What is the Inside Passage?

A sheltered coastal sea route through islands

Why is Sitka historically important?

It was the capital of Russian America

Inside Passage Quiz: Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway

A maze of forested islands shelters ships traveling north from British Columbia to Alaska, and this Inside Passage quiz visits the ports along the way. Play 10 interactive questions on Ketchikan's totem poles, Juneau and the Mendenhall Glacier, Skagway and the Klondike Gold Rush, Sitka's Russian past, Glacier Bay, the Tongass forest and the ferry system.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Route
What is the Inside Passage?
Capital
How do people reach Juneau, Alaska's capital?
Glacier
Which glacier lies just outside Juneau?
Ketchikan
Which nickname does Ketchikan use?
Skagway
Which event made Skagway boom in 1897 and 1898?
Railroad
Which narrow-gauge railroad climbs from Skagway?
Sitka
Why is Sitka historically important?
Park
Which national park is known for tidewater glaciers?
Forest
Which large national forest covers much of Southeast Alaska?
Whales
Which whale behavior are visitors hoping to see?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What is the Inside Passage?
Answer: A sheltered coastal sea route through islands
It runs from Washington and British Columbia to Alaska.
Q2: How do people reach Juneau, Alaska's capital?
Answer: Only by sea or air
No roads connect it to the rest of North America.
Q3: Which glacier lies just outside Juneau?
Answer: Mendenhall Glacier
Visitors can walk to its viewpoint.
Q4: Which nickname does Ketchikan use?
Answer: Salmon Capital of the World
It is also known for totem poles.
Q5: Which event made Skagway boom in 1897 and 1898?
Answer: The Klondike Gold Rush
Prospectors headed over the passes to the Yukon.
Q6: Which narrow-gauge railroad climbs from Skagway?
Answer: White Pass and Yukon Route
It was built during the gold rush.
Q7: Why is Sitka historically important?
Answer: It was the capital of Russian America
Alaska was transferred there in 1867.
Q8: Which national park is known for tidewater glaciers?
Answer: Glacier Bay
Cruise ships sail into its fjords.
Q9: Which large national forest covers much of Southeast Alaska?
Answer: The Tongass
It is the largest US national forest.
Q10: Which whale behavior are visitors hoping to see?
Answer: Humpbacks bubble-net feeding
Groups blow bubble nets to trap fish.

Inside Passage Quiz – Sailing Alaska's Coast

The Inside Passage is a sheltered sea route through the islands and fjords of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. Cruise ships and the Alaska Marine Highway ferries travel it.

Ketchikan is famous for salmon and totem poles. Juneau, Alaska's capital, cannot be reached by road, and the Mendenhall Glacier lies nearby. Skagway boomed during the Klondike Gold Rush, and the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad still climbs from town.

Sitka was the capital of Russian America until the 1867 transfer to the United States. Glacier Bay National Park and the Tongass, the largest US national forest, protect the region, where humpback whales bubble-net feed.

What This Quiz Teaches

Travelers and geography fans will enjoy these questions.

What the Inside Passage is
Which ports stand out
How gold rush history shaped it
What Russian heritage remains
Which wildlife lives there

Did You Know?

Rain is frequent in Southeast Alaska.
Bald eagles are common sights.
Wrangell and Petersburg are smaller ports.
Floatplanes connect remote communities.
Tlingit and Haida cultures are central to the region.