Downtown Ketchikan occupies a narrow shelf between the Tongass Narrows and the hillside, so narrow that parts of it stand on pilings over the water and some “streets” are wooden staircases. The cruise berths run along its front, and when you step ashore you are already in the middle of things: floatplanes taking off from the channel, fishing boats heading for the harbours, and the mountains of Deer Mountain and Gravina Island closing the view at either end.
Give it an hour beyond Creek Street. The few blocks behind the docks hold the oldest buildings in town, two museums, several public totem poles and the harbour at Thomas Basin — and once the ships sail in the late afternoon, it goes back to being a small Alaskan fishing town.
Top things to do: Downtown Ketchikan & the Waterfront
The Welcome Arch and the rain gauge
The sign across Mission Street — “Welcome to Alaska’s 1st City, Ketchikan, the Salmon Capital of the World” — is the town’s emblem; arches have stood here since the 1920s. By the visitor centre on the dock, the Liquid Sunshine Gauge charts the year’s rainfall against the record of more than 200 inches set in 1949.
Thomas Basin and Thomas Street
Cross the Stedman Street bridge to the harbour, packed with trollers, seiners and gillnetters and overlooked by Deer Mountain. The Thomas Street boardwalk, on pilings along the basin, is a quieter cousin of Creek Street. Stedman Street itself was the heart of the town’s historic Japanese, Filipino and Chinese community.
Tongass Historical Museum
The city’s history museum on Dock Street tells Ketchikan’s story — Native fish camp, cannery town, mining supply port, timber capital — through objects and photographs. Small, well done and a good half hour.
Public totem poles
The Chief Johnson Pole, a tall replica raised in 1989 beside the creek at the foot of Stedman Street, and the Chief Kyan Pole in Whale Park are easy to find between the docks and Creek Street.
The waterfront promenade
A walkway runs the length of the berths past “The Rock”, a bronze sculpture of seven figures from Ketchikan’s past — a Tlingit chief, a logger, a fisherman, a miner, an aviator, a Native drummer and an elegant lady. Beyond Berth 4 the path continues to the tunnel and the Newtown district.
How to get there
- From the downtown berths: you are there. The visitor centre is on the dock at Berth 2, with a second information point near Berth 3.
- From Ward Cove: the shuttle drops passengers in the downtown area.
- From the airport ferry or state ferry terminal: about 2.5 miles south by taxi, bus or hotel shuttle.
- Guided options: walking tours, duck-boat style amphibious tours and town tours all start here.
Insider tips
- Pick up the free walking-tour map from the visitor centre — it marks historic buildings and all the public totem poles.
- The tunnel on Front Street is a local curiosity: you can drive through it, around it, and there are houses on top of it.
- For seafood without the queue, eat early or late; lunchtime on a four-ship day is hectic.
- Shops close and streets empty quickly once the last ship leaves. Independent travellers get the evening to themselves.
- Public toilets are at the visitor centres on the docks.
Best tours for this sight
These bookable Ketchikan excursions fit best with a visit to Downtown Ketchikan & the Waterfront:
Boat tour from $249 Bering Sea Crab Fishermen’s Tour
Sail out on a working crab boat with a crew of commercial fishermen. They haul pots of crab, octopus and prawns onto the deck, share first-hand stories of survival on the Bering Sea, and bald eagles swoop to snatch fish from the water. Educational, interactive and surprisingly moving.
- Watch crab pots hauled aboard a real crab-fishing vessel
- See crab, octopus and prawns up close on deck
- Bald eagles diving for fish beside the boat
Show & meal from $158 Ketchikan: Lumberjack Show & Crab Feast
Two Ketchikan traditions in one ticket. First the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, where timber athletes race through axe, saw and tree-climbing events in a covered arena; then a sit-down feast of Dungeness crab, served until you have had enough. Easy, fun and weatherproof.
- An hour of chopping, sawing, climbing and log rolling
- All-you-can-eat Dungeness crab feast
- A short walk from the downtown cruise berths
Boat tour from $199 Ketchikan: Marine Wildlife and Whale Watching Boat Tour
Explore the waters and scenery around Ketchikan by boat, looking for whales, seals, sea lions and eagles. The vessel has covered outdoor seating as well as a cabin, and snacks and drinks are included. Sightings vary from day to day.
- Search for whales and other marine wildlife
- Indoor and covered outdoor seating
- Snacks and beverages on board
