Editing Inside Passage

{{Short description|Shipping route along the northwest coast of North America}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2019}}
[[File:Inside Passage map.png|thumb|right|300px|Major waterways and cities of the Inside Passage.]]
The '''Inside Passage''' ({{langx|fr|Passage Intérieur}}) is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of [[Strait|passage]]s which weave through the islands on the [[Pacific Northwest]] coast of the [[North American Pacific Fjordland|North American Fjordland]]. The route extends from southeastern [[Alaska]] in the [[United States]], through western [[British Columbia]] in [[Canada]], to northwestern [[Washington (state)|Washington state]] in the United States. Ships using the route can avoid some of the bad weather in the open ocean and may visit some of the many isolated communities along the route. The Inside Passage is heavily travelled by [[cruise ships]], [[cargo ship|freighters]], tugs with tows, fishing craft, pleasure craft, and ships of the [[Alaska Marine Highway]], [[BC Ferries]], and [[Washington State Ferries]] systems. Coast Guard vessels of both Canada and the United States patrol and transit in the Passage. 

The term "Inside Passage" is also often used to refer to the ocean and islands around the passage itself.

==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.

==Tourism==
The Inside Passage is a popular tourism destination. The coastal mountain ranges and islands offer wildlife viewing and opportunities for boating, fishing, kayaking, camping and hiking. Wildlife viewing in the region ranges from birding to whale watching and bear viewing. Designated bear viewing is available at Anan Creek near Wrangell and at Pack Creek Bear Sanctuary on Admiralty Island near Juneau.

The most popular way to explore the Inside Passage during summer is by cruise ship. Over 2 million people take cruises each year in this region, impacting the local economy significantly. Because there are few restrictions on ship size, all of the large main line cruise ships offer Inside Passage itineraries. Some of the major players include Norwegian, Disney, Princess, Celebrity Cunard, etc. Most of these cruises offer round-trips from either Vancouver or Seattle. Cruise ship travel in 2020 was cancelled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic|Coronavirus Pandemic]] and uncertainty continued through February 2022 when Canada had kept cruise ships banned.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Harbormaster preparing for cruise ship season, how big unknown|url=https://www.kinyradio.com/news/news-of-the-north/harbormaster-preparing-for-cruise-ship-season-how-big-unknown/|access-date=2021-01-28|website=KINY|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-04|title=Canada bans cruise ships for another year, likely halting most of Alaska's 2021 tourism season|url=https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2021/02/04/canada-bans-cruise-ships-until-2022-likely-halting-most-of-alaskas-tourist-season/|access-date=2021-02-05|website=Anchorage Daily News|language=en-US}}</ref>  

Although a smaller industry, there are also a handful of expedition cruises that explore the Inside Passage. These ships tend to be smaller than main line cruises and focus more on wildlife watching. National Geographic operate several expedition boats here.

==1994 Transit Fee Crisis==
During the [[Pacific Salmon War|salmon treaty negotiations]] in early 1994, Canada concluded that the United States was not responsive to Canada's concerns. 
Accordingly, on June 15, 1994, Canada imposed a transit fee on all US commercial fishing boats using the Canadian Inside Passage. This fee was eventually lifted through bilateral negotiations. The crisis remained peaceful and there were no violent incidents between US fishing boats and Canadian enforcement officials.<ref name="Fishing for Answers">{{cite journal
 | author = Colin B. Picker
 | title = Fishing for Answers in Canada's Inside Passage: Exploring the Use of the Transit Fee as a Countermeasure
 | journal = Yale Journal of International Law
 | volume = 21
 | pages = 349–393
 | date = 1996 }}</ref>

In response to the Canadian action, on October 24, 1995, the US Congress passed an amendment to the Fishermen's Protective Act, adding provisions permitting the U.S. government to directly reimburse US fishers for fines and other costs associated with seizures by foreign governments.<ref name="Fishing for Answers"/>

==Cultural references==
British author [[Jonathan Raban]] described his journey by boat through the Inside Passage from Seattle to Juneau in his 1999 travelogue ''[[Passage to Juneau: A Sea and Its Meanings]]''.

In ''[[The Curve of Time]]'' (1961), Canadian [[travel literature|travel writer]] [[M. Wylie Blanchet]] chronicled her travels by boat in the 1920s and 1930s with her five children throughout the Inside Passage waters between [[Vancouver Island]] and the mainland.  Blanchet's biographer states that the book has become "one of the leading books on cruising the Inside Passage from the southeast coast of Vancouver Island to [[Cape Caution]]".<ref name="Converse">{{cite book
 |last1                = Converse
 |first1               = Cathy
 |author-link1         =
 |editor-last1         = Horsdal
 |editor-first1        = Marlyn
 |date                 = 2018
 |orig-date            = 2008
 |title                = Following the Curve of Time: The Untold Story of Capi Blanchet
 |url                  = 
 |url-status           =
 |format               = 
 |type                 = Book
 |language             = English
 |edition              = 2nd
 |publication-place    =
 |location             = 
 |publisher            = TouchWood Editions
 |isbn                 = 978-1-77151-296-1
 |quote                =
 |script-quote         =
 |trans-quote          =
 |quote-page           =
 |quote-pages          =
 }}</ref>{{rp|5}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Alaska}}
*[[Southeast Alaska]]
*[[British Columbia Coast]]
*[[Alaska Marine Highway]]
*[[BC Ferries]]
*[[Washington State Ferries]]
*[[MV Queen of the North|MV ''Queen of the North'']]
*''[[SS Princess Sophia]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.alaskasinsidepassage.com Travel information on Alaska's Inside Passage]
* [http://hanbanphotos.com/insidepassage/ Inside Passage Photo Gallery]
* [https://archives-manuscripts.dartmouth.edu/repositories/2/resources/2291 Alaskan voyage of the Ulanah Photographic Album] at Dartmouth College Library

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Miller|first=Robert H.|title=Kayaking the Inside Passage: A Paddler's Guide from Olympia, Washington to Muir Glacier, Alaska|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nVOgGwAACAAJ|year=2005|publisher=Countryman Press|isbn=978-0-88150-642-6}}

{{Alaska}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Alexander Archipelago]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Alaska]]
[[Category:Coast of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Tourism regions of Alaska]]
[[Category:Water transport in British Columbia]]
[[Category:Water transportation in Alaska]]