Exploring off the beaten track in Haines

Reba Hylton from Haines joins Jennie to share her favorite things to do in Haines.

Music credits: Largo Montebello, by Domenico Mannelli, CC.

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Welcome to the Alaska uncovered podcast with me, your host, Jennie Flaming, I bring you accurate, helpful and entertaining information about Alaska travel and life and Alaska. My occasional co host and full time husband, Jay and I are committed to keeping the Alaska uncovered podcast ad free. To do that we need your help. If you're enjoying the podcast, we invite you to contribute toward tip jar, which is the first link in the show notes. We are so grateful for our listeners, and we wouldn't be here without you. Thank you and enjoy the show. Are you heading to Haynes on your Alaska cruise? Or are you looking for a place to go in Alaska? That's a place not all visitors get to go that's kind of unique and different. Either way, Haines is a place you want to know about and that is what we're going to be talking about today. Welcome to the Alaska uncovered podcast with me. Your host, Jennie Flaming, I bring you accurate, helpful and entertaining information about Alaska travel in life and Alaska. My guest today is Reba Hylton from Haines. You might remember Reba from way back in episode 10. When we talked about Skagway, where Reba lived for many years. About a year ago, she moved to Haines when she accepted the role of tourism director there. Reba originally worked seasonally before she fell in love with Alaska and settled there. When not working, you will find her exploring the endless outdoor opportunities around Haines with her son, Reba, welcome back. It's so good to have you back on the podcast. Thank you for being here. Yeah, thank you for the invitation. I'm so happy to share any information about this beautiful area. I'm so fortunate to call home. Yeah, yeah. So I know that in the last episode, we talked about Skagway, we talked a little bit about your story of getting to Alaska. So I would love to hear like how did you end up tell us a little more about how you ended up going to Haines. And also, you know, Haines and Skagway are so close together, but they're so different. So I was wondering if within that you could share a little bit about some of the things that are different between the two towns? Sure. Well, I've been in Alaska since 1996. And I was up here seasonally at first I had I was in college, I had my summers free. And I just really wanted to see a little bit more of the world before I you know, got into the grown up world of working year round. And so I was fortunate enough to get invited to come up to Haines. And it changed the course of my life. I fell in love with Alaska and the way of life. And I lived in Haines for 10 years. And then I moved to Skagway for 15. Kind of dating myself a little bit there. And then I had a the opportunity arose when the position of tourism director for the Haines borough popped up. And quite honestly, it's my dream job. I applied for it. And I got it. And I've been here since April. So going on a year. And it is the right move. For me. It's the right place at the right time. And I still have very close ties to Skagway. We go over there often. And because it is so different, there's so many things over there that aren't here. But really this this is the Alaska I fell in love with and I couldn't be happier with the promotion of it as well because it truly is this just amazing, amazing place. It's like when people think of Alaska, I feel like Haines is what people have in their mind about, about what Alaska is all about. The scenery is unparalleled. I mean, and it's different. You know, it's like, everywhere you look, it's different. There's huge rivers coming into this area. They're beautiful lakes, and we're connected to the ocean. So although we do have a cruise ship dock here, we don't get that any birthings of cruise ships because there really isn't the quite honestly there isn't the train here, which is a huge draw and revenue stream for the cruise cruise lines. Yep. And so So Skagway, you know, they'll get up to four ships a day and it can be very bustling, and it's awesome, this great energy and you could do all these different excursions and then Haines, you have like a ship a day maybe. And we have excursions as as well and the opportunity to go over to Skagway and vice versa. There are a lot of tours if you're going to Skagway that you can book to come over to Haines and experience that for The day as well. So it's a really great, we're 770 miles away by water. But if you wanted to drive to Skagway to Haines, it's 365 miles and you have to do two border crossings. over the mountain passes and through the Yukon. Like it's true Alaska travel. Were a real adventure for Sparta. It's a real adventure. Nothing's easy over here. And we like it that way. Yeah, totally. Well, um, I, I also love both Skagway and Hanes. So it's really fun to like be able to talk about both of those. Um, so you talked a little bit about how you know there are