Later it was called Gantee Yaak’w Séet (Steamboat Channel) referring to it having become a passage for steamers.
The Narrows opens up to Frederick Sound to the north and Sumner Strait to the south.
The channel is used by fishing boats and Alaska Marine Highway ferries.
Because this is the only safe "Inside Passage" at this latitude, these larger ships must navigate in "outside" waters.
Dry Strait to the east of Mitkof Island is not commonly used by marine traffic despite being a wider channel since it is dangerously shallow and part of the greater Stikine River estuary.