Wrangell Lay Day: Totems, Tuna, and a Land-Based Recon

Heritage Harbor might be outside of town, but getting to downtown Wrangell is a breeze—especially by dinghy. The 4-hour yellow loading zone at the base of the harbormaster’s ramp is ideal for tying up. Still, today I (Bob) decided to scout out the walking route for those days when the Strait’s too sloppy for a smooth dinghy ride.

The verdict? From Heritage Harbor to the City Market and Sentry Hardware & Marine, it’s a 1.2-mile walk—flat, easy, mostly sidewalked, and clocked at 40 minutes at my usual “trudge” pace. Not bad at all.

view of the harbor from the walk from heritage harbor to town.

on of the many sights along the route to town

interesting yard art in wrangell

For lunch, we tried Michelle’s Taste of Asia on Front Street. Normally we might have passed it by, but Sylvia from Alaska Vistas gave it such a rave review yesterday that we had to check it out. She was right—the spicy tuna sushi rolls were outstanding, and the post-lunch ice cream cone didn’t hurt either. We swung by afterward to thank her, and Karen even recruited some curious Nat Geo cruisers to go try it for themselves.

yummy lunch at Michelle’s Taste of Asia

A fun discovery today was the Carvers Shed, a working totem studio open to the public. Here, master carvers recreate aging or damaged poles—an effort to preserve heritage before these cultural icons return to nature, as is traditional. We chatted with a couple of the carvers and came away with a deeper appreciation of the stories these poles carry.

driftwood moose in wrangel

Just a short stroll away is the Nolan Center, a museum and visitor hub that’s always worth a look. We also made another attempt to visit the longhouse on Kah Shakes Island, but no luck—skunked again!

Kah Shakes longhouse, been here many times, but it is never open when we arrive

on the way to Kah Shakes Island you pass the harbors tidle grid, one of the largest i’ve seen

wrangel tidel grid, a double sided behomouth

Back at Heritage Harbor, we connected with some boaters just a few slips down—friends of friends from Navigator, both cruising Krogen 48s. They keep their boats in Wrangell year-round and had great insight into local logistics. It was a timely and fascinating chat, especially since we’ve been toying with the idea of overwintering here instead of making the long haul back to Bellingham.

A slower day? Sure. But packed with discoveries, good eats, and even better conversation—everything a lay day should be.