Ketchikan is a charming fishing village in Southeast Alaska and a popular stop for cruises. The colorful buildings of the main drag provide a lovely unplanned day in port. Shopping and tasty eats abound, just a short stroll from the cruise dock. The town life quickly gives way to beautiful natural spaces, giving easy access to loads of exciting excursions in the striking mountains and old growth boreal forests.
Fishing fans will have their choice of salmon runs or bottom fishing by line for halibut, rockfish, and lingcod. Where there are fish, there are bears, making this a great spot for excursions by drive or air to admire the creatures. If formal tours aren’t your thing, a gorgeous boardwalk that follows the Creek Street historic buildings up to a salmon ladder in the center of town is a hotspot for black bears at low tide. The seas offer wildlife cruises to see humpback whales and orcas, or to an oyster farm to discover an Alaskan gem. If you are a water sport fan, and don’t mind chilly water, you can even snorkel in this port.
AdventureVue Wilderness Zodiac Boat Quest
Inform your fellow guests that you’re the captain now, as you helm a four-to-six passenger Zodiac into the George Inlet Fjords. Don provided rain gear, rubber boots, and a life jacket. After a quick check of your driver’s license and safety briefing, guides will share tips on driving the sturdy small craft. You’ll then start on a cruise around a gorgeous bay filled with life to spot along the coastline, in the trees, soaring above, or splashing in the crystal clear water below.
AdventureVue also operates a Mahoney Lake Off-Road UTV Tour Safari into the Tongass serenity with a beautiful stop at Mahoney Lake to skip stones, learn about the area ecology, and take in the sights. This is a fairly mellow cruise filled with nature and possibilities of wildlife spotting in the forest. Both tours culminate in a snack tasting which may include Reindeer sausage, local Alaskan ales, craft sodas, hot cocoa and cheese.
Knudsen Cove Salmon Fishing Charters
Ketchikan is known as the Salmon Capital of the World, offering rich fishing grounds for all five Pacific species of the tasty fisg. Knudsen Cove Marina is on the outskirts of Ketchikan, giving guests a lovely and narrated scenic drive before they board a fishing vessel seating four-to-six passengers. With five lines or more in the water as you troll, the comfortable boats head into the salmon-rich waters of the bay.
We each got to fight multiple bites during our charter, with several sized perfectly to keep. Guests can choose to ship their catch home at a cost, or if they are sailing on Holland America Line of Princess Cruises, they can have the fish packed and brought to the ship where the chef will cook their catch for dinner. We enjoyed a bonus of a massive humpback giving us a few pec fin slaps and a flash of its fluke as we returned to the dock.
Hump Island Oyster Farm & Tasting
If you’ve never heard of Alaskan oysters, you aren’t alone. Once you slurp the clean, very plump delicacy you won’t forget it. On this tour, a scenic bus ride leads to a 15-20 minute boat ride out to the floating farm. Learn about the life cycle of the shelled treat and why Alaska offers such perfect conditions for cultivating both the oysters and bull kelp, both harvested for human consumption. The tour gets hands on with a touch tank displaying some of the oysters’ neighbors, such as several species of starfish, tiny decorated crabs, and the unique sea mouse.
After a quick wash of the hands, it’s up to the tasting bar. Ketchikan oyster farms take advantage of deep glacial channels that keep the oysters fresh, sweet, firm, and cold year-round as they slowly mature. The deep pockets make it a memorable mouthful no matter how it’s topped. Both grilled and raw oysters are included, with options to supplement the samples with unique local culinary items. The farm sends its kelp to Barnacle Foods to be processed into a variety of salsas, which are served with chips alongside the oysters. Sodas, craft ales, and champagne are also on hand to round out the experience.
Tastes of the Town and Arctic Bar
If a trip to an oyster farm doesn’t fit into your day, you can still try these unique Alaska gems right in town at an adorable collection of locally-owned food trucks at Newtown Wharf. The Alaskan Oyster Shack offers raw or grilled fresh oysters from a number of local farms, all featuring a rich, buttery, and clean ocean flavor. Unique sauces for the raw shellfish include: Thai Chili & Lime, Maura’s Mignonette, Blueberry Basil, and a Mango Chili Salsa. These were only topped by the addictive Blue Starr Farm grilled oysters, bubbling in their shells with an amazing chili ginger sauce or garlic Parmesan butter. This waterside spot is a vibe, with string lights and communal picnic tables, steps from some ships and one stop on the free shuttle from others.
We didn’t see a liquor license in sight, but it was a great excuse to down our oysters and walk 50 yards down to our favorite dive haunt in Alaska, Artic Bar. This is truly not a place put on for tourists, regardless of a gift shop inside the dark door with a variety of somewhat inappropriate bar gear. We are hardly alone in our love for the happy bears. When pressed for his favorite dive bar in the world, Richard Branson named this spot as his fave. You never know quite what you’ll get when you visit, but it’s never dull. A colorful song about a sasquatch and a ripple of snorts of laughter accompanied our last Alaska Amber pints. If the cave-like interior bar with billiard tables isn’t your vibe, head out to the overwater patio.
Flightseeing Bear Viewing With Island Wings Air Service
If your cruise lands in August or September, you can get the unique experience of visiting Traitors’ Cove bear viewing observatory. This timing matches the height of the salmon run, offering the best chances to spot the bears fishing. You might even catch a bald eagle swooping in as clean-up crew for the messy mammals.
Island Wings Air Service operates an excursion which starts with a 45-minute floatplane flight which is a tour in its own right. The path leads over the Tongass National Forest and across Revillagegedo Island to the deck site and US Forest Service-maintained trail. When I did this tour, a mama bear was in the rapids teaching her two cubs how to fish. The sight and photos both have a place on my bucket list.
Creek Street Boardwalk and Salmon Ladder
If your plans or budget doesn’t include a bear excursion by floatplane or guided coach tour, you might spot the lumbering creatures on their home turf right in the heart of Ketchikan. The preserved buildings of Creek Street line a gorgeous natural stream with waterfalls and mini-rapids. Just head toward the marina and walk under the Creek Street sign along a wooden path for this free and worthy experience. The boardwalk connects to the Salmon Walk, but do be aware of wildlife in the area.
If your timing is right, the water might look black until you look closer and realize it is shoulder-to-shoulder salmon waiting their turn to head upstream. A salmon ladder helps them traverse one steep fall, but you’ll see many leaping up the rocks anyway. When the salmon are running, visit at low tide for your best shot at spotting bears. The last time we visited, we also saw a (very fat) seal cavorting in the water inside the entrance. Bears or not, this is a beautiful walk along a historic wooden boardwalk over Ketchikan Creek.
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