This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
So you finally booked your Alaska cruise. First stop! Ketchikan.
It’s time to start figuring out how to maximize your brief time in port!
Will you book an excursion? Will you figure it out on your own? There are so many options, and it’s really overwhelming to figure it all out in advance.
Rest assured that while Ketchikan is a great spot for fishing and cultural excursions, it’s also a town that is easy to explore on your own without breaking the bank. If you are going to choose one port to go it alone, Ketchikan is a good pick. There is more than enough to do in town to keep you busy for the short time in port (usually around 6-8 hours—our Holland America ship was in Ketchikan from 6:30am to 3pm).
We came up with a pretty good itinerary that provided a mix of Native Alaskan culture, nature, local history, and silly fun.
Read on if you want to learn how to spend a day exploring the nature and culture of Ketchikan without spending a fortune on excursions.
NOTICE: The tragic August 25, 2024 landslide in Ketchikan will impact some of these activities. Notably, the landslide damaged a portion of the Rainbird Trail and the trail is closed until further notice. My heart goes out to the residents of Ketchikan.
About Ketchikan
Before you set foot in town, it’s helpful to know a little bit about the place to orient yourself.
The town of Ketchikan, or Kichxáan, grew up on the site of a Tlingit (Native Alaskan) summer fish camp at the mouth of the Ketchikan Creek. It’s no wonder they chose that spot—Ketchikan is the site of the “great salmon run”.
Some say the Tlingit name Kichxáan means “near the wing of an eagle”, or the “thundering wings of an eagle”. Either way, you are all but assured to see at least one eagle while you are here—just make sure to look up.
According to the US Census, Ketchikan is now a town of a little over 8,000 year-round residents. These hearty people have built an economy around fishing and logging industries, with an increasing focus on tourism. But it’s still known as the salmon capital of the world!
If you want to learn more about the many facets of the Ketchikan community, check out Ketchikan Stories.
Getting to Ketchikan
The only way to get to Ketchikan is by air or by sea. There are no roads connecting Ketchikan to the rest of Alaska.
So it should come as no surprise that the majority of visitors to Ketchikan arrive by sea, on a cruise ship.
In 2023, Ketchikan was estimated receive almost 1.5 million visitors via 52 cruise ships, making 675 port calls during over five months. Cruise season runs May to September, with peak season in June and July. That’s a lot of people for this small town. But cruise traffic also brings in about $250 million in revenue, so it’s understandably a love-hate relationship.
One-Day Itinerary for Ketchikan
On a typical cruise day, you will have time to do four or five of the following activities, depending on your pace.
- Check in at the Ketchikan Visitor Center
- Wander Creek Street
- Explore Totem Bight State Park and Potlatch Totem Park OR Saxman Native Village
- Hike the Rainbird Trail
- Visit Tongass Historical Museum
- Visit Dolly’s House
- Enjoy the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
Read on for a description of each of these activities, so you can plan your own perfect day in Ketchikan.
This itinerary is designed to stay mostly downtown and use public transportation. If you want to do all the things, but don’t want to worry about logistics, you might consider doing a local tour that takes you around to all the places you want and provides some local knowledge. Especially if you have a group of 4 to 6 people, consider something like Ketchikan Taxi Cab Tours, which offers a tour for one flat rate ($420 in 2024) for a van.
Ketchikan Visitor Center
It’s always a good idea to make your first stop the visitor center, especially when it is so conveniently located dockside.
Head to the counter if you have specific questions or to get the lay of the land. At the very least, pick up the Ketchikan walking tour map and brochure (or get the Ketchikan walking tour app ahead of time!).
Hours: 6:30am – 5pm
Creek Street and Ketchikan Creek / Kichxáan Héeni
Creek Street has a collection of original old wooden houses along Ketchikan Creek that formed the seedy underbelly of this frontier town during the early 1900s. In its heyday, the Creek was lined with around 30 “bawdy houses” (brothels) offering up pleasure for a price. You can even tour Dolly’s House Museum, a brothel preserved in all its early 1900s bawdy glory, to get a feel for life back then.
Under prohibition (1920s and 1930s), some of the buildings became speakeasies, with bootleggers pulling up on boats.
