51 Best Hotels in Juneau, the Inside Passage, and Southeast Alaska, Alaska

This charming Victorian-style hotel—the smallest property in the Best Western chain—is less than a mile from the airport in the Mendenhall Valley and has spacious and homey rooms. Each room is brightened by cheerful colors and comes with jetted bathtubs and, as the name would suggest, beds topped with voluminous feather comforters. Guests especially appreciate the big breakfast buffet that includes omelets, pancakes, and hot cereals. Dinners are available from Tuesday through Saturday.

With sweeping water views, cozy rooms, and outdoor decks tailored to coffee drinking and wildlife viewing, the Great Blue Heron is a favorite among regular visitors to Craig. Overlooking South Cove Boat Harbor, the inn features three small but well-appointed rooms and one suite with private deck; two of the four have harbor views.

On the National Register of Historic Places, this gracious yet somewhat tired hotel housed in former officers' quarters has original claw-foot bathtubs, nonworking fireplaces decorated with Belgian tiles, and charming and nicely maintained rooms. A few inexpensive ones share a hall bath. You can rent cars on-site, and a courtesy van to the ferry is available.

One of Hoonah's few lodging options, the Icy Strait Lodge is a great base from which to explore this small, friendly Tlingit community. Rooms include private baths; one suite with a full kitchen is also available. The lodge, open year-round, has a restaurant and bar; live music is performed occasionally, so if noise is a concern, ask for a room facing the bay away from the action. Boat and vehicle rentals can be arranged through the lodge staff.

A modern lodge 3 miles from the center of town, the Ketch has waterside rooms decorated with simple furniture and offering balconies overlooking the Tongass Narrows—a good place to watch seals, otters, and eagles. Extensively renovated in 2022, the inn has a restaurant and bar, and also offers guided fishing trips for guests and cruise ship passengers.

Named for the state ferry landing directly across the road, this property has large, comfortable rooms decorated with mission-style furniture, and although the hotel is more than a mile from downtown, there's no need for a car; a free shuttle provides transport around town. The Landing Restaurant is usually packed with families, and its colorful breakfast clientele consists of locals and ferry passengers. Upstairs, Jeremiah's Pub offers dining in cozy digs and a relaxing no-smoking lounge built around a stone fireplace. Some suites have private balconies.

Decorated with local Tsimshian art, this two-story inn offers standard motel accommodations with private decks off the upstairs rooms, as well as two apartments. Breakfast and dinner are available to guests for an extra charge. Each room has a 32-inch flat-screen TV and a Keurig coffee machine. Renovated in 2023, the hotel gets high praise for its cozy atmosphere and helpful owners, Edith and Dale Olin. Keep in mind that a visitor permit is required for overnight stays in Metlakatla. 

Just three blocks from the ferry terminal and within easy walking distance of town, Nordic House is a great home base from which to explore Petersburg. Both of the two suites have their own entrance and full kitchen, and one has a second bedroom and bathroom. There's also reliable Wi-Fi and an enclosed waterfront deck for relaxing.

A short walk west of downtown, this nicely appointed but visually unremarkable hotel (formerly known as the Prospector) is a favorite with business travelers year-round and lawmakers during the winter legislative session. Rooms are spacious and have cherrywood furnishings, leather chairs, and ottomans. T. K. Maguire's dining room and lounge, just off the lobby, serves prime rib, steaks, and seafood, and Sunday brunch is popular.

On Petersburg's main drag, Scandia House offers some rooms with kitchenettes and king-size beds, and others with in-room hot tubs and harbor views. Homemade muffins and coffee are available in the small but inviting lobby each morning. Guests can rent a car at the front desk.

In addition to offering stunning views of Popof Glacier and Mt. Basargin, these remote and very rustic Forest Service cabins are a 4-mile boat ride from Shakes Slough Hot Springs, where you can soak in open-air and enclosed hot tubs. Guests may spot the brown and black bears, goats, and moose that frequent the area. Cabin 1 sleeps four and cabin 2 has room for seven; both include basic facilities, such as outhouses and woodstoves, but no water or electricity. Bring your own sleeping bag, food, and cooking utensils. Reservations are required for the cabins; make reservations through  www.recreation.gov.

Tall windows front the water at this modern lodge along Craig's South Boat Harbor that offers hotel accommodations all year round or all-inclusive fishing packages in the summer. Rooms are modern, and each has a private bathroom, a microwave, a refrigerator, and queen and twin beds. Six of the rooms face the harbor. Fresh seafood tops the restaurant's menu, along with steaks, delectable desserts, and Alaskan beers. Prime rib attracts the locals on Friday and Saturday night.

An affordable option in downtown Sitka, the renovated Sitka Hotel offers clean, spacious rooms, friendly staff, and a central base from which to explore Sitka's many treasures. A restaurant on the ground floor, Mangiare, serves Italian food in the evenings.  

Each room in this family-friendly downtown Victorian inn (once a not-so-family-friendly bordello) is named after a different gold-rush gal. The creaky building, one of Skagway's oldest, was built in 1897 and has been lovingly restored. The small rooms have no televisions and share a Victorian motif, with period antiques and cast-iron beds. A big homemade breakfast is served downstairs each morning in Olivia's Bistro.

Half the rooms at Wrangell's largest inn have excellent ocean views, and others look out on Mt. Dewey and downtown. Guests can also enjoy the waterfront view from the outdoor patio and the restaurant, one of the best in town. Room types range from doubles to suites with kitchenettes.

Petersburg's largest hotel is a block uphill from the town's main thoroughfare, and its rooms, some with kitchenettes, have comfortable but timeworn furnishings. Rooms in the newer wing—nicer than the motel-style ones in the old wing—have newer furniture and views of the boat harbor. Coffee is always available in the lobby, and in the morning complimentary juices, muffins, and pastries are served. You can rent a car on-site, but parking is limited.

At $45 to $75 per night, Forest Service cabins make for a cheap and charming escape, but they're popular; reserve in person, by mail, or online—up to six months in advance of your planned arrival date—with the National Recreation Reservation System ( www.reserveamerica.com). Most cabins are reached by floatplane or boat, but some are accessible by road. They offer bunks for six to eight occupants, tables, stoves, and outdoor privies, but no electricity or running water. You provide a sleeping bag, food, and cooking utensils.

The Westmark has large rooms, many overlooking Crescent Harbor; the best are the corner suites (but all could use an update). Downstairs, the Raven Dining Room is open for three meals a day, with seafood (including beer-batter halibut), pasta, chicken, pork, and steak, and a large deck for outdoor dining. Adjacent to the Raven, the Kadataan Lounge serves up a diverse menu of bar food.

On a secluded beach outside Angoon, on Killisnoo Island, this lodge offers all-inclusive three- and four-night stays in waterfront cabins of varying sizes and configurations, making it a good choice for groups. In addition to saltwater and freshwater fishing excursions, guests can choose from a range of eco-tours that include flightseeing, heli-hiking (helicopter delivery to a mountain top), and kayaking. Rates include round-trip transportation from Juneau.

With incredible views and proximity to a hot-springs bathhouse, this isolated retreat 65 miles northwest of Sitka is one of Southeast's most prized public-use cabins. In the Tongass National Forest facing the Pacific Ocean, the cabin is accessible only by boat, and you'll need to walk in from a nearby cove. The cabin sleeps four (bring your own sleeping bags) and has bunk beds, a woodstove, a table, and an outhouse. You must arrange your own transportation and bring all your own supplies.