Wrangell

About Wrangell

Wrangell is the least-visited of the Inside Passage's main ports and one of only two Alaska towns that has flown under four flags (Tlingit, Russian, British, and American). It sits at the mouth of the Stikine River on Wrangell Island and sees small-ship lines like UnCruise and the occasional mid-size ship from Viking or Holland America rather than the mega-ships that dominate Juneau and Ketchikan. The main draws are the Chief Shakes Tribal House on a small island in the harbor, Petroglyph Beach with its 8,000-year-old rock carvings, and jet-boat tours up the Stikine to the Shakes Glacier or Anan Creek's black-bear viewing platform. Expect a quieter, more working-town feel than Alaska's busier ports.

• Wrangell is the only Alaskan city to have been ruled under three different national flags: Tlingit, Russian (1834–1867), British (briefly, 1839–1867 under HBC lease), and American — making it uniquely multi-colonial in Alaska's history.
• Wrangell Island is home to Petroglyph Beach State Historic Site, where ancient rock carvings (petroglyphs) estimated to be over 1,000 years old are exposed on the beach at low tide.
• The nearby Stikine River — one of North America's fastest free-flowing navigable rivers — draws jet-boat tours, wildlife watchers, and hot-springs seekers up into the Coast Mountains of British Columbia.
• Chief Shakes Island in Wrangell harbor features a historic tribal house and a collection of totem poles honoring the Shtaxʼhéen Ḵwáan Tlingit people who have inhabited the area for centuries.
• Wrangell's population of about 2,127 (2020 census) relies on fishing, timber, and growing cruise tourism; it is one of Southeast Alaska's quieter, less-visited ports — offering a more authentic small-town feel than larger stops.