Gulf of Alaska Coastal Travel Routes

The decomissioned fish processing plant at Pelican

Chart 17303

Access to Pelican from Sitka via the ocean side of Chichagof Island is through Lisianski Strait, which separates Chichagof Island from Yakobi Island. Entrance to the 11-mile-long strait is via a narrow (125 yards wide) passage through a garden of offshore rocks between Point Theodore on Yakobi and unnamed islands off Canoe Cove on the Chichagof Island side. Pass east of the bell buoy just south of Star Rock, turn north-northeast, and line up on the red marker on an unnamed rock inside the strait, staying to the western side. In foul weather the water is like a washing machine of white foam and the somber visage of the rocky shores can be intimidating. Great care is required to thread through the obstacles, but it is a regular travel route for fishing vessels and yachts.

Dock at Bohemia Shelter on Yakobi Island

The main street, Pelican

Parking is not a problem in downtown Pelican

From the red marker it is clear sailing up Lisianski Strait and into Lisianski Inlet. Inside, the strait is like a slow moving river, flowing north with the flood and south with the ebb, with steep forested mountainsides rising to the alpine. On the west side (Yakobi Island), about 3 miles north of the inlet on the east side called Stag Bay, lies a public dock at Bohemia Creek, site of a former nickel exploration camp. This provides access to a small U.S. Forest Service shelter and a trail winding through the hills and rainforest that follows the route of an old cat trail built by miners. Be alert for brown bears.

Pelican is a village of about 125 people situated on the steep northeast shore of Lisianski Inlet, a fjord that penetrates deep into the heart of Chichagof Island. It supports a small local commercial fishing fleet and a growing number of sport fish charter and tourist-related businesses. “Closest to the Fish” is the town motto. The municipal office phone is 907-735-2202 and you can learn more at www.pelican.net.

The Pelican Seafoods cold storage and fish processing plant occupies the west end of town, though it has not operated in some years. The boat harbor has 93 berths plus transient space and has electricity. Harbormaster and village public safety offices and a restroom are at the top of the ramp. The town is laid out along both sides of a single boardwalk road that extends east from the cold storage for a quarter mile or so. Note how residents store bicycles by hanging them from the handrail at the side of the boardwalk. There is a cafe, a small general store, a liquor store, marine repair, a laundromat, several fishing lodges, a school, and a health clinic, in addition to homes and other structures including locally renowned Rosie’s Bar & Grill. Daily air service to Juneau is supplied by Alaska Seaplanes. Fuel is sold at a dock adjacent to the cold storage. After the city took over the fuel operation before the 2012 season the dealer lowered prices to bring them in line with other ports in the region.

Lisianski Inlet is deep and virtually unobstructed to the northwest all the way to Cross Sound. Tidal range is about 15 feet.