Ketchikan

Often the first or last port of call on Inside Passage itineraries, Ketchikan is a rugged, vibrant maritime community built on wooden piers, gangways, and mountainside staircases. Revillagigedo Island hugs the Tongass National Forest, creating a haven for bald eagles, black bears, and five species of wild Pacific salmon.

Exploring the port

If your ship docks at Berths 1, 2, or 3, you are right in the historic downtown core:

• Creek Street: A historic boardwalk perched on stilts over Ketchikan Creek. Once the town's red-light district during Gold Rush and fishing booms, it is now lined with art galleries, scrimshaw carvers, and gift shops. In late summer, thousands of salmon spawn directly beneath the wooden boards.
• Married Man's Trail & Salmon Ladder: A wooden pathway leading uphill from Creek Street past the fish ladder, where salmon leap upstream against churning rapids to spawn.
• Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show: Located two blocks from the cruise docks, a lighthearted and authentic demonstration of springboard chopping, log rolling, axe throwing, and tree climbing.

World-class cultural heritage & wilderness

• Totem Heritage Center & Saxman Native Village: Ketchikan holds the world's largest collection of standing 19th-century Northwest Coast Native totem poles. Visit Saxman Village to tour the Clan House, watch master carvers at work, and learn the history preserved by Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian artisans.
• Misty Fjords National Monument: A stunning 2.3-million-acre wilderness carved by glaciers into 3,000-foot vertical granite cliffs, plunging waterfalls, and mirror-still sea fjords. Explore by high-speed catamaran or floatplane.
• Bering Sea Crab Fishermen's Tour: Board the Aleutian Ballad (featured on television's Deadliest Catch) for a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at hauling king crab pots, longlines, and watching hundreds of wild bald eagles swooping down to feed.

Essential rain gear

Ketchikan's lush greenery exists because it rains frequently. Don't let wet weather keep you on the ship: pack a hooded waterproof shell, comfortable waterproof walking shoes with good tread, and an extra pair of wool socks.