Top 10 Ketchikan Shore Excursions
When cruising the Inside Passage and Alaska, you are constantly surrounded by incredible sights no matter where you are and despite all been similar, each port of call offers something different, with Ketchikan offering plenty of visitors to enjoy.
One of the highlights of a visit there is its collection of totem poles, thought to be the largest in the world as is a visit to the iconic Creek Street from the city centre cruise dock.
But just what are the top 10 Ketchikan shore excursions? That is just what we answer in this list, which is based on our experience of visiting the city on a cruise holiday and the research we did before visiting there.
Our Shore Excursions In Ketchikan
Floatplane Over Misty Fjords and Bear Experience
This simply had to the be our number 1 option as this is just what we were lucky enough to do on our visit to the city.
You take a small walk to a Seaplane, or floatplane as they are known locally, and set off from the Tongass Narrows to the nearby Neet Bay.
The journey is an amazing experience, the bay is simply stunning beautiful and after a short stroll through the forest, you arrive at a small river where you hopefully get to see bears in the wild.
On our excursion, we were lucky enough to see a couple of bears and even got to watch one hunt for salmon and enjoy eating its lunch right in front of us.
After spending some time watching the bear and listening to our guide tell us about the region and the wildlife found there, we set off once again on our Seaplane and took a flight over the Misty fjords, before flying over our ship and then landing back in Ketchikan.
This is simply something that me and wife will always remember and is simply one of our best ever days onshore.
Rainforest Sanctuary Nature Walk
As you sail through the inside passage, you find yourself constantly staring at the incredible rainforest that surrounds it.
A visit to the Rainforest Sanctuary not only allows you to take a walk through the forests around the city, but your guide will tell you all you need to know about the trees and nature of the rainforests, as well as a visit to a sawmill.
Misty Fjords Cruise
The incredible Misty Fjords are around 22 miles from downtown Ketchikan and can be reached by helicopters and floatplanes but perhaps the best way to get up close and personnel to the fjords is to visit onboard a small boat tour.
There are a few options for those who want to do just that and who want to see the magnificent waterfalls, sheer cliffs and the incredible wildlife found there.
Wildlife Safari
If you are sailing in Alaska, it almost impossible to not see some of its remarkable wildlife from right onboard your ship.
If you are staying in an inside cabin and only go to locations in the middle of your ship, you may miss out but so long as you head to an outside deck or sit near a window at some point, you will likely see at least 1 whale, seal, eagle or other native animal.
It may seem a strange option therefore to spend time searching for wildlife whilst off your ship, but with many cruising the region to take in the Alaskan wildlife, a wildlife cruise gives you a great chance to get up close to it.
Whilst what you come across is never guaranteed, there are few places on earth where opportunity is so high to see incredible animals such as humpbacks, orca’s, seals, porpoises, eagles and even bears from a modern boat setting off from next to where you dock.
Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
This is exactly a shore excursion as even if you book via your cruise ship, you will still make your own way to the show as it is just a 5-10 minute stroll from where you dock.
As one of the most popular attractions for cruisers in Alaska that entertains as much as it informs, the show is a must do for many visitors but with 2-3 ships docking right next to it, make sure you have a ticket to watch by booking in advance with your cruise line.
Totem Bight State Park
Ketchikan is famed for its totems and totem poles and whilst you fail to miss them as you walk around the town, the best way to experience the history and culture of them is to visit the Totem Bright State Park.
Here you will see a number of totem poles, learn about the local Tlingit and Haida cultures and get an insight into native life in the region.
Zipline Adventure Park
White knuckle rides and adrenaline filled activities maybe not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Alaska, but maybe it should.
A visit to the Zipline Adventure Park allows you to get a different angle of the trees of the local forest as you take a series of lines through the trees in a different type of ziplining experience.
City Tour
Although Ketchikan is a walkable city, there are plenty of options to take a city tour which is great for those with mobility issues or who want to gain a greater understanding of the history and culture of the city from the onboard guide.
Choose from tours including a regular coach, a trolley bus or a duck tour and see all of the highlights of the city including Creek Street.
Crab Feast
If fresh fish and seafood is your thing, there can be no where better than to head to a seafront lodge for some of the freshest crab and seafood on the planet.
Crab is a speciality of the region and there is plenty of opportunities to eat as much of it as you can whilst also enjoying other local specialities before heading back from the wilderness to your ship, where you should be back in time for tea!
Guided Street Walk
With ships docking in the heart of the city and with Ketchikan only been relatively small, many will simply walk from their ship and take in all of the sights of the port.
To really engrain yourself in the history and culture of Ketchikan and to get a better understanding of just what you are seeing in the town, a simple walking tour is often the best option and also one of the cheapest excursions on offer.
