Simple Tides / Guides / Haines Tides

Haines Tide Chart

Haines — the Lynn Canal town at the head of the Inside Passage, where the Chilkat River meets the sea — works a huge mixed semidiurnal tide of around twenty-one feet. Note the NOAA station sits at Haines Inlet, on the water beside town.

The pattern

Two unequal highs and two unequal lows daily with around twenty-one feet of range — huge Lynn Canal water. The tide floods the Chilkat Inlet and the town’s small-boat harbor, then drains the river flats far out — the harbor’s floats ride the full swing.

Eagles and the Chilkat

The Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, just up the valley, hosts the world’s largest gathering of bald eagles each fall as they feed on the late salmon run. Rafters float the Chilkat and hikers work the alpine trails above town; see our best time to fish tides guide.

Boating

Lynn Canal is deep fjord water, but the river mouths and the harbor entrance shoal fast — favor the marked channel and a rising tide. Winter brings williwaws off the glaciers. For the region, see our Alaska tides guide.