bearbait

Army/Navy Store 320 W. 4th Ave. in downtown Anchorage will have you best selection and price.

Keep the rental car. You'll waste valuable time waiting for the bus to go from one place to another. Also out at the north end of the road is Settlers Cove State Park which also has another fairly easy loop trail.

Everything you mentioned in your list is doable without a guide. I'd head north first and start at Lunch Creek and then work your way back south towards town the the south end of the road. Good choice on renting the car. You might also include a stop by the Ward Lake area after leaving Totem Bight.

Independent land tour where you rent a car or an RV and do it yourself. So much better then being put on a bus and hearded like cattle.

You should be able to find some free wifi signals in just about every port to upload your selfies and posts to Facebook. I live in Alaska and there aren't too many places where I can't find a wifi signal.

Just remember there is much more to Ketchikan then the little bit downtown. Most of Ketchikan is outside of that area. Hop on the city bus and ride it out north or south. Taking the bus out to Totem Bight will give you a much better view of the area then just hanging around the trinket shops.

You're on a viewing platform just above the creek. Your camera should be fine. It's a short walk from the parking area to the platform but we have seen bears on the trail and around the platform.

It was at the end of the road. It seemed like a big major road, and then it just stopped. There was a big sign that said, "END" and that's where the trail started. I suppose you could look up "Lunch Creek" trail and probably find it. There was one other car and a motorcycle parked there at the end of road when we got there, so not somewhere a lot of people go. Sorry, I don't know what the road was for sure, but it could have been that highway.

 

You were at the end of North Tongass Highway just past Settlers Cove State Park. It's public recreation area and where lots of people go to hike the Lunch Creek Trail. This is a beautiful area. If you'd had a rental car you could explore lots of these areas around Ketchikan.

http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/southeast/settlerscvsrs.htm

On one trip to Ketchikan our shuttle bus driver told us that when the WalMart first opened the locals were so excited that they bought the place out.

 

It had to close to restock after the first day.

 

No idea, but it makes a nice story.

I was living there then and headed up the group that got WalMart to locate in Ketchikan. They didn't close the store after the 1st day but the shelves were pretty empty. WalMart said per square foot it is one of the highest revenue producing stores they have.

Rent a car in Ketchikan. With that amount of time you can explore the areas at both the north and south end of the road and everything in between. The area around the cruise ship dock is only for lazy tourists. If you wanna see and experience the real Ketchikan you need to get outta downtown.

I'm panicking because it just dawned on me that she may not be able to get back to us because of the weather. Just wondering if this has happened to someone else and what they did. I'm not panicking over getting on the plane. Just don't want to get stuck there. If it's my turn to get off the train, I'm getting off is my philosophy and there's nothing I can do about it.

She'll be right out there waiting for you. All most all of the flightseeing operators that fly out of Ketchikan to Anan stay in the area. They do not fly back to Ketchikan while you are at Anan. It costs too much in fuel to do that. If you're stuck she'll be stuck and then you'll both be stuck together.

I was about to post the same thing. Spotty record and HAL is well aware of it. Sad. :(

 

Info on previous tragic crash

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20050301&slug=huskyfans01m#_ga=1.158725565.649440225.1396810866

Good grief!! You didn't even read the article you linked to. The flightseeing company in the article you linked is NOT ProMech air. Good lord, before you hurl accusations like that know what you are talking about.

This is incredibly sad - my prayers are for those on that flight and their families, along with those traveling with them. We have a flight seeing excursion (different company) scheduled for Misty Fjords for next May - I was already a little scared and now I am not sure I can get on that plane.

 

My brother who is an executive pilot for a private company has always warned me that there is little to no - regulations of these types of operations and to be wary of private small air craft including helicopters where maintenance is not regulated. We were in Hawaii when a copter when down killing all on board. I'm going to have to re-consider our plans carefully.

 

Now is not the time to lay blame but your brother has absolutely no clue what he is talking about. These flightseeing outfits are heavily regulated by the FAA. They go through all of the same FAA inspections and certifications that the big airlines do. The FAA has a very active presence in Alaska. I'd have no qualms about flying with ProMech or anyother operator today, tomorrow or next week.

Thousands upon thousands have flown out to the Misty's on these excurisons without incident. This is just one of those risks that those us that live in Alaska take often. I've survived one crash and numerous hard landings. My prayers are for all those that are involved.

A ProMech charter flight carrying 8 passangers from the Westerdam has gone down in Misty Fjords near Ella Lake. Prayers and hope for the best.

http://www.adn.com/article/20150625/plane-9-onboard-crashes-cliffside-southeast-alaska

They eat all day. That's what they do in the summer. There is no set schedule. They simply come when they are hungry. Who knows you might get lucky.

What about the Alaskan Rail between Anchorage and Whittier? I am scheduled to arrive Thursday afternoon and take the rail (via Princess Cruise) from Captain Cook in Anchorage to the port in Whittier.

 

Any locals lurking on these boards or experts able to give any insight?

 

Thanks in advance!

It all depends on what the winds do. Just plan on it being a bit smokey and maybe a little bit of haze. That's still 2 days away who knows for sure what will happen? I live in Anchorage and it really hasn't been too bad.

I second Humpy's. There are other good places but you can find similar venues in the lower 48. Humpy's is uniquely Alaskan.

Just walk north up Tongass Ave/Water St. from the cruise ship dock. That's the main road in Ketchikan that runs along the water. If you keep walking north you'll come to the Plaza Mall. There are plenty of places there along the water side to sit and view eagles, etc. Sometimes there are even the resident pods of orcas that make their way up the Tongass Narrows that can be viewed from there. It'll also get you out of the downtown tourist traps and into the areas where most Ketchikanites live.

Actually there are quite a few eagles over by the cannery. You've just got to make your way over closer to the water to see them. Sometimes the viewing is pretty good from the ProMech dock or if you walk down towards the Super 8 Motel and look back towards the cannery you'll usually get a pretty good eagle view. They like to hang out around the cannery when they are dumping fish guts.

I was living in Ketchikan when the 6.8 hit in 2004. Living in the Marine View Condos on the 8th floor right across the street from the mall. By the time I got outta my bed, pulled my pants on and headed for the stairway it was over. The building popped, creaked and swayed but didn't suffer any damage. They do happen in southeast but not much worries about a tsunami since most of the inside passage is protected from the open ocean. In my 8 years of living there that was the only one that ever got my attention.

Commercial sales of moose and caribou are prohibited by law in Alaska.

Due to a lack of rainfall in the Ketchikan area fire danger is high. Please be careful with your butts and where you dispose of lighted material.

http://www.sitnews.us/0515News/052215/052215_lightening_fires.html

Don't over think this cold weather stuff. It is already shaping up to be a dry spring and summer in southeast Alaska. Ketchikan has already had forest fire alerts due to high winds, temps and a lack of rain. Layers of clothes that you can peel off or add on is what you want. You won't need long underwear or parkas.

I just came through SEA last week and would not spend the night. Once you claim you bags, there is little in the way of services and seating.

If you wanna just catch a couple of zzzz's you don't need seating or services.