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- Totem poles: Totem Heritage Center has the largest collection of original 19th-century totem poles anywhere. You can see more at Totem Bight State Park, located on the ocean front 9 miles north of town, and at Saxman native village, located 3 miles south.
- Salmon: Besides the wealth of totems, Ketchikan is the site of a major salmon fishery. And if you’re looking to catch some salmon to take home with you, Ketchikan offers one of the best opportunities along the Southeast coast to reel in the big one.
- Bald eagles: The resident salmon also attract an abundant year-round American Bald Eagle population—with so many nests in the area it’s sometimes called "the eagle capital of America." View a list of of all the nests you can see here.
- Guard Island Lighthouse: History buffs will seek out this century-old lighthouse in the Tongass Narrows, easily viewed from N. Tongass Highway or charter boat.
- Creek Street boardwalk: Lined with great shops, this is a fun stroll—and it was home to the red-light district until the 1950s.
- Misty Fjords National Monument, a 2.2-million-acre wilderness, begins just east of Ketchikan, and the vast Tongass National Forest (the nation’s largest) stretches north.
Day Tours & Excursions (view all...)
Rainy Day Charters
May to September
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.
Ketchikan Aerial Zip & Rainforest Courses
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.
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Adventure Kart Expedition
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!
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Alaska Kayak Company - Kayak & Hiking Tours
Experience kayaking in Alaska the way it should be—away from the crowds—with these unique Ketchikan paddling tours that make you feel like a true explorer. Your small group (usually just 4 people) will board the company’s comfortable boat and set off from the Ketchikan cruise-ship dock, leaving the big ships and the crowds behind. Choose from a 3-hour tour, or 5-hour kayak and hike tour.
Rainforest Island Adventure
Late April-early October
Board a rigid-hull inflatable boat for a 20-minute ride out to a secluded island. Weave through a series of small islands with massive cliffs that rise hundreds of feet out of the ocean, check out active bald eagle nests and look for sea lions and seabird rookeries along the way. Once at the island, you’ll climb out on the beach, break out into smaller groups, and set off on a stunning hike on a boardwalk that snakes through the rainforest.
Mindfulness Rainforest Treks
May - September
Alaska invites contemplation and reflection. Experience the quiet side of Ketchikan on a guided walk through dense stands of cedar and spruce to a rural ocean beach. Here you can connect with the land and sea through activities such as creative writing, meditation or tai chi.
Baranof Fishing Excursions
May - September
Baranof Fishing Excursions offers classic Alaska fishing experiences from their private marina in downtown Ketchikan. They provide everything you need from rubber boots to expert guides, for an extraordinary fishing adventure!
Backcountry Jeep and Canoe Safari
Late April-early October
Drive your own jeep along private logging roads that wind up into the mountains, on your way to an alpine lake. Paddle across the shimmering lake to a shoreline camp for a delicious snack over an open fire. Enjoy some storytelling, then go on a short nature walk through a beautiful old-growth forest.
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Black Bear & Wildlife Exploration
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.
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Taquan Air Neets Bay Bear Viewing
Mid-July - Septemeber
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.
The Alaska Catch
Ketchikan is known as the “salmon capital of the world,” and this uniquely personal tour is your chance to angle for these iconic Alaskan fish—as well as huge halibut. You’ll board an intimate fishing boat—complete with top-quality fishing and rain gear, as well as heaters, snacks, and beverages—close to the Ketchikan cruise terminal. And, since this is a private charter, it will be only your group on board!
Rainforest Canoe Adventure and Nature Trail
Late April-early October
Paddle all around a shimmering lake, looking for wildlife on the shore and reveling in the spectacular mountain views that surround you. Then stop off at a shoreline camp to enjoy a snack over an open fire. When you’re finished, you’ll go on a short walk through a dramatic old-growth forest.
Helicopter Air Alaska
Get a thrilling, bird’s-eye view of Alaska’s snow-capped peaks, mountain lakes, waterfalls, and more on an unforgettable helicopter flightseeing tour from Ketchikan.
Rainforest Trail Bike and Hike Adventure
Late April-early October
Bike 5 miles alongside a 100-year-old water flume, surrounded by the gorgeous Tongass National Forest, to a salmon-spawning stream at Ward Creek. After a delicious snack, hike about ¾-mile, following a boardwalk up into the forest. You’ll learn all about the plants that thrive in this unique environment.
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Taquan Air Deluxe Misty Fjords Flightseeing
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.
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Sights & Attractions (view all...)
Potlatch Totem Park
Built on the old fishing grounds of Tlingit Natives, the park hosts some of the finest native art in the world!
Saxman Totem Park
The art of totem pole carving was a luxury that experienced its heyday in the mid-1700s to the late 1800s. The fur trade had provided the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples a newfound sense of wealth – and time to focus on the artistry of the totem
Black Bear & Wildlife Exploration
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.
Southeast Alaska Discovery Center
Experience world-class exhibits and audiovisual programs. Discover Tsimshian, Haida and Tlingit totem poles, the rainforest room, a Native fish camp scene, and exhibits on Southeast Alaska's ecosystems, fishing, mining, timber and tourism. Located one block from the cruise ship dock in downtown Ketchikan. Accepts America-the-Beautiful passes.
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Rainforest Sanctuary, Totem Park, & Eagles
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.
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Totem Bight Park
As part of the New Deal during the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps came to this area and hired skilled Native artists who could recreate old crumbling poles and train apprentices, to keep the art form alive. You can wander the grounds at this state park, and learn about how to interpret the symbols on poles, or check out the large, carved tribal house. Was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. 10 miles out of town on N. Tongass Hwy.
