Wrangell Narrows, Saint John Harbor & Coffman Cove 🇺🇸

Cruising Alaska: Burgers, Buoys & One Last Hot Spring

We’re still cruising through Alaska, and this leg of the trip has reminded us just how much there is to love about this coastline — and we’re not done exploring yet!  

The past few days took us through Wrangell Narrows, a peaceful night in Saint John Harbor, a quick stop in Coffman Cove (hello burgers!), and now we’re headed for one final soak in a hot spring before crossing into Canadian waters.

Through the Wrangell Narrows

We timed our passage through Wrangell Narrows carefully — slack tide is key here, and for good reason. The current really rips through, and with tugboats, cruise ships, fishing boats, and the occasional floatplane all sharing this narrow ribbon of water, it’s not exactly the place for drifting and daydreaming.

The Narrows are marked with more than 60 navigational aids (seriously — it’s like boating through a forest of red and green), and they demand your attention. But once you get into the rhythm of the route, it’s an amazing stretch. Green hills, working boats, and the ever-present eagles made for a scenic slalom course we won’t forget.

Did you know? Wrangell Narrows is often called “Christmas Tree Lane” thanks to all the lights marking the channel at night.

A Peaceful Pause in Saint John Harbor

After the high-focus day through the Narrows, we tucked into Saint John Harbor — a quiet, protected spot nestled at the mouth of the narrows. The harbor gave us perfect shelter for the night and felt like stepping into a pocket of calm after the busy waterway behind us.

Surrounded by forested shoreline and still waters, Saint John Harbor was the kind of anchorage that instantly makes you exhale. We didn’t see another boat the whole evening. Just the quiet hum of nature, the occasional splash of something curious in the water, and a sky that seemed to hold onto the golden hour a little longer than usual.

It was exactly the kind of low-key, beautiful place we’ve come to love most about cruising in Alaska — wild, peaceful, and entirely ours for the night.

Coffman Cove & the Best Burger in Town

Next up was Coffman Cove, a tiny community on Prince of Wales Island. We were happy to find a dock for the night (always a treat) and even happier to track down a hot meal — burgers, to be exact.

It turns out they serve the best burger in town… which is also the only burger in town, but hey — it hit the spot. After weeks of cooking aboard, sometimes a simple food truck-style meal feels like a five-star experience. The locals were friendly, the harbor was calm, and the place had a relaxed, small-town vibe that made us smile.

Fun fact: Coffman Cove was once a busy logging town, but today it’s known more for fishing, kayaking, and its tight-knit community of about 150 residents.

One Last Hot Spring

We’re now on our way to our final hot spring in Alaska, tucked away off the beaten path. It’s a bit of a journey to get there, but it’s shaping up to be the perfect end to this chapter — a natural soak surrounded by wilderness before we make the jump into Canada.

Also: the weather has been incredible. We’ve had way more true sailing days than we expected, and turning the engine off never gets old. It’s been one of those rare stretches where everything just seems to line up — wind, weather, and a little bit of magic.

That’s it for now — the chartplotter’s calling and so is that hot spring. Next stop: Bailey Bay. 

Thanks for following along on this journey. We’ll catch you in the next anchorage.