Basically, if you wanted to party, Creek Street was where it is at.
It all changed in 1953 when Ketchikan outlawed prostitution and the buildings evolved to accommodate more “acceptable” uses.
It is remarkable that these buildings have been so well preserved so that we can fully appreciate the history of this place. Creek Street has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2016.
Take a few minutes to wander Creek Street, reading the placards on the buildings and admiring the serene setting. If you want a deeper dive into the history, follow the Ketchikan walking tour map from the Visitor Center or use the Ketchikan walking tour app.
Don’t forget that in the summer months the creek itself is a major attraction, teeming with salmon swimming upstream.
Totem Bight State Park
They say the town of Ketchikan has the largest collection of totem poles anywhere. And Totem Bight State Park is a great spot to see a beautiful collection of old and new totem poles, and a beautiful clan house. They do a great job with information panels, so you will also learn a lot.
Totem Bight is not the forest of totem poles that I imagined in my head when I heard it described that way, but rather a serene waterfront setting with totem poles sprinkled here and there. Don’t get me wrong, they are beautiful! I had just imagined something like LA’s lamppost exhibit, but with totem poles (don’t ask me why).
If you don’t want to stress about getting back to port on time, consider making the Totem Bight State Park the first stop on your visit to Ketchikan. Just keep in mind that the bus might be more crowded, as everyone will be on the same schedule.
Totem Bight is about 10 miles northwest of town. If you need your schedule to be flexible, you can splurge on a $60-$75 taxi ride. It should take about 20 minutes. I am sure you can arrange a taxi ride back (for a similar price).
If you are willing to be on a fixed schedule, you can ride the $2 Silver Line bus. We took the bus, and it was crowded, but got us where we needed to go.
The bus runs hourly, which means you have to manage your time while you explore the totem park. This is especially important if you also plan to visit the neighboring Potlatch Totem Park. We did not leave nearly enough time for Potlatch.
Hours: There are no hours listed anywhere on the Alaska Parks site, so you can probably head out there any time. Buses start from downtown at 5:25 am. And remember, there are a LOT of hours of daylight in an Alaska summer!
Potlatch Totem Park and Museum
A quick two-minute walk from Totem Bight State Park, you will find the family-owned Potlatch Totem Park and Museum. It’s definitely worth a visit—and I wish we had had more time to spend there.
Potlatch Park is privately owned, and there is no entrance fee. There is, however, a gift shop/museum at the entry to the park.
I didn’t have time to make it to the gift shop/museum but it has a reputation for being one of the most affordable places to buy quality Native Alaskan art. I recommend you stop in here first to get information and buy your souvenirs.
Then make your way down the hill and you will find another superb collection of totem poles and clan houses. Sometimes there is someone demonstrating carving (but not while we were there). There are a few information panels in the clan houses. This is one of those places where it would have been helpful to have a guide in order to learn a bit more about what we were seeing.
There is also a surprising vintage car museum with some beautiful cars in nice condition.
Hours: 9am – 5 pm (according to Google maps). You might be able to wander the site outside those hours, but the museum/gift shop will be closed.
Rainbird Trail
We are hikers, so we wanted to get a in quick trail while we were in town. We found the Rainbird Trail to be a great option.
Ketchikan is surrounded by the Tongass National Forest, and the Rainbird Trail lets you dip your toe into the magic of this lush green forest.
Entering into this edge of the Tongass was magical, with soft green moss carpeting the forest floor, ferns bursting out of logs, and wisps of moss hanging off the trees. Constantly looking around in wonder might slow you down a little!
The trail takes about one hour to hike. You can either do a quick there and back to catch the next bus, or go all the way to the end of the trail and catch a different bus (or walk) into town. I recommend going end to end so you get both the lush forest and the dramatic views overlooking Ketchikan and the Tongass Narrows.
It’s best to hit the Rainbird trail on your way back to town from Totem Bight State Park. Get off the bus at Ketchikan HS—note that the bus does NOT stop here on the way TO Totem Bight State Park.
Once you get off the bus, wind your way up the hill towards the trailhead (there are signs to guide you). The trailhead is right next to the University of Alaska Southeast building.
