The Best Ketchikan Shore Excursions

You’ll find out why Ketchikan is famous for salmon with Cap­tain Jared of Rainy Day Char­ters. Leave the cruise ship crowds behind for an authen­tic Alaskan expe­ri­ence, sur­round­ed by water, wilder­ness and wildlife. It’s a per­fect excur­sion for a half-day in port, even bet­ter if you have more time to fill your entire box with fish.

Fly through dra­mat­i­cal­ly beau­ti­ful land­scapes in a DeHav­il­land float­plane for an icon­ic Alaskan expe­ri­ence. In this 2‑hour adven­ture, you’ll vis­it Misty Fjords Nation­al Mon­u­ment, where glac­i­ers carved out the land 17,000 years ago. See an untouched world of deep fjords, lush green for­est and sparkling lakes. Expe­ri­ence a water land­ing and ven­ture out onto the floats to take in the beau­ty – and peace­ful­ness – of remote Alaska.

This exhil­a­rat­ing tour puts you in a rugged Tom­car for a back coun­try ATV adven­ture over 10 miles of old log­ging roads through the Ton­gass Nation­al For­est. The off-road excite­ment is matched by amaz­ing views as you nav­i­gate twist and turns, motor eas­i­ly up hills, and splash through epic pot­holes. It’s sheer fun for the whole fam­i­ly. Get Dirty!

Ketchikan is black bear coun­try, and just out­side town you can see them in their favorite sum­mer­time activ­i­ty – fish­ing for pro­tein-rich Alas­ka salmon. A walk­ing tour through the lush foliage of the Alas­ka Rain­for­est Sanc­tu­ary reveals prime salmon habi­tat, a cer­tain attrac­tion for hun­gry bears. Wait and watch for this apex species in action – pounc­ing on fish, teach­ing cubs, and chas­ing each oth­er to the feast­ing grounds.

The lush green Ton­gass Nation­al For­est stretch­es out below as you take a clas­sic Alaskan float­plane ride to Neets Bay, one of the best places in South­east Alas­ka to see black bears fish­ing for salmon. This 3‑hour trip packs in spec­tac­u­lar flight­see­ing, a nature walk, and the chance to watch bears in their nat­ur­al habitat.

Just out­side Ketchikan, the Alas­ka Rain­for­est Sanc­tu­ary promis­es a close-up view of old-growth for­est, salmon habi­tat, an his­toric lum­ber mill, totem carv­ing, rap­tor exhibits, and chances to see black bear and oth­er wildlife – all in under 3 hours! There’s no bet­ter intro­duc­tion to Alaska’s South­east than this show­case of ecol­o­gy, wildlife, his­to­ry and Native culture.

Fly through the upper sto­ries of a tem­per­ate rain­for­est in this thrilling zipline adven­ture. Two excit­ing cours­es, each with 8 zips, are locat­ed with­in the Alas­ka Rain­for­est Sanc­tu­ary – home to spawn­ing salmon, bald eagles, and black bear! Whether you’re a new­bie or an old hand, this is the ulti­mate loca­tion for a zip­ping good time.

You’ll find out why Ketchikan is famous for salmon with Cap­tain Jared of Rainy Day Char­ters. Leave the cruise ship crowds behind for an authen­tic Alaskan expe­ri­ence, sur­round­ed by water, wilder­ness and wildlife. It’s a per­fect excur­sion for a half-day in port, even bet­ter if you have more time to fill your entire box with fish.