC |page= 113}}</ref> The northernmost points of the Passage are [[Haines, Alaska|Haines]] and [[Skagway, Alaska|Skagway]] at the head of the Lynn Canal. As a result of often uncertain weather, large tidal range, fast or unpredictable currents, and infrequent safe anchorages, navigating the Inside Passage can be difficult. 

During the [[Klondike Gold Rush]] the passage was one of the sea routes from Seattle and California, carrying American prospectors northward.

Today, approximately 36,000 recreational cruising boats utilize portions of the Inside Passage route. <ref>[Brant Thornton/Mark Bunzel/Wagooneer.</ref>{{Better source|date=February 2020}} The nonprofit [[Marine Exchange of Alaska]] plots and follows vessel traffic in the Alaskan section of the Inside Passage.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Marine Exchange of Alaska (MXAK) - Juneau, Alaska|url=https://www.mxak.org/|access-date=2021-01-27|website=Marine Exchange of Alaska|language=en-US}}</ref> Captain Warren Good has catalogued some 3,641 shipwrecks along the Alaska portion of the Passage.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alaska Shipwrecks – A Comprehensive Accounting of Alaska Shipwrecks and Losses of Life in Alaskan Waters|url=https://alaskashipwreck.com/|access-date=2021-01-27|language=en-US}}</ref> The Underwater Archeological Society of British Columbia conducts periodic Regional Shipwreck Surveys.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Regional Shipwreck Surveys {{!}} Underwater Archaeological Society of British Columbia|url=https://www.uasbc.com/communications/regional-shipwreck-surveys|access-date=2021-01-28|website=www.uasbc.com}}</ref>

===Washington portion===
Washington's portion of the route is made up almost entirely of the waterways of [[Puget Sound]]. Starting from the southernmost point of [[Budd Inlet]], the waterway turns toward the northeast and broadens as it becomes the [[Nisqually Reach]] of Puget Sound. The waterway then continues northeast, through the [[Tacoma Narrows]], northward toward the [[San Juan Islands]] just southeast of the border with [[Canada]].

===British Columbia portion===
British Columbia's 1,125 km (700 mi) portion of the route includes the wide, protected [[Strait of Georgia]] between [[Vancouver Island]] and the B.C. mainland, the narrow [[Johnstone Strait]] and [[Discovery Passage]] between [[Vancouver Island]] and the mainland, Blackfish Sound at the northern end of Vancouver Island as well as a long stretch of 400 km (250 mi) between islands and reaches or along the wider and more exposed [[Hecate Strait]] near [[Haida Gwaii]] (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands). From [[Fitz Hugh Sound]] northwards, the route is sheltered from Pacific winds and waves by the various large islands in the area such as [[Princess Royal Island]] and [[Pitt Island (Canada)|Pitt Island]]. This section includes a series of channels and straits, from south to north: [[Fisher Channel]], [[Lama Passage]], [[Seaforth Channel]], [[Milbanke Sound]], [[Finlayson Channel]], [[Sarah Passage]], [[Tolmie Channel]], [[Princess Royal Channel]] (includes Graham Reach and Fraser Reach), [[McKay Reach]], [[Wright Sound]], [[Grenville Channel]], [[Arthur Passage]], and [[Chatham Sound]].

===Alaska portion===
[[Image:Alaska Panhandle.png|thumb|300px|right|A map of the Alaskan portion of the Inside Passage.]]
Alaska's portion of the Inside Passage extends {{convert|500|mi|km}} from north to south and {{convert|100|mi|km}} from east to west. The area encompasses 1,000 islands and thousands of coves and bays. While the [[Alexander Archipelago]] in Alaska provides some protection from the [[Pacific Ocean]] weather, much of the area experiences strong semi-[[Day|diurnal]] [[tide]]s. [[Lynn Canal]] is the northernmost waterway of the Inside Passage.