Cruising to Alaska became popular among vacationers in the early 1880s, and gold mining began in earnest in Juneau in 1881. With these two new demands for shipping, the Pacific Coast Steamship Company assigned Idaho to the Alaskan trade. She sailed From Port Townsend for Harrisburg (now Juneau), Sitka, and Fort Wrangell for the first time on July 1, 1882. The ship made stops in Victoria and Nanaimo, British Columbia en route, the latter for coal. She sailed this route year-round except for trips back to San Francisco for maintenance for the next five years. The route was a success for Idaho. In fact, the Summer 1886 cruise season to Alaska was so popular that the ship was cited for carrying 215 passengers on one trip, 15 more than she was licensed for at the time. One of these was the Chief Justice of the United States Morrison Waite. Similarly, success of the Juneau gold mines continued the demand for transport of mining machinery and goods to Alaska. In February 1887 Idaho carried $60,000 in gold bullion south from the mines.
