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Ketchikan Excursions |
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For most people cruising to Alaska, Ketchikan is their first stop. Alaska's "First City" is a great place to get out and explore.
The favorite excursion in Ketchikan is actually shopping--whether for jewelry, souvenirs or Alaskan artworks. As a rule, the excursions offered in Ketchikan last no more than 5 hours, which means that you can enjoy an excursion and also do some shopping while you're in port.
When choosing a shore excursion in Ketchikan, just remember it's likely to rain while your exploring the area. Make sure you take your rain gear with you, even if it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day.
Ketchikan isn't the spot to look for glaciers--that's Juneau. But it is a great place to learn about the culture of the Native peoples--the Tlingits, Haida and Tsimshian. It's also a great place to explore, whether Misty Fjords, the George Inlet, the Tongass National Forest, or the city itself. There's also the bears, fishing, flightseeing in a floatplane, Canopy tours, the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show and the Bering Sea Crab Fishermen's Tour. Have fun in Ketchikan!
Your ship will make port at one of the four cruise ship berths that are located in downtown Ketchikan. If there are more than four ships visiting Ketchikan at the same time, the additional ships will anchor in the Ketchikan Creek and passengers will take a short tender trip to the town's downtown pier. In downtown Ketchikan, tour and shuttle buses, taxis and other forms of transportation are readily available for passenger excursions to the area's major tour attractions.
If you have taken any of the tours listed below, we'd like your feedback on your experience. Please click on the link of the tour you took, and then click the "Write a review of this tour" button and tell us what your experience was all about.
Last Updated: February 15, 2012 |
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Tour Name & Brief Description |
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Mountain Point Snorkeling Adventure/ Mountain Point Snorkeling
3 hours
During the summer, the water temperatures in Ketchikan actually rise to the mid-60s! This unusual tour takes you to explore the waters at Mountain Point, where you'll see colorful starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and the giant sunflower starfish.
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Eagle Islands Sea Kayaking/ Eagle Island Sea Kayak
3¼ to 3½ hours
Enjoy a peaceful paddle in the waters of the Tongass National Forest. On this excursion, you'll experience the area's beauty and learn about the natural and cultural history of the area.
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Tatoosh Islands Sea Kayaking/ Tatoosh Islands Sea Kayak
4½ hours
Enjoy a paddle in and around a scenic, serene and unique island environment, where you'll learn about the natural history of this area of the Tongass National Forest.
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Bering Sea Crab Fishermen's Tour
3½ hours
One of Alaska's most popular tours, the Bering Sea Crab Fishermen's Tour takes you out to sea on a hunt for Alaskan King Crab. The crew will bring in their crab pots, and you'll have a chance to get "hand's on" with the sea creatures that are brought on board.
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Lighthouse, Totems & Eagles/ Lighthouse, Totems & Eagles Excursion
3 hours
Board a tour boat for a voyage of discover of Ketchikan's maritime history, Native culture and the region's fishing and timber industries. This excursion will take you on a cruise past historic buildings and Totem Bight State Historical Park, then circumnavigate the century-old Guard Island Lighthouse. Eagle sightings are guaranteed.
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Misty Fjords & Wilderness Explorer/ Misty Fjords & Wilderness Explorer Cruise
4¼ to 4½ hours
Leave Ketchikan on board a waterjet-powered luxury catamaran and cruise up the Behm Canal to Misty Fjords National Monument. The scenery is spectacular as you pass by the 3,000 foot tall cliffs, roaring waterfalls and Eddystone Rock, an immense volcanic spire rising from the sea.
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Private Alaskan Touring by Skiff
4 to 5 hours
This private touring option lets you customize the Alaskan experience of your dreams. Take a half day to tour the wharf, scout for wildlife, fish in some of the country's richest waters or explore Revillagigedo Island. It's all up to you and your whims.
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Clover Pass Biking
3½ hours
Work off last night's cheesecake on this fun bike ride through the Tongass National Forest. You have a choice of two routes, depending on your energy level: an 11½-mile ride for the dedicated cyclist up to a scenic viewpoint, or a 9½-mile ride for the rest of us.
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Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
1¼ to 1½ hours
The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show pits the world's best lumberjacks against one another to claim the title of the "Bull of the Woods." The action includes more than a dozen events, and culminates with the death-defying 50-foot speed climb and descent.
