what to do in ketchikan

[kwazi]

im so unsure of what to do in this port..first we will be driving from seattle to vancouver then, then we have already booked a heli ride and glacier walk w/coastal for juneau..in skagway rental car to drive to emerald..when we get to ancorage drive to talkeetna and staying at susitna river lodge cabin ..now what about ketchican...we love dungeness crab , so i was thiking of doing the wilderness exploration & crab fee w/princess..or should we do the flightseeing w/crab..or misy fjords flightseeing w/southeast aviation..by the way i somtimes suffer from motion sickness..please any help would be appreciated..oh i leave aug28

[alaswhales]

The only excursion I did while in Ketchikan was snorkel.........LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. It was awesome. Very well put together, very knowledgable staff, all trained in rescue. You wear a wetsuit and stay warm, really. I did it June 5, 2006 and the air and water temps were each 54 that day!!!! I was cold for less than 30 seconds.

[kirstie101]

If you like fishing Ketchikan is a good place to try a fishing charter from what I understand. Or we actually did the dungeoness crab excursion at the last minute and we really enjoyed it. We took a bus out to George Inlet Lodge, saw a bear on the way there. Got on a boat with two very informative guides who took us out to a couple crab pots. We saw eagles and tons of seals while we were out there. Then they took us back to the lodge for what was probably our favorite meal of our cruise.

[texastravelers]

We loved our Misty Fjords float plane trip. Saxman village is very interesting, with all the totem poles (especially when a carver is working). We had lots of fun walking along Creek Street and going to the fish ladder. There were a few salmon there, but not much activity. Still, it was very interesting for a Texas girl to watch those yummy salmon!

[Fergus]

My husband and son went kayaking at Orcas Cove with Southeast and LOVED it. My daughter and I hooked up with a tour of Saxman through Sourdough Tours (in the visitor's building on the dock). We had a great driver, who was a Ketchikan native and told us all kinds of stuff about life in AK. She took us out to a turnaround place where we saw eagles in their nests feeding their babies! The tour included entrance to Dolly's House then we walked along Creek Street. Fun day, not expensive.

[agabbymama]

My first cruise to Alaska we didn't book any ship excursions. They just seemed too expensive to me. When we arrived in Ketchikan it was raining, so we just walked to the shops right by the pier. There was a sheltered area and a lady had two sled dogs and a sled set up. You didn't actually get to ride anywhere, but you sat on the sled and for $2.00 (I think) she

took your picture with your camera. It was a neat picture. Then I saw a small van with a sign in the window that said "Native Tours" $15.00. I asked where they went, ended up we went to Saxman Village and the rainforest, she drove through town, pointing out things of interest. She was an Innuit (I believe she said). She told a lot of stories learned from her ancestors, knew the folks at Saxman, and was very informative and interesting. The tour was about an 1 1/2 to 2 hours, and there was 7 of us, and it took us right back to the pier. At every stop we ended up seeing folks from the ship. When I got back to the ship, at the burger shop, one traveler said he saw me at Saxman and was worried for me when I wasn't on the bus back to the ship. I told him I hadn't booked through the ship for $45, that I had just gone with the private van at the pier for $15. He was surprised that we had done virtually the same tour that the ship had done for so much less. There is an information office just as you get off the ship at the pier. I would check that out and look around the area, when the ships are in, there are usually tours there waiting. We only had two ships in port, so it wasn't too crowded. Have a great trip.:p