Get around

Ketchikan's historic downtown is small and easily accessible by foot from the most common tourist access point, the massive downtown dock where summer cruise ships moor, however the rest of the town stretches miles to the north and south along the waterfront. Taxi and bus service provides visitors with access to outlying areas and to tourist destinations outside of town.

Visitors who arrive by air at the Ketchikan Airport must take a short ferry ride or water taxi from the airport's location on nearby Gravina Island (2005 cost, $5.00) which will deliver them to a terminal about 1.5 miles north of downtown and approximately 0.5 miles from the nearest food and lodging. The Ketchikan side of the airport ferry service is connected by local bus service and there are payphones available on the airport side and the Ketchikan side to call for taxi or shuttle van pickup.

The Alaska Marine Highway System ferries, as well as the ferries of the Inter-Island Ferry Authority (which serves Ketchikan, Metlakatla, and several communities on Prince of Wales Island) arrive at a ferry terminal approximately 1 mile north of downtown, is served by local bus service and has pay phones available to call for taxi or shuttle service. Walk-on ferry passengers who don't have a vehicle available in Ketchikan can find food and lodging directly across the street from the AMHS ferry terminal.

Climate

Located in the vast coastal rainforest of Southeast Alaska, Ketchikan is one of the rainiest cities in North America with just over 150 inches of average annual precipitation. Visitors should therefore come prepared for rain, especially if they plan activities on the water or in the forest or otherwise away from town and easy access to shelter. During the summertime precipitation is generally light and sporadic and daytime temperatures average in the high sixties (F). Wintertime is marked by heavy, cold, wind-driven rain, for months at a time with barely any respite and temperatures in the high thirties.

Activities

Scenic Creek Street is popular with visitors to Ketchikan's historic downtown

Over 800,000 visitors come through Ketchikan each year by cruise ship. Most spend only a few hours in town, limiting their tourism and recreation choices. Visitors who arrive by air, via the Alaska Marine Highway System, or by private vessel and who have more time to spend can choose from a wider array of activities.

Popular day-trip activities in Ketchikan include:

 • Explore the historic downtown area and shop for souvenirs in the tourist-oriented businesses located there.
 • Visit local totem-pole collections: Saxman Totem Park (approximately 2.5 miles south of downtown), or Totem Bight State Historical Park (approximately ten miles north of downtown Ketchikan), or the Totem Heritage Center and Tribal Fish Hatchery (located within Ketchikan, approximately 0.75 miles from the cruise ship docks).
 • Hike in the Tonga's National Forest.
 • Charter a salmon- or halibut-fishing excursion.
 • Rent a kayak from a local outfitter and explore the town waterfront.
 • Take a tour boat or float-plane excursion to explore Misty Fiords National Monument.
 • Visit the historical exhibits at the local museum or the rainforest interpretive exhibits at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center.

Shopping

Judged by popularity, as measured in sheer dollar terms, the souvenir to buy in Ketchikan is jewelry. But why? The prices aren't especially notable, even in the shops which aren't set up to give kickbacks to the cruise lines that send business in their direction (via a system of "recommended shopping" guides, coupon booklets, and other tactics.)

In fact, the cruise lines generally find ways to take a cut of whatever deals they can involve themselves in. For example, the overwhelming number of visitors arrive in Ketchikan by cruise ship and arrange their excursions through the cruise lines' activities desks. While this arrangement is more convenient for the cruise passenger, many would be surprised to find out how stiff a commission the line extracts from the local tour operator. As much as half the cost of a tour may be sent back to the cruise line; consequently passengers or other visitors who are willing to arrange their own tours may find that they can get better prices from local tour operators by dealing with them directly. Or they may not. In any case it can't hurt to ask.

If you're looking for something with local flavor to bring home with you, the area's seafood is exceptional and can be packed and shipped frozen back to just about anywhere in the country. If you're leery about shipping frozen fish consider smoked salmon, which travels well. If unsure, ask the store owner to tell you what kind of salmon and where it was caught and packed. Of the five types of wild Pacific salmon, king (chinook), silver (coho), and sockeye (red) will usually be clearly labeled -- they're more highly sought after and command a price premium. Salmon that is unlabelled, or is labeled only as "wild Alaskan salmon" is usually either pink (humpback) or chum (dog) salmon.

If you're seeking something more permanent to take home, several galleries specialize in native-design art. Consider some of the strikingly executed carvings or baskets, or if you're on a more modest budget, a print. Local photographers offer some remarkable photos of the area's scenic wonders -- be sure to save some time to actually see the wonders, though and not just their photos. And a number of other local artists produce a range of artwork which can accommodate almost any budget. On Creek Street Soho Coho, a popular local gallery, sells modestly priced artwork by several local artists and does a brisk trade in whimsical fish-themed T-shirts designed by gallery owner Ray Troll.

Dining

I'm sorry to say that Ketchikan isn't really a restaurant town. There are restaurants, of course, many of them quite decent, none truly exceptional. But the peculiarities of our local tourist trade mean that the 800,000+ visitors we receive every year rarely patronize local restaurants, since the overwhelming majority arrive via cruise ships that offer all-inclusive meal plans. Consequently the restaurant economy in Ketchikan is largely supported by locals and a fairly small percentage of visitors and the number and variety of restaurants is not as large as one might expect from a town so crowded with summertime visitors.

Fish is the local specialty. The fishing industry in Southeast Alaska is not what it once was but vast amounts of salmon are still landed every year and processed and shipped to all over the world. Wild Alaskan salmon is world famous, and rightly so. Ask a local fisherman, however, and many will express a preference for the lighter-flavored halibut. Either is a fine choice, as are several other species caught in local waters, including rockfish, ling cod, and Dungeness crab.