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Best of Ketchikan by Land and Sea/ Ketchikan Explorer by Land & Sea
3½ hours
This excursion lets you experience Ketchikan's maritime history, rich Native culture and wilderness surroundings by both land and sea. You'll visit Saxman Native Village and a historic salmon cannery, and then board a jet-powered boat for an exploration of George Inlet.
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Ketchikan Cultural Discovery
4 hours
You'll visit Totem Bight State Historical Park, which features historical totem poles, then visit the Deer Mountain Hatchery and Eagle Center for a perspective on the area's natural resources. Your last stop is at the Totem Heritage Center, home to historic totem poles that once graced the local Native villages.
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Ketchikan Highlights Express
1¾ hours
Explore several centuries of Alaskan history at Potlatch Park. Here you'll find a recreation of a native Alaskan village, a collection of totem poles, and a Native carver in the process of creating a new totem.
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In Depth: Potlatch Totem Park, Hatchery & Eagle Center/ Ketchikan City Deluxe & Highlights
3 hours
Following a short tour of the city, you'll visit the Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery and Eagle Center, the Totem Heritage Center's collection of ancient totem poles, and Potlatch Park, home to a re-creation of an Alaskan Native Village and a collection of totem poles.
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Potlatch Totem Park & Historic City Highlights
2½ hours
Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Alaska's First City, visiting the historic frontier downtown district, the bustling waterfront and passing infamous Creek Street. Then you'll make your way to Potlatch Park, home to a re-creation of an Alaskan Native Village and a collection of totem poles.
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Ketchikan Highlights & Lumberjack Show
3½ hours
Begin with a visit to the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, where you'll have a rowdy good time. After a short city tour, you'll travel to Potlatch Totem Park, where you'll learn about the cultural significance of totem poles, and watch an exclusive pole carving demonstration.
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Saxman Native Village Tour/ Saxman Native Village & Totem Pole Park/ Saxman Native Totem Village/ Saxman Native Village/ Saxman Native Village: An Exclusive Inside Look
2½ hours
Explore Ketchikan's famous Saxman Native Village, where you'll see tribal members perform traditional dances and tell stories about the Beaver Clan House. You'll also visit Saxman Totem Park, home to one of the largest gatherings of totem poles in the world
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Saxman Native Village & Lumberjack Show Combo/ Saxman Native Village & Lumberjack Show
4 to 4½ hours
Begin with a tour of Saxman Native Village, where you'll learn about the culture and history of the Tlingit people. You'll see tribal members perform traditional dances and tell stories about the Beaver Clan House. You'll also visit Saxman Totem Park. Next, you're off to the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show for a rowdy good time.
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Totem Bight & City Tour/ Totem Bight State Park Tour/ Totem Bight & Ketchikan Highlights/ Totem Bight State Park & Ketchikan Highlights
2½ hours
Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Alaska's First City, then make your way to Totem Bight State Historical Park, home to a collection of restored totem poles collected from abandoned Native villages. Visiting Totem Bight is a great way to learn about Native Alaskan culture.
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Totem Bight & Lumberjack Show/ Totem Bight State Park & Lumberjack Show
4 hours
Experience Totem Bight State Historical Park, home to a collection of restored totem poles collected from abandoned Native villages. Then you're off to the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show for a rowdy good time.
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Rain Forest Canoe & Nature Trail
3¼ to 3½ hours
Discover the tranquil beauty of the Tongass National Forest on this excursion into the rainforest. Upon arriving at a remote mountain lake, you'll board a 37-foot, 20-person canoe for a paddle across the lake and back.
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Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary, Eagles & Totems/ Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary/ Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary Nature Walk/ Alaska Rain Forest Sanctuary Raptor Center & Totems/ Nature Sanctuary, Eagle Center & Totems
2¾ hours
This eco-exploration takes you on a guided nature hike at an exclusive reserve in the forested mountain at rustic Herring Cove. As eagles soar overhead, your naturalist guide takes you to a protected open estuary on Eagle Creek for spectacular views of the area.
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Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary & Crab Feast/ Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary Walk & Crab Feast
4 hours
This eco-exploration takes you on a guided nature hike at an exclusive reserve in the forested mountain at rustic Herring Cove. As eagles soar overhead, your naturalist guide takes you to a protected open estuary on Eagle Creek for spectacular views of the area. This tour ends with a Dungeness crab meal at the George Inlet Lodge.