not a ton of cruise ships that come to hands and, and there are but there are some and then there are also tours you can do in Skagway. Go to Hanes. Um, one of the things that I love about him because I feel like it's one of the best places in Alaska to go if you're traveling, like if you're not on a cruise, and you're an Independent Traveler, and you want to experience something, like you said, like, Whoa, this is Alaska, like I am in Alaska. I feel like Hanes is a great place for that. So I was wondering if you could share just a little bit more about what makes it so unique, both like geographically, but also things people can do there? What are some things about Haynes that are just different from other places? Um, well, besides the amazing scenery, I think one thing that sets us apart is the wildlife here. Yeah, we have what's called the Chilkat river. And that comes in here and it, it's connected to the ocean. And it gets all five Pacific salmon that spawn up somewhere and through the river system, whether that's an a lake or a side stream, or the river itself. And so from the beginning of the salmon season, up until December, which is very unique, because it's a very unique area. And I'll talk about that more. It's why we get a lot of bald eagles here. We have a type of fish running in our rivers. And so that brings the animals out, right? So we have a huge population of bald eagles, we have lots of bears, black and brown bears, and you got the whales in the ocean following everything up. And it's just truly this wildlife Mecca. And it's very, very, very special. Totally agree with that. And that there is I agree with you like a lot more opportunity to see wildlife, especially along, you know, rivers, forests, places like that, then there isn't a lot of other parts of Alaska. So that is super cool. Okay, yeah. So what about what about tours? So whether someone is looking to book a shore excursion from a cruise ship, or maybe they're coming down to Haines, you know, off their drive to Alaska on the Alaska Highway, or they're just doing a trip to Haines on their own. What are some of the tours that people can do? And then we'll talk about things you can do on your own that are not on a tour, but let's start with tours. Sure, well, there's quite a few. We are right on the other. We share a mountain range with Glacier Bay National Park. So there are spiking opportunities from here and they are absolutely amazing. You call it speck ism, like when you get up there, and you can see how vast the wilderness is and the fish that go on for hundreds of miles like and the imprint that humans have in this area. It's like a speck. So that's super, super special and unique to this area that you can get over to Glacier Bay, just you know, like that. But I originally came up here and started working for a rafting company. And so I am really a fan of any kind of tour that goes to the bald eagle Preserve. And to do that guy on a guided tour rafting it's completely a float trip. There's no whitewater at all. In some of the places the water is only a couple inches deep, which makes it go Oh, you're rafting and you know that kind of water but at the same time, that's where you can see the salmon and everything. Like I said the wildlife is coming down to the river. So anything on the river system I really like. And if you're not into like a float trip and a rubber raft, there's also a jet boat tour that you can do up there, which is amazing. We've got professional photographers here that take guided tours anywhere in the valley, depending on what's what's being showcased at that particular time. You know, so more flexible depending on the season. And then we've got a Chilkoot Lake, which is where a lot of the sockeye salmon go and they spawn and you can go paddling over there, there's kayaking, you can do there's canoeing you can do or you know there's even fishing trips that you can book and even just a bear view buying trips as well. Because that river system is so unique. It's connected to the road system. And so it's not uncommon to see a tour bus, pull up and just sit on the side of the road and watch the bears. If there's fish we're that kind of controls the flow of the salmon. So there are fish and game people out there counting the salmon. And so it really kind of bottlenecks the fish. And so that bottlenecks the wildlife, and it's very, very unique and the tours are top notch. Yeah, that, you know, all those things that you mentioned, are just making me think of how unique it is that Haines has, like Chilkoot Lake plus the Chilkat River, plus the the fjord the oh, you know, Lynn canal, like there are just all these different types of water with their own ecosystems. And it's in such a small area, and it's really cool. Yeah, it's really cool. So that made me think of the fjord lands because if you are staying in Haines for you know, more than a couple of days, it's easy to be based out of here and take a trip over to Skagway or down to Juneau, and there's one there's one boating excursion. That's really good. And you can spend the day