Winter ferry bookings open on the system that's the only road many Alaska towns have

Reservations opened Wednesday for winter sailings on the Alaska Marine Highway, running Oct. 1 through April 30 across Southeast, Southwest and Prince William Sound.

More than four out of five Alaska communities have no road connection, and for many the state ferry is the road. The working fleet carries people and their trucks, groceries, building supplies and livestock between towns the highway never reaches. A traveler drives a car up the ramp in one port, sleeps in a cabin, a reclining chair, or a tent on the deck, and drives off in another. The route runs 3,500 miles, from Bellingham, Washington to the Aleutians — long enough that the federal government counts it as part of the National Highway System and helps fund it like an interstate, the only marine route in the country with that designation.

"Winter service is a vital lifeline for goods, medical access, and community connection," AMHS Director Craig Tornga said in announcing the bookings. For a roadless town, a thin schedule can mean a longer wait to reach a doctor or a grocery shelf that stays empty until the next boat.

This winter's schedule is built around annual vessel overhauls, with the Kennicott, Aurora, Columbia and Tustumena each out of service for stretches of the season. The Aurora's overhaul was extended after crews found extensive wasted steel in the hull. AMHS has described the winter plan as similar to last year's, but residents and businesses in Tenakee Springs, Gustavus, Kake and Pelican pushed back during the comment period, arguing that repeating last year's schedule means sailings too infrequent to live on. The booking announcement doesn't address that.

The system runs nine ferries to 35 communities. Travelers can book at bookamhs.alaska.gov or by calling 800-642-0066.