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Alaska Lodge Adventure & Seafeast
4 hours
Enjoy a scenic trip to Clover Pass, where you'll board a boat and begin an exploration of the coast. Then visit Grant Island State marine Park, where you'll take a walk through the rainforest. The tour ends with a Dungeness crab meal at the Silverking Lodge.
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Rainforest Sanctuary & Lumberjack Show
4½ hours
Begin with a visit to the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, then enjoy an eco-exploration guided nature hike at an exclusive reserve in the forested mountain at rustic Herring Cove, plus encounter Alaskan reindeer, visit an historic sawmill and observe a master Native carver creating a totem pole.
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George Inlet Lodge Wilderness Crabbing Adventure/ Wilderness Exploration Cruise & Crab Feast/ Wilderness Exploration & Crab Feast
4 hours
After arriving at the George Inlet Lodge, you'll gear up and head to sea for a 7- mile ride along the coast. You'll visit a Dungeness Crab fishery to see how these delicacies are harvested, then it's back to the George Inlet Lodge for a Dungeness Crab feast.
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Alaska Wilderness Survival/ Alaskan Adventure: Stewardship & Survival
3 hours
Enjoy a hands-on exploration of the Inside Passage waters and wilderness, where you'll learn basic wilderness survival skills inspired by the area's native culture, and also make a valuable contribution to an important scientific research project.
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Geocaching on Orca Beach Nature Trail
4 hours
Experience the fun and adventure of one of the newest tech rages: Geocaching. Armed with a hand held GPS device, you'll explore an authentic Alaskan wilderness featuring stunning seascapes, rugged mountains and lush old growth rainforest.
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Salmon Sportfishing Expedition
5 hours
Test your sportfishing skills in the calm, protected waters of the Inland Passage. Here the fishing is great and the waters are abundant; you can target up to four species of salmon, halibut, rockfish and others.
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Ketchikan Salmon Fishing
5 to 5½ hours
Here in the "Salmon Capital of the World," you can troll for a true trophy fish. And since you'll be fishing with just 3 to 5 other anglers, it won't be a party, but an experience to remember.
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Knudson Cove Sportsfishing/ Knudson Cove Salmon Fishing/ Knudson Cove Salmon Sportsfishing
5 to 5½ hours
Enjoy four hours on the water fishing for a trophy salmon on the calm waters of the Tongass Narrows. You'll be riding a fully-equipped charter boat, trolling for salmon with a downrigger. You'll be fishing against the backdrop of glacier-carved bays and fjords.
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Halibut Hunt/ Halibut Fishing
6 hours
Here's your chance to fish for halibut on your cruise to Alaska. A short trip from the dock will take you to waters teeming with halibut. And whether you catch a 30 pound "chicken" halibut or a 150 leviathan, you'll have a great time out on the waters of the Tongass Narrows.
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Alaskan Fishing & Wilderness Dining/ Exclusive Alaska Guided Fishing & Wilderness Dining/ An Alaskan Fish Camp
5 to 6½ hours
Spend several hours on the water angling for rockfish, red snapper, lingcod or halibut. Then go ashore and dine on your freshly-caught fish. This excursion is perfect for serious adventurers or families seeking a personalized tour.
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Private Alaskan Touring by DeHavilland Otter Floatplane
3 hours
This private touring option lets you create the customized Alaskan experience of your dreams. You'll fly a 10-passenger DeHavilland Otter over the Alaskan wilderness for breathtaking aerial views and amazing photo opportunities.
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Exclusive Private Air Tour/ Private Alaskan Touring by DeHavilland Beaver Floatplane
2¾ to 3 hours
This private touring option lets you create the customized Alaskan experience of your dreams. You'll fly a 6-passenger DeHavilland Beaver, the fabled floatplane of Alaska, over the Alaskan wilderness for breathtaking aerial views and amazing photo opportunities.
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Exclusive Flightseeing & Crab Feed/ Exclusive Flightseeing & Crab Feast/ Exclusive Mountaintop Flightseeing & Crab Feast
2¾ to 3 hours
Discover the beauty of the Tongass National Forest from the air, then be treated to a crab feast lunch at the rustic George Inlet Lodge. The 30-minute flightseeing adventure aboard a 6-passenger DeHavilland Beaver floatplane is something you'll remember forever.