in Juneau, but along the way they do wildlife viewing, and they know where everything's happening. They're out there every single day, so to see wildlife, orcas, and whales breaching in front of you, or going overseeing where there's a sea lion rookery, it's an amazing trip, like the excursions here are just are just so impressive. Yes, they really are. Cool. Thank you. All right. Excited for summer now. Sorry. Yeah. Like, we're recording this still towards the end of winter. And so yeah, it's like fun to think about, oh, yeah, we'll be able to do these things. Alright, so Reba, what about for folks who are however they're getting their want some things to do that aren't part of a tour that you can just get up in the morning and be like, want to do this today? What are some of your suggestions for canes? Well, fishing is really good. If you're into fishing, my son, he just goes down to the dock all by himself. And we'll put a pole in and he is catching little tiny fish all day long. So that's a lot of fun. But you can also salmon fish, depending on what time of the year it is, from the shore, and right into the ocean or into the river system that's really big here. So I love fishing. So I highly recommend doing that. If it's something that interests you. We've got some incredible hikes here. Everything that from flat that follows the ocean. So you'll get spectacular views to these, you know, 3500 foot peaks, that will give you these amazing panoramic vistas of the area. So there's quite a few different hikes here that you could take as well. So that's really great. But we have There's electric bike rentals in town. And that's really fun to get out and just kind of see Mother Nature closer in that regard. And there's a different road systems here that you could take. So I always like going out biking as well, you know, down to the ocean or to the beach, and that kind of stuff is just really quite lovely. Yeah. Yeah. Um, cool. So I know you, you mentioned hiking, and I know that you're a hiker, because we talked about that with Skagway, too. Do you have a favorite hike in Haines I'm sure. It depends a bit on the weather and time of year and that kind of thing. But are there any particular hikes that you would really recommend for visitors? i Yeah, I like the mount Riley hike. It is. So Haines is situated on a peninsula. And in the middle of the peninsula, there's a little mountain top and it's mount Riley, and it's a great hike. It's just a little over two, like I say two and a half miles to the top. But I'll give you those amazing panoramic views. And so you've got the ocean on, you know, half of the area and the other side, you can see downtown Haines and you can look up the canal towards Skagway and see that you can also look up the Chilkat river system and see that valley. So it's super impressive. Plus you get that feeling of like accomplishment. Right. You just climbed a bit of a mountain. Yeah. And it's quite lovely. Yeah. Love it. Great suggestion. All right, we are going to take a short break. And when we come back, we're going to hear a little bit from arriba about traveling to Hanes in the winter, as well as some other favorite things. So we'll be back shortly. I everybody, Jenny here I wanted to break in and let you know that I have a brand new workshop in my online shop. It's a video course it's 30 minutes long, and it's all about finding hidden gems on your trip to Alaska. It's pretty awesome. It's all the things that I Well, not all but many of the things that I share with my clients that we talked about. And I wanted to make it something everybody could get a hold of. So if you go to the shop, it's the second link in the show notes just below the tip jar, you'll find the link that will take you right to it, along with all of my planners for Alaska and my done for you itineraries. So check it out. And of course, you can also find down there the link to book one of my one on one planning sessions. If you want more advice about your specific situation. Thanks so much. Now back to the show. All right, we're back with Reba Hazleton, from Haines and we're talking about all the wonderful things you can do there. And before we dive into winter travel, which is a pretty fun thing and some other details of mostly, I realized Rebbe that we've been talking about, like hikes and outdoor activities and wildlife and all of that is awesome. But Haines the town is also pretty cool. So I was wondering, before we get to winter, if you could share just a little bit about the actual town. You know, what kinds of things can people do on the more townie side? Yeah, absolutely. Well, well, first of all, I highly recommend stopping by the visitor center, we've got all sorts of maps here, depending on what you're interested in. There's quite a few totem poles in the area. So we have a map available about a totem pole walk that you can do kind of check them out and make sure you don't miss any that are around town. We have the historic Fort Seward area, which is about a half mile from the actual downtown area. But it's this old Army post