Top Haines Art Classes

After our airplane trip over the glaciers was cancelled at the last minute, I looked for alternatives tours to do while our ship was in Haines. I came along Tom's offering, read the reviews, and was happy that he wasn't booked the next day.Tom met us at the dock in his Subaru, which was a little cramped for 5 people (including Tom), but we managed. Tom took us to a number of excellent spots that we would not have gotten to if we had done a boat tour. Tom is very knowledgeable about the history of Haines and has an indepth knowledge of the best places to go near Haines to see wildlife and beautiful scenery.During our trip we saw bears,salmon, bald eagles, and some unusual migrating birds called Surf Scoters. Tom took us to some beautiful places and provided us with some excellents pointers on how to take beautiful scenery pictures. The places he took us to were fabulous.Overall, a fantastic tour and education. Well worth the money. I would highly recommend spending a morning or afternoon with Tom if you visit Haines.

Excellent experience. Tom has so much knowledge of the local area, photography, people and wildlife. Great tour.

Tom was an amazing guide and wealth of knowledge. He made sure to customize the tour to our interests and was very helpful photography tips and tricks. We cannot recommend him enough. We look forward to getting back to Haines and booking another tour.

On a cruise and had not scheduled anything for Haines. thought we should take a day off. Well, my wife wasn't feeling well and I decided at the last minute to book a tour with Tom. It was terrific. Tom mixes just the right blend of history/culture, nature, and photography. Although there's never any guarantees with wild animals, we saw black bear and brown bear (i.e. Grizzly with cubs), eagles, etc. Tom knows the area like the back of his hand and seems to know everyone in the community. Great eye for spotting birds, bears, etc. Also, I went to book the afternoon before - he fortunately had an opening and the communication through Cool Destinations was really great. Finally, check out his website and there's a link to "Smugmug" which is his photography site. His images are really beautiful. I would book him again if/when I return to Haines. (PS: if you're there on a cruise, the early evening sail out of Haines when the sun is setting is one of the most magical experiences you will ever experience - weather permitting)!!! (Note that all of the attached pictures except the Eagle were during the tour with Tom).

Tom is an amazing guide and so generous with his time and knowledge. Despite the fact we are not 'big' photographers and we only used our iPhones Tom helped us consider the composition of our images (which has since improved). Don't miss this trip. It was one of the two highlights of our holiday.

Tom was fantastic! Fun, informative, and enjoyable day of nature and photography. He knew the spots, timed the visits well to avoid crowded ship tours, and gave great insights into the area (and iPhone photography!)

After not getting to see anything in Haines on a trip over 25 years ago, we finally got the chance to come back and wanted to do things right. Tom seemed like the perfect guide to help us and he was. Very knowledgeable and loved his photography setup tips. It was our most favorite stop on a 12-day Alaska/Canada cruise.

Fantastic tour! Tom was an excellent local guide for our small group of 4. Very accomodating, passionate about photography and this area. Wish we had more time

A great wildlife in town tour with a professional and published photographer. Come rain or come shine. It will be fun.

Our experience with Tom was incredible. He took us all over Haines and showed us all the hot spots. We had the best halibut fish and chips ever at one of the local restraints. Our highlight was the scenery and our incredible encounter with Lulu the big brown bear with fou cubs. We watched them swim and fish in the river. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.. thank you so much, Tom. You are full of knowledge and humor. We immensely enjoyed ourselves. Would 1000% recommend this tour.

Our family visited Haines and we were lucky to be able to see it with Mr. Tom Ganner. He was a very gracious host. He met us at the ferry terminal and was the perfect guide. He is knowledgeable, kind and introduced us to his beautiful city. He covered both the cultural aspects of the area as well as the State Parks in the area. He is a professional photographer and took us to spots from where we could admire natural beauty. We also had time to explore the downtown area. He finally dropped us back to our ferry terminal to Skagway. We couldn’t have asked for anything more. I will highly recommend Mr. Ganner’s services.

As someone who’s really into nature photography, I planned my Alaska cruise hoping to capture as much of Southeast Alaska’s wild beauty as I could. I was traveling with my family on one of the big cruise ships, and Haines was one of our stops. It quickly became my favorite part of the trip—and that’s all thanks to Tom Ganner Photography.Right from the start, Tom was awesome to work with. He got back to me quickly when I asked about a date in May and helped me plan an outing that fit perfectly into the short time I had while in port. He really got what I was looking for and made sure I got the most out of the day.Tom knows Haines and the surrounding area inside and out. He took me to some incredible, off-the-beaten-path spots that most visitors don’t get to see—places full of wildlife and stunning landscapes. Every stop felt purposeful and just what I wanted to experience.What really stuck with me was how much Tom cares. He listens closely to what you want and goes out of his way to help you reach your goals, whether it’s landscapes, wildlife, or both. He’s generous with his knowledge—not just about the local nature and culture, but about photography too. I didn’t just leave with great photos—I learned new techniques and ideas.Tom clearly loves what he does. Our outing was so engaging that we went over the planned time, but he still made sure I got back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. That kind of care and professionalism made the whole experience stress-free and even more memorable.Tom’s more than a guide—he’s a storyteller, a teacher, and someone who really respects the land he calls home. If you’re visiting Haines—especially on a cruise—I recommend booking with Tom. You’ll come away with amazing photos, great memories, and a real connection to the place.

My wife and I had the pleasure of taking a private nature and photography tour with Tom, and it was an unforgettable experience. His depth of knowledge about the local wildlife, natural surroundings, and the rich history of the area was truly outstanding. Tom's enthusiasm and passion for Nature were contagious—he was fully engaged, personable, and genuinely committed to making our experience special. We came away with not only incredible photos( using our I phone) but also a much deeper appreciation for the region. Highly recommended!

Found Tom through a Google search. I wanted something more personal than the Eagle preserve float trip that we had already booked. From the start, Tom was easy to communicate with and very informative. We were able to spend about 5.5 hrs with Tom touring all around Chilkoot State Park and the Haines area. Even lucky enough to see the view from Tom’s back deck when he forgot his very phone prior to our tour( Lucky us- incredible view!!!! ). We saw tons of eagles and breathtaking scenery all around. I highly recommend contacting him for a personalized tour when in Haines. We arrived on the Ruby Princess June 14,2024 The Carters and the Ragons

Had an absolutely amazing day with Tom. Incredibly knowledgeable about wildlife, photography, Haines history, and indigenous culture. Tom is very personable, a great teacher and story-teller and a wonderful conversationalist. We give him our highest recommendation - you won't be disappointed.

Tom Ganner was a great tour guide for us while we were in Haines! He picked me, my wife and father-in-law up at the ferry and whisked us away to some excellent bear and eagle photo spots. Tom's knowledge of the local nature, culture and photography spots are excellent. He was super friendly and helped me get some nice photos that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to get in such a short time on the ground. We especially loved the flexibility we had with Tom, being able to decide what we wanted to do with the time rather than being lumped into a larger group in a van.