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Magnificent Misty Fjords Flightseeing/ Misty Fjords Flightseeing/ Magnificent Misty Fjords Seaplane/ Magnificent Misty Fjords by Floatplane
2 hours
Your bush pilot will take you over majestic fjords, cascading waterfalls and jewel-like lakes. This trip features a water landing in the park, and you'll have the opportunity to step out onto the pontoons to view the area's wildlife.
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Misty Fjords Boat & Floatplane Adventure/ Misty Fjords Boat & Floatplane Wilderness Adventure/ Misty Fjords Cruise & Fly/ Misty Fjords Wilderness Cruise & Flight
3½ to 4 hours
Begin with a luxury cruise from Ketchikan to Misty Fjords National Monument. The wildlife is abundant and the scenery is awesome. Then you'll transfer from the boat to a floatplane and take off for an aerial exploration of the Monument and the Tongass National Forest.
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Misty Fjords Seaplane Adventure/ Misty Fjords Floatplane Adventure/ Misty Fjords Seaplane Exploration/ Classic Misty Fjords Flightseeing
2 hours
Your bush pilot will take you over majestic fjords, cascading waterfalls and jewel-like lakes. This trip features a water landing in the park, and you'll have the opportunity to step out onto the pontoons to view the area's wildlife.
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Alaska Bear Adventure/ Alaska Bear Adventure & Flight/ Alaska Bear Adventure By Floatplane
3 to 3¼ hours
Travel by floatplane to a remote bear-watching site for a 2-hour show of wildlife in the raw. Your naturalist guide will explain the lifecycle of salmon, the behaviors of the wild bears, and provide insight into the other wildlife you'll encounter.
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Neet's Bay Bear Watch Expedition/ Neets Bay Bear Watch/ Neets Bay Bear Watch & Flight/ Wilderness Bear Watch/ Neets Bay Bear Watch Via Floatplane
3 hours
Combine the opportunity to watch black bears of southeast Alaska in the wild eating salmon sushi with a floatplane exploration of the Tongass National Forest. You'll watch bears from a covered, secure viewing area.
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An Alaskan Chefs Table
2 hours
Dine in style while Chuck and Deby Slagle, the owners of the Alaska Fish House, one of Ketchikan's best restaurants, regale you with stories of food and fishing. The food is amazingly good.
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Ketchikan Motorcycle Tour/ Ketchikan by Motorcycle
3½ hours
Gear up at the Panhandle Motorcycle Shop in Ketchikan and ride for 50 miles on Haley-Davidson Sportsters equipped for two-up riding. Along the way you'll make several stops to take in the sights and culture of the area.
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Bear Country & Wildlife Expedition/ Herring Cove Bear Adventure
3¼ hours
Travel to the White River Valley for an exciting bear and wildlife watching exploration. A naturalist will escort you over an elaborate elevated boardwalk system, including a suspension bridge and tree platforms, which are ideal spots to observe the wild bears.
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Coastal Wildlife Cruise
3¼ hours
Get as close to an Alaskan black bear as you want on this fun wildlife watching cruise. You'll board a specially-designed boat that will take you along the coast in search of bears and other wildlife. This is the ideal trip for photographers and nature lovers. Available from May through mid-July.
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Neets Bay Bear Cruise
4¾ to 5 hours
Enjoy a scenic boat ride to remote Neets Bay for the chance to watch black bears feeding on salmon in their native streams and along the beaches. This is the ideal trip for photographers and nature lovers. It is only available from mid-July through September.
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Notes on the above cruise excursions:
- The information on the cruise excursions listed above was developed from publicly available sources.
- The cruise lines may elect to add to, change, delete or otherwise alter the itineraries of the excursions above;
- The cruise lines may restrict the number of passengers allowed to go on any particular excursion.
- The cruise lines may impose other restrictions on any particular excursion, including height, weight, minimum age, etc.; make sure to check with them to determine if there are such restrictions.
- There may be seasonal limitations on certain excursions or tours, such as whale watching. Be sure to check with your cruise line to determine if the tour in which you're interested is available when you're on your cruise.
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Why buy a tour through the cruise lines?
- They have selected tour operator partners who are safe, reliable, licensed and insured.
- They offer a wide selection of tours, purchasing convenience and can provide expert advice on the most appropriate tour for you.
- They offer a one price, no surprises policy, with no hidden fees.
- They will be happy to credit your onboard account if you've already booked an excursion and there is a change in itinerary of the ship.
- They will wait for you if your tour is late.
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