with these beautiful houses and a lot of history. And so there's these kiosks around that explains the history. So that's always great to do. But Haynes is an artist in town, there are so many artists that reside here more per capita, actually than any other city and Alaska. And so our shops here are very unique in that regard. Little tiny galleries. And it's they're just amazing. The the talent here in this one small area is pretty astounding. And so it makes for some really great shopping if you wanted to check out those kinds of things. And then we also have some wonderful museums, we have the Sheldon museum. So a lot of the history of the area, which includes the native culture, of course, they were here before the settlement anyways, so that's great to learn about the entire history of our area. We have the Hammer Museum, which sounds funky, and is that people are the more obscure museums out there. Yes. Yeah, miss it. It's right in downtown, there's a huge hammer, you know, that's right out front. So that is the Hammer Museum. But it's the history of the hammer from the very beginning of humankind to current day. And people come in and they're going, Wow, I learned so much, but also the owner and the staff is they're so passionate about what they're doing. It just makes a really good time everyone comes out. I'm just super impressed. So that's always good to hear that positive feedback. I totally agree. And I think you like walk out of there going. Whoa, I didn't even know there was this much to know about. Right? Really interesting. Exactly. It's pretty impressive. We also have the bald eagle foundation in town, which is great because they often have I think currently they've got three bald eagles there that were injured in various different ways. So they're there for permanent and they are amazing to see bald eagles up close. They're bigger than you think they are. And they have a great diorama room. So all of the animals in southeast Alaska, you can get a selfie with every single one of them if you want. That's your thing. But there's also just about the bald eagles in this area, which is super, super special and unique. We've got three to 400 bald eagles that live in this area year round. And so in there, they've got everything you ever wanted to know about bald eagles plus a lot of the other animals in this area. So that's also a not to miss kind of place to go. Yeah, which is great. And we also have it's relative I don't know how new it is. Definitely since I've been in Skagway. It's new. But there's a heritage center up and click on the native village, which is around 2423 miles up the highway. And that is a wonderful cultural center that was built there on the shores of the Chilkat River, where the Surco and kahini are coming in. So you've got these three unique river systems together, and all the fish are passing by it. And the natives have been in that area since since before they recording history on paper. And they have a cultural center there that is world class. It's absolutely amazing. That's not to be missed, either. Awesome. Yeah. Plus restaurants, of course, you want to get a nice roasted cup of coffee, or somehow that fish and chips like we've got some pretty, pretty good little restaurants in town, too. Yes. And we're going to come back to restaurants in a couple of minutes. Great. So yes, we will definitely talk about that. So tell us a little bit about winter tourism. So most winter visitors to Alaska are going places like Fairbanks and Anchorage. But Haines is like a great, kind of unique and fantastic place to go in the winter also. So could you talk a little bit about why that is like things to do? And then also, how do you get there in the winter? Yeah, well, we have lots of snow. So that's good. That's if you're into winter sports, that's pretty amazing. We've got a super active organization in town. They call themselves, Hanes Hudson trails. And they are out there grooming and updating us on the conditions of ski trails in the area. So that's a huge draw just cross country skiing, which is basically you know, it could be a walk in the woods, or you know, you can get a huge workout. So depending on what your skill level is, and there's also a gear shop in town. So if you don't have all the stuff that we're happy to help you out there. That's great, especially when you're traveling. Now, yeah, I have to bring a ton of extra stuff. Yeah. And then Hanes is also we are known as a world class destination for heli skiing, which is just now starting to ramp up. It's it's February. So that's the beginning of the season. And it'll go through March, just depending on excuse me, it'll go through May depending on the snow conditions, of course. But we get the all these famous snowboarders and skiers that come to go heli skiing here, and it's just an amazing destination. Do you want to YouTube that or google it, you'll just see if the peaks here. I can't believe humans can go and do these kinds of things. It's so impressive. And so yeah, they cater to all skill levels. And it's just a wonderful thing. And