The 1899 Harriman Expedition that first charted this spectacular fjord carried several noted university professors on board, and they named the fjord’s glaciers after prestigious East Coast colleges such as Harvard and Yale.

Sitka was founded by Russian fur traders in 1799 as the city of New Archangel, and there is still a discernible Russian influence here, including the distinctive St Michael’s Orthodox Cathedral. The town also enjoys spectacular natural surroundings, facing the Pacific Ocean and dramatic Mount Edgecumbe.

Point Adolphus, on the northern tip of Alaska’s Chichagof Island, is a fantastic place to see humpback whales, lured here by the nutrient-rich waters during the summer. It’s also a top birding spot, with species including marbled murrelets, pigeon guillemots, Pacific loons, pelagic cormorants and black-legged kittiwakes.

Situated at the northern end of the Inside Passage, Skagway is an impressively well preserved former gold rush town, with a charming historic centre that’s easy to explore on foot. Popular activities include hiking to the pristine Lower Dewey Lake and the scenic train ride along the old gold rush route.

Kake is the main settlement on Kupreanof Island, and is a great place to learn about the culture of the indigenous Tlingit people, who make up 70% of the population here. It’s also a prime spot for whale watching and bear spotting, and there are a number of hiking trails around the island.

Founded by a Norwegian in the 1800s, the fishing town of Petersburg still wears its Scandinavian heritage with pride, and is known as ‘Little Norway’. Out in Frederick Sound you can often see icebergs that have broken off the LeConte Glacier, and the waters are an important summer feeding ground for humpback whales.

The breathtaking Misty Fjords National Monument is a 3,570-square-mile swathe of virgin forest and plunging fjords, just to the east of Ketchikan. As the name suggests, the fjords are often cloaked in a fine mist, and the wilderness is home to bears, bald eagles, whales and more.

Alert Bay, named after the Royal Navy ship HMS Alert in 1860, is a village on tiny Cormorant Island, just off the coast of the much larger Vancouver Island and part of the ancestral lands of the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation. Look out for humpback, orca and gray whales in the surrounding seas, along with white-sided dolphins and sea lions.