For something really different, spend a night or two at Sentinel Island Lighthouse (907/586-5338, www.gastineauchannel.blogspot.com, $50 pp) a few miles north of Juneau. Built in 1935, the art deco tower has bunks (bring sleeping bags), and guests can also stay in the keeper’s house, which contains a kitchen. There are no good places to leave a boat overnight on Sentinel Island, so access is by kayak, charter boat drop-off, or helicopter. The island has two active eagle nests and sits right across from a Steller sea lion haul-out.

Two other lighthouses currently being restored will eventually open to the public: Point Retreat Lighthouse (www.aklighthouse.org), on the northern tip of Admiralty Island west of Juneau, and Five Fingers Lighthouse (www.5fingerlighthouse.com), in Frederick Sound 75 miles south of Juneau.

Located 23 miles north of Juneau, the Shrine of St. Therese (907/780-6112, www.shrineofsainttherese.org) has a surprising collection of rental cabins. The rustic cabins ($40 s, $45 d) have woodstoves but no kitchens, and you’ll need to use the nearby bathrooms. A historic 1938 log cabin ($85 d) has two bedrooms plus a kitchenette and a private bath. Three larger places are available, including a lodge that can sleep 22 guests! Particularly noteworthy is Little Flower Retreat ($180 d plus $15 per additional guest), a modern two-bedroom home built on pilings over the water.

You don’t have to swear allegiance to the pope, but guests must abide by the contemplative spirit of this unique and peaceful place; whales are sometimes heard just offshore.