then plus, you know, early, early in the winter, like I would say, winter winter here is different, right. And Alaska, we have very short springs, and very short fall. So it feels like it's either summer, or it's winter. So in November, November and December, we have a ton of bald eagles that congregate up the river, because of this aquifer underwater that keeps the river from melting. And so we have a late run of salmon, which brings a huge amount of bald eagles getting food when there's no other food to be found that time of year in the area. And so you can go out and see hundreds of bald eagles just from the side of the road. So it's very unique. It's beautiful photography, if you're into photography, because you have eagles in the snow and sometimes when it's like really cold outside. There's this mist coming up from the water and it just feels like a fairy tale. It's it's absolutely stunning here. That is so awesome. Yeah. And that that bald eagle arrival late like that without late salmon run is just so it's so unique. Yeah. Yeah. And so. So getting here, whether it's summer or winter is a little I don't wanna say it's challenging. The journey is a part of your experience. So if you can keep that in mind. I mean, it's amazing. I highly recommend flying into Juneau. Alaska Airlines goes into Juneau. And then from there, you can take the state ferry system, the Alaska marine highway system up to Haines and this is the same route that the cruise ships take right so millions of people are on these waterways and the further north you go and we're, you know, next to the last port, north and most ships go and it's absolutely gorgeous. So the journey is absolutely beautiful. And then there's also you can come in from the north going up to the Capitol, the Yukon white horse, and then take the high highway system down because we are connected today a lot to the Alcan highway. And it's absolutely a gorgeous drive as well. So you can either come from the north or the south. You can fly in, you can vote in office ship or the ferry system, or you can drive in. So we were really unique in that regard. Because a lot of areas in southeast Alaska don't have the road that they're connected to. Yes, yes. And that is a really cool thing about both Haines and Skagway that you can drive in there from anywhere, which is pretty cool. Um, is I know this winter has been pretty snowy and a little more intense than some in a lot of Alaska. And I know the road has been closed from time to time is that typically if someone is going to drive down from Whitehorse in the winter, do you think they need to add in a little extra time in case of a storm? Or is that not common enough that not something you really need to worry about? For winter travel? Absolutely. Summer Nope, there you know, that's fine. But the beauty of being here in Haines is that you do have Skagway close. So if one mountain passes close, there's a possibility the other one is open. Right. So but yeah, I would always plan for extra time, for sure. In the summertime, we like to fly in and out of here. But like when it comes the fall and the winter, even just to go down south to Juneau where you know, you're flying or fairing, there's no road that goes to Juneau, then I always plan everything around the ferry system itself. The weather here is so unpredictable, and it's Alaska, it can be really, really harsh. So anytime that you can plan for extra travel time here, just do it, you know, just take that time and enjoy the journey, because that's just part of how it is living here and Alaska. Yeah, yeah, for sure. That's really good advice. Okay. So the wrap up questions that we asked everybody, and you talked about these for Skagway in the previous episode last year. So the first one, I know this was really tough. What is your favorite month in Haynes? Oh, man, since it's February now, and I'm getting starting to get spring fever. I'm gonna go with the spring. But it's so hard because it's so diverse here. But we have what's called a hooligan run. And hula, again, are this small little herring type fish. And they run over on the Chilkoot. They run in the chill cat and the Chilkoot side. But the Chilkoot river is pretty narrow. And so you have millions of these tiny fish in the spring when it's been quiet. And you have got bald eagles and whales and sea lions following these fish up. And it is amazing. Like you can see hundreds of 1000s of seagulls in one area swear round. That's a lot. It's a lot. And so and also like it's been dark all winter, right? It's starting to get lighter now, which is great. But like by spring, and I'm talking late April, early May. It's significantly brighter and lighter. And so the spirits are high. And it's just a wonderful time of the year you can just feel the rest of it coming and it's so amazing. Yeah, so beautiful. There's still lots and lots of snow everywhere on the mountain peaks and you get blue sky days. And the ocean like it's so clear. It's still cold enough for the glaciers haven't started melting because once the glaciers melt, a lot of sediment comes