A word on crab: many visitors, excited to be in Alaska, are eager to dine on the famous Alaskan king crab. I'm sorry to say that king crab aren't commonly found anywhere close to Ketchikan and there is no commercial king crab fishery here. So if you order king crab at one of our restaurants you're going to be served crab that has been frozen and flown in -- it won't be any fresher than if you'd ordered it at a restaurant back home. If you crave a crustacean sensation order local Dungeness crab instead. Dungies aren't as large or as exotic as king crab and it takes a bit more work to eat them but their meat is pleasantly mild and sweet-tasting and you'll get a fresher meal at a cheaper price. Save the king crab order for when you've traveled much further north.

Located across from The Plaza shopping mall is The Galley, an old local favorite. Thanks to a large local Filipino population, Ketchikan serves some delicious cuisine that brings a taste of Manilla to Alaska. The Galley offers Asian food and diner fare, from pancit to burgers. Don't miss the addictive lumpia (a Filipino version of a spring roll), fried rice, and noodle dishes. With friendly staff and a 60s decor, the Galley can't be beat.

Ocean View Restaurant offers a good selection of Mexican and Italian, and probably the town's best pizza. Chips and salsa are free, the food is flavorful and fresh, and families are welcome. Vegetarian options abound, something that cannot often be said in Ketchikan.

Cape Fox Lodge is probably the fanciest digs in town, and dressing nicely for dinner is recommended. The prices are high, but whether or not the food merits the cost is up to debate; it's not bad, but it's not quite as good as it seems to think it is. There is a respectable beer and wine list, and the views of the waterfront are stunning.

Lodging

Summertime visitors to Ketchikan should remember that summer is our high tourist season and the town has a modest number of hotel rooms. There are other options available besides traditional hotel rooms, however. Quite a number of local bed and breakfasts host visitors. And many stay at remote lodges, some accessible by road from Ketchikan, others requiring travel via boat or float plane to reach them.

Campers can find pleasant accommodation for tent camping or RVs at campgrounds at Ward Lake, Last Chance, and Settler's Cove. However, facilities are primitive and electric and sewer hookups are not available. Tent campers can also generally camp at undeveloped sites in the Tonga's National Forest. Check with the Ketchikan Area Ranger District for details and, where necessary, permits.

For the more adventurous, the US Forest Service maintains a network of backcountry cabins and camp shelters throughout the region. Reservations for cabins can be made on-line and a night at a forest service cabin usually costs $35 - 45. Camp shelters are usually free and usually are on a first-come, first-served basis. Check with the Ketchikan Ranger District for details or visit the web site for the Tonga's National Forest. Cabins are primitive -- a spartan setup with a kitchen area, a stove (for heating, not too practical for cooking) and sleeping platforms for four (or in a real pinch six) but are generally isolated and located in sites of notable natural beauty. Transportation to and from the cabins poses the biggest challenge for most visitors, as none of the Ketchikan-area cabins are available via the road system. Most are located next to salt water and accessible by boat, some are on inland lakes and require a hike in or transport via float plane, which can be arranged through a number of local float plane services.

Aerial, Ketchikan and Tonga's Narrows, Alaska

Get in

Ketchikan is served by daily jet service from Seattle and Juneau and is served by the ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway System. Most visitors, however, arrive and leave on the same day via the cruise ships which ply Alaska's famous Inside Passage from early May through late September. Several harbors offer transient moorage to private vessels cruising the Inside Passage.

Attractions

Set on the hillsides above the waterfront on a heavily forested, mostly wilderness island, the town of Ketchikan is worth visiting on its own merits. However, visitors with time for an extended stay should make an effort to explore the steep rainy forests, deep-water channels, secluded bays, and hundreds of small islands in the surrounding area. Travelers with access to a boat of some sort, whether single-person kayak or gargantuan luxury yacht, should devote some time to exploring the scenic passages and inlets of the nearby waterways where fish are bountiful, it's not uncommon to see whales and porpoises, and bears and eagles can frequently be seen on the shore.

Further afield, about sixty miles from Ketchikan, on the eastern side of Revillagigedo Island and the mainland opposite, lie the 3,570 square miles of Misty Fiords National Monument, which straddles the 2,000-foot deep waters of narrow Behm Canal and spans rich marine, coastal and mountain forest ecosystems. The highlights of the monument are two spectacular fiords, Rudyerd Bay and Walker Cove, each of which winds miles into the mountainous coastal mainland. Thousand-foot waterfalls zigzag down spectacular cliffs, their flow augmented in the spring and early summer by melting snow, and fed throughout the year by the copious amounts of rain that define Southeast Alaska's coastal climate.

In addition, Ketchikan is situated at the meeting place of three Alaska Native cultures, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian. Evidence of the rich artistic and dance traditions of the native cultures is apparent throughout the town, most visibly in the totem poles scattered through the historic district and found in larger groupings in two totem parks near town.

In recent years tourism development fueled by the cruise-ship industry has driven many local businesses out of the stores in the historic downtown area replacing them with jewelry and souvenir shops, which is somewhat regrettable, but fortunately much of the architectural character of the old town remains and a number of businesses still specialize in selling local artwork, carvings, and crafts. The Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, located on the cruise ship dock, publishes a walking tour of downtown Ketchikan that takes visitors through several interesting neighborhoods. Visitors walking downtown should be sure to include Creek Street in their walking tour. Historic wooden buildings stand on stilts on both sides of a wooden boardwalk along Ketchikan Creek, which summer visitors can expect to find filled with spawning salmon and occasionally a few hungry harbor seals looking for easy prey. Once a raucous red-light district, and during prohibition a row of speakeasies, Creek Street is now home to a more reputable class of establishment but still retains its delightful historic charm.