If you want to hike this trail, check out How to Hike the Magical Rainbird Trail in Ketchikan for more information to help you plan your hike.
Tongass Historical Museum
The Tongass Historical Museum, housed in a former city library building at the edge of Creek Street, is worth a quick stop if you have the time. With a modest $6 entry fee for adults, it’s a pretty low commitment.
The museum has a permanent exhibit with artifacts that help tell the story of Ketchikan’s growth as a fishing and logging village. It’s a nice mix of photographs and weathered tools that help paint a picture of life back in the day.
They also have space for a feature exhibit about the community that changes periodically. When we were there, there was an exhibit about the people in different maritime-related professions.
For a few dollars more, you can get the $9 museum pass that also includes admission to the Totem Heritage Center.
The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show is a Ketchikan staple. It is as campy as it sounds.
Clocking in at one hour, it’s just the right amount of time to watch a few beefy guys in hard hats and plaid shirts rev their chainsaws and hurl their axes through the air. There is a bit of a comedy routine woven in, but they are actually doing real lumberjack (i.e. dangerous) things. When all goes well, no one gets hurt.
The emcee and the lumberjacks do a great job with crowd engagement, so I’d say it’s especially fun for kids. There are even prizes!
The show is conveniently located just a few blocks from port, so you don’t have to worry about getting back to your ship on time.
You can buy Lumberjack Show tickets in advance or buy them at the box office last minute (if available). We were able to get tickets just minutes before the show started, even though our show looked just about sold out. If you really have your heart set on the show, I would get tickets in advance (you should be able to get them through your cruise ship as well).
And don’t forget to stop at the gift shop!
Hours vary, but shows start as early as 7:45am and as late as 5:15pm.
Attractions I Wish I Had Visited
We just didn’t have enough time in Ketchikan! There are a few other things I would have liked to have seen. In hindsight, if I were to have a do-over, I would skip the Lumberjack Show in favor of one or more of these attractions. You should decide based on what interests you.
Southeast Alaska Discovery Center
The Southeast Alaska Discovery Center is a short hop from the cruise ship docks.
The Center provides a comprehensive and fun introduction to Ketchikan. Through interactive displays and films, provides a great overview of Ketchikan’s history, economy, ecology, and native cultures (Haida, Tlingit, and Tsimshian). It is super kid-friendly, with ranger programs, scavenger hunts and other activities.
It’s only $5 for adults, and kids enter for free.
Hours: 8 am to 4 pm daily in summer (closed on Federal holidays)
Dolly’s House Museum
Visit Dolly’s House Museum for a time capsule of Ketchikan life in the bordello days. The house belonged to Dolly Arthur, one of Ketchikan’s most famous madams. Wander through the furnishing and admire the artifacts and photos that will take you back to the merry days of prostitution and debauchery on Creek Street.
For a mere $5, the friendly and knowledgeable guides will give you a brief history of the house, then send you off on a self-guided tour.
Note that the second floor is not wheelchair accessible.
Hours: 7:30 am to 4 pm Monday-Friday, 10:30 am to 4 pm on Saturday, 7:30 am to 3 pm on Sunday
Totem Heritage Center
The Totem Heritage Center is a bit further from the docks, about a 15-minute walk from downtown. As noted above, you can get a $9 combo ticket for the Totem Heritage Center and the Tongass Historical Museum (versus $6 each).
This museum houses a collection of 19th century Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian weathered totem poles, retrieved from local villages with the guidance of Native elders. In addition to the totem poles, the museum displays other Northwest Coast art, including carvings, baskets, regalia, and photographs.
The Totem Heritage Center aims to keep these traditions alive through Native Arts Studies Program classes and workshops. Those programs, however, are not one-time events geared towards the one-day visitor.
Hours: 8 am to 5 pm daily
Final Thoughts
If you are going to pick a port to skip excursions, Ketchikan is a pretty good one for it. There is great nature to explore, and boundless opportunities to learn about native culture and art, and the history of this small town.
There are plenty of fun and interesting activities in this quirky town to keep you entertained—and you might even learn a thing or two.