Totem Heritage Center
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this collection of 19th century totem poles is the biggest in the world. Salvaged from abandoned Haida and Tlingit villages, some are as old as 160 years—no small feat, since totem poles usually deteriorate in less than a century. You can take a quick, free tour, or check out the current exhibits of contemporary Tlingit art.
Parks & Trails (view all...)
Perseverance Lake Trail
This is a popular weekend hike if you want to spend two-to-four hours in the Tongass National Forest and is only about 15-20 minutes north of town. Though you gain elevation on the hike up to the lake, it is not unforgivingly steep. Perseverance Lake is one of Ketchikan’s picturesque mountain-lake scenes.
Deer Mountain Trail
Deer Mountain is Ketchikan’s iconic backdrop. The path briefly threads between residential lots, then turns to a rocky trail that quickly ascends. On the way up there are multiple scenic overlooks.
Lunch Falls Trail
Leaving from the end of Tongass Highway, enter the Lunch Creek Trail and very soon take the trail to the left as this steps you quickly down to a waterfall viewing platform and then the rest of the way down to where, to the right, you can also cross the Lunch Creek bridge, which provides waterfall views as well as the ocean where the creek flows into.
Lunch Creek
If you want to get away and don’t have a boat or a plane, this is as far away north one can easily get from Ketchikan. The trail ends at the headwaters of Lunch Creek—the shores of Lake Emery Tobin, which is surrounded by a rim of steep mountainsides often capped with snow ridges and peaks.
Ward Lake Trail
The mostly-flat Ward Lake trail follows the circumference of the lake’s shore in a swath of gravel that is wide enough for two people to walk abreast. Ward Lake is tucked into the edge of the Tongass National Forest boundary. Its proximity to town makes the recreation area popular with the locals.
Herring Cove
Herring Cove, at the right time of year, is a wonderful place to view wildlife, and in particular, black bears. Mid-June through early September, when the salmon are running, is probably the best time for a chance to see black bears here.
Salvage Trail
The Salvage Trail is an out-and-back trail that rolls up and down through the woods, paralleling Revilla Road. The trail is a wide gravel path where two-to-three people can walk beside each other.
Ward Creek
Located in the Tongass National Forest, Ward Creek is wide enough to drive a truck down, though no vehicles are permitted, and is popular with the locals for walking dogs. Across the road from the Ward Lake Recreation Area parking lot, trailhead 1 takes you north and follows Ward Creek, which flows out of Connell Lake, by the Last Chance campground, and through Ward Lake to eventually meet the ocean in Ward Cove.
Coast Guard Beach Trail
The one-mile gravel trail to Coast Guard Beach winds through Ketchikan Gateway Borough land and then crosses into Alaska Mental Health Trust Land. Mostly the trail descends to the beach; however, a few hills do rise along the way. This beach is a good place for walking, sunbathing, beachcombing, photography, writing, reading, meditation, tai-chi, just sitting, marine-life viewing, and dog swimming.
Dude Mountain
The drive out to the Dude Mountain trailhead is one of the most scenic drives that Ketchikan has to offer. The trail begins winding through lush rainforest. The last part is steep and can be muddy in wet weather or covered in snow in spring and fall.
Rainbird Trail
Running just above and parallel to Ketchikan’s Third Avenue Bypass, Rainbird Trail is perfect if you only have a couple hours but still want to experience a small piece of Southeast Alaska’s rainforest. The trailhead is only 20 minutes from downtown (a short drive relative to most other trails), and the trail’s southern end—just beyond the top of the metal stairs—offers great views of downtown Ketchikan, the Tongass Narrows, and the neighboring islands beyond.
Settlers Cove State Recreation Site
Settlers Cove State Recreation Site offers two of the best sandy beaches to be found in the Ketchikan area and provides pit toilets and sheltered and unsheltered picnic tables with fire grates. A campground with eight campsites is available as well and one public-use cabin on the water that can be rented.
Refuge Cove State Recreation
Refuge Cove State Recreation Site is a sliver of land lining part of an edge of a neighborhood and is a popular beach picnicking destination with the locals. The site comes complete with pit toilets, sheltered and unsheltered picnic tables with fire grates, and a quarter-mile trail accompanied by interpretive signs that address the local natural history.
Connell Lake Trail
Connell Lake is a good choice if you want a trail that is less popular but just as close to town as the Perseverance trail. The rocky, dirt path gently climbs through the rainforest canopy and hugs the shoreline of the lake. On the other side is a nice flat area that the creek bows around, creating a small peninsula. A fire-pit indicates that this is a preferred spot to spend some time or camp.
Carlanna Lake Trail
If you are looking for a shortish “in-town” trail, this trail begins at the back of a neighborhood and walks up a service road to a dam that overlooks a mountain-lake scene.
South Tongass Waterfall
On one of the run-off creeks from Achilles Mountain or Twin Peaks Mountain above pours a 100-foot or more waterfall right beside Tongass Highway towards the end of the road
Wildlife Viewing Spots (view all...)
Rainforest Sanctuary, Totem Park, & Eagles
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.
Herring Cove
Herring Cove, at the right time of year, is a wonderful place to view wildlife, and in particular, black bears. Mid-June through early September, when the salmon are running, is probably the best time for a chance to see black bears here.
Black Bear & Wildlife Exploration
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.
Ketchikan Creek & Falls
In the town that boasts of being the Alaskan salmon capital of the world, here's where you can see the salmon in action—hundreds of thousands come through every summer. This spot, right next the library and at the end of Creek Street, offers a prime view of the crowds of salmon on their way to spawn.
Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery
Learn about the life cycle of salmon at this non-profit hatchery, where thousands of fish are cultivated and tagged annually before being released into area lakes, rivers and streams. You can watch (and even feed) little ones swimming against the current.
