Colorful totem poles, steep streets and salmon – an expert guide to Ketchikan

Why go?

Ketchikan’s position near the US–Canadian border makes it a common first or last port of call in Alaska for most Alaskan cruises. On its own it’s not compelling, save for shopping and a fine Native heritage centre, but it provides a base for adventure excursions and trips to the magnificent scenery of Misty Fjords National Monument, 30 minutes’ flying time to the south.

Cruise port location

Ketichikan’s four-berth cruise terminal is one of Alaska’s busiest, with over 500 ships and a million visitors annually. Berths 1 and 2 are on Front Street and the Waterfront Promenade alongside the town’s three-block downtown grid. The Visitors’ Bureau is by Berth 2 at the corner of Mission Street, the start of a marked downtown walking tour. Berths 3 and 4 are a few minutes’ walk north of Berths 1 and 2.

Can I walk to places of interest?

Ketichikan’s downtown grid of jewellery and souvenir stores is just seconds from the terminal. The more appealing old Creek Street area is five minutes’ walk, but it is 15 minutes to the Totem Heritage Center, the town’s main cultural sight. The Center is served by the free Downtown Shuttle (regular 10-stop loop, including cruise berths 1–4; every 15 min daily 6.30am to 6.30pm, May to Sept).

Getting around

You can walk around downtown and its handful of sights or use taxis from the cruise terminal or the free shuttle (see above). You can also rent bikes and electric bikes. Use the local transit system if you want to travel farther afield under your own steam – the town has just one, 30-mile (48km) highway.

What to see and do

In town you should visit Creek Street and the Totem Heritage Center under your own steam, which will take 90 minutes to two hours at most. Add the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center if you want a general introduction to the region. Most flightseeing trips take three hours or less, as do the numerous kayaking, wildlife viewing, zip lining and other adventure tours.

What can I do in four hours or less?

The region’s scenic highlight is Misty Fjords National Monument, a medley of mountains, rainforest, waterfalls and soaring, cliff-sided fjords. The most varied and time-efficient way of seeing the landscape is on a combined cruise-flight excursion. These typically last three hours and 45 minutes, including transfers, and cost around $400/£320 with operators such as Ketchikan Shore Tours. You take a boat out to the fjords – aim for a tour that visits Punchbowl Cove, a highlight – and board a floatplane for the return leg. Compare with all-cruise tours, which take six hours and generally return the way you came.

Alternatively, choose from a plethora of (similar) floatplane excursions. A typical trip with an operator such as Misty Fjords Air costs around $270/£216 and lasts two hours in total, including transfers (75 minutes in the air plus a 15- to 20-minute landing).

This last option leaves time to visit Creek Street, once the town’s red light district, now much tidied up, but still with plenty of evocative old buildings. The eponymous creek in season is often teeming with spawning salmon.

You’ll also have time to visit the Heritage Center, which contains the United States’ largest collection of original totem poles. For a general introduction to the region, spend 30 minutes in downtown’s Southeast Alaska Discovery Center.

What can I do in eight hours or less?

Eight hours gives you the option of combining flightseeing, a downtown self-guided tour and another out-of-town paid-for excursion.

If the art and lore of Alaska’s totems appeals, combine a visit to the Heritage Center with a trip six miles northwest of the town to Potlatch Park and nearby Totem Bight Historical Park, which have more recently carved totems in outdoor settings. Ketchitour offers a 90-minute excursion to both sites.

Wildlife viewing excursions are widely advertised, especially bear watching, but consider these carefully, as sightings are far from guaranteed and the popular viewing points are busy (making viewings even less likely). Excursions offering eagle viewing are more likely to provide sightings.

Ketchikan was one of the first ports in Alaska to realise that if you lacked for attractions, then you could create your own in the shape of zip lines. Take a tour or taxi transfer to the Zipline Adventure Park, 25 minutes’ drive from town. It has eight lines and eight aerial traverses.

If you want a good hike after a long time at sea, try the Deer Mountain Trail. It’s 5.5 miles (9km) and involves a hearty 2600ft (790m) of ascent.

Finally, if you have time to spare, consider the crowd-pleasing Alaskan Lumberjack Show, which has between three and five one-hour shows daily in summer at a site one block from the cruise terminal.

Eat and drink

Salmon is king among the Alaskan fish and seafood specialities of most Ketchikan restaurants, but leave the downtown grid to escape the fast food and other mostly bland dining options aimed at cruise passengers.

Don’t leave without…

Ketchikan has an extraordinary number of jewellery and tacky souvenir stores, with an emphasis on gold and diamonds, all aimed squarely at cruise passengers. You will also find native arts and crafts – Mission and Creek streets are good places to start shopping – but look for official 'Made in Alaska' and 'Silver Hand' symbols to guarantee provenance or the Alaska State Council for the Arts for tips on ensuring you are supporting genuine indigenous artists.

Need to know

Safety

Ketchikan is a safe destination, but the downtown and cruise terminal area can become very crowded, so take the usual precautions against pickpockets.

Best time to go

Most cruises visit Ketchikan from May to September, and especially during July and August. July is the warmest month, with an average temperature of 55F (13C), but the town has some of the highest rainfall totals in North America (13ft/4m a year), so expect rain whenever you visit and dress accordingly. June is the driest month and in the shoulder periods May is drier than both August and September.

Closures

Most stores, attractions and tour operators close or run restricted operations from mid-September or October to April or mid-May.