with that and so the rivers will get a little bit murky and the water gets a little bit murky. But in the springtime it's so cold at the mountaintops the glaciers aren't melting. And so the waters just beautiful and clear. And it's so special. I cannot wait. Yeah, that is really a magical time in many places in Alaska. Like as everything is waking up and you know summer is like right there. That's so fun. Yeah. Okay, so restaurants. I know. It's it's hard to pick a favorite and it's also hard because it's like okay, well favorite for breakfast or favorite for coffee or favorite for dinner or what kind of dinner so yeah, however you want to answer that Reba, what are what are some of your favorite places to eat in Haines. Okay, we're gonna I'm gonna divide it up into two categories pizza. Yeah, and seafood. Yes. Fantastic. Then normally I wouldn't say pizza, right? Like Pete can get pizza everywhere but like in this community. Everybody does everything from scratch. Yeah, so and the pizza places they do their pizza dough from scratch their hand tossing everything. They're slicing the tomatoes as you order like it is really, really good. So we've got one place downtown that's open year round called Alban glow, and they're absolutely amazing. And then there's another one that's Oh, it's in Fort Seward area, the fire wheat and they're open basically, mostly in the summer, the tourist months, spring summer a little bit in the fall, and they're so good to you know, like I said, everything's super fresh, getting local produce and that kind of stuff. So that's always a treat for us here. But then we have fish and chips, which is a favorite of mine and even as an Alaskan, who you know, will subsistence fish and get halibut, you know, gifted to me. I still like going out for fish and chips. And so we've got, right, it's so good. So we've got two great places that offer that and that is the bamboo room, the pioneer room, and then also down on the waterfront, the lighthouse, so depending on what you're looking for there, they both got nice bars attached. So it's, they're kind of like these fun hubs. So I really enjoy going out for that as well. And then we also have this unique place. It's called 33 miles. And if so, if you've got a vehicle, head up the highway, it's this Roadhouse. It's his old cabin. And it's so good like they make everything from scratch. Like they cut their own french fries that burgers or patties that are handmade, that kind of stuff, but it's really good how many ties you know, that kind of stuff. Yeah, you're, you're not gonna go hungry here. No, and I gotta say, if you're driving down to hands, or like Reba said have a car the 33 mile Roadhouse is like, it's a very Alaskan kind of experience for sure. Very much so. Yeah. I love I love to you that you're like, I love fish and chips, even though I have lots of my own fish because, like fish, like deep fried halibut is delicious, but like a huge hassle to make yourself. It sure is. It stinks up the house and you got to deal with oil. I know. Jay, my husband he's off you know sometimes is the co host of this podcast. He may have deep fried halibut like beer batter deep fried halibut for my birthday one year and it was awesome but it was definitely like a not a regular event. Exactly, exactly. I'm gonna cook halibut at home, it's probably going to be on the grill outside or I'm going to oven bake it that kind of stuff. You know, so it's a treat to go out for fish and chips. Totally. Yeah. Okay, so last question. Reba, what is your favorite thing to do? In Haines with your it's your day off your with your son? What are you guys going to? How are you guys going to spend the day I'm gonna spend it on my paddleboard, I'm gonna bring my fishing pole. When I have all the gear I'm gonna have a little cooler on it. And I'm probably going to head to Chilkoot Lake. Or if it's not windy, I'll head over to chill tat state park at the end of the peninsula and paddle over to one of the islands there. But I'm going to be on my paddleboard exploring and fishing and just taking it all in. And photography. I'll have my camera with me and just make a whole day of it. It's my absolute favorite thing to do. And there's so many good places here to do it at. But those are my two favorite go to spots. I found no fun. Yeah, heaven on earth. I love it so much. Yeah. Wonderful. Well, Reba, thank you so much for coming back to the podcast. I think you are the first guest to come back a second time so far, although we have a couple others coming up. So it's so wonderful having you back. And thank you so much for sharing about aliens. Yeah, my pleasure. We're here at the Visitor Center. So reach out if you have any questions. We're happy to help you. Yeah, awesome. And I'll put their website in the show notes so you can do you even deeper dive into canes if you want to. So thank you, everyone for joining us today for this episode of Alaska uncovered. We'll see you next time.

Alaska Uncovered Podcast

Exploring off the beaten track in Haines

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