Start from 24 curated places around Haines, AK, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Bamboo Room Restaurant
A Haines institution since 1953, separated from the Pioneer Bar by what was once a literal bamboo curtain, this all-American diner is where locals go for halibut fish and chips that regularly gets called the best in Southeast Alaska. The menu sticks to straightforward seafood, burgers, and diner classics, and the vibe is comfortably no-frills. Portions are generous and the price is right by Alaska standards.
Deer Heart
The most ambitious kitchen in town, operating in historic Fort Seward and sourcing almost everything from the Chilkat Valley — local farms, fishermen, and foragers. Wednesday nights rotate between pizza and paella, while Sunday brunch fills up with the kind of crowd that appreciates ingredients treated seriously. The chef's background in sustainable food systems from the Culinary Institute of America shapes the entire menu.
Trails & outdoors
Battery Point Trail
A 3.7-mile out-and-back coastal trail that runs through old-growth rainforest along the shore south of town before opening onto a quiet rocky beach with direct views of the Lynn Canal and the mountains beyond. One of the most accessible hikes near Haines with minimal elevation gain and a payoff that rewards the modest effort. Harbor seals are common in the water and bald eagles overhead are close to guaranteed.
Mount Riley Trail
A moderately strenuous 5.2-mile out-and-back that gains almost 1,500 feet through dense spruce-hemlock forest before breaking into open subalpine with 360-degree views of the Lynn Canal fjord system, the Chilkat and Chilkoot inlets, and the surrounding glacier-capped peaks. Three trailheads offer different approaches, with the Mud Bay Road access being the most direct. Clear days reveal views that stretch into Canada.
Things to do
Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve
The 48,000-acre preserve along the Chilkat River that sees the largest bald eagle concentration on Earth each fall — 3,000 to 4,000 birds descending on the cottonwood flats between Miles 18 and 22 of the Haines Highway to feast on a late run of chum salmon. Warm springs keep the river open when everything else is frozen, drawing the birds from across North America. Year-round resident eagles number around 400, so any visit has wildlife value.
Rainbow Glacier Adventures
The top-rated tour operator in Haines, running small-group rafting trips down the Chilkat River through the bald eagle preserve, wildlife-focused van tours, and photography outings since 1992. The trips are unhurried and genuinely local — guides know which cottonwood trees the eagles prefer and where bears fish in summer. Rated first of 22 tour companies in Haines on TripAdvisor and holds the Adventure Green Alaska certification.
Landmarks & sights
Fort William H. Seward National Historic Landmark
Alaska's first permanent army post, built in 1904 and now a walkable historic district of white clapboard buildings arranged around a central parade ground ten minutes from downtown. After WWII, veterans bought the entire fort and transformed it into an arts colony — which is what it remains today, home to Alaska Indian Arts, Port Chilkoot Distillery, and a collection of galleries. The totem pole at the former headquarters and the cannon out front frame a scene that reads as genuinely historic.
Sheldon Museum & Cultural Center
A nationally accredited small museum on Main Street holding over 4,000 artifacts from Chilkat blankets to the original Eldred Rock lighthouse lens, plus 12,000 cataloged photographs documenting the valley from the 19th century onward. The main gallery traces how the Tlingit stronghold of Jilkáat Aani became a multi-ethnic community — from gold rush to military post to arts colony. Small in scale but dense with material that the engaged staff knows well.