The Inside Passage is a natural, protected waterway that stretches for some 1,530 km (950 miles) through the Alexander Archipelago off the coast of British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. The passage follows a route that uses channels and straits between islands and the mainland that afford protection from the storms and open waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Snowcapped mountains, forests, waterfalls, glaciers and deep, narrow channels give the Inside Passage great scenic beauty. It was known to Spanish, Russian, English and American explorers. It is an important coastal route for Canadian shipping as well as the route generally used by ships sailing between the continental United States and Alaska. The Inside Passage runs from Seattle in Washington to Skagway in Alaska, or via Cross Sound to the Gulf of Alaska.