Ketchikan Travel Guide

Welcome to Ketchikan!

Perched along the Tongass Narrows, at the southern end of Alaska's beautiful Inside Passage, Ketchikan is often the first port of call for many north-bound cruise ships and the gateway to Tongass National Forest—the United States' largest. The town is named after the creek that meanders through it, and boasts a characterful history born of Tlingit natives, intrepid explorers and rough fishing folk. With an economy thriving on tourism and a bountiful fishing industry, Ketchikan is known today as the King Salmon Capital of the World and many of its visitors are there to book one of the numerous charters hopeful to hook their trophy catch. Teeming with cruise ship tourists during summer, this pretty little town plays up to the crowd. Visitors peruse abundant gift shops and galleries along the streets and boardwalks, looking for that perfect Alaskan trinket to take home. Creek Street is one such boardwalk and was once the town's colorful red light district. It is now a bustling pedestrian thoroughfare lined with restaurants, galleries and historical buildings. Totem Bight State Historical Park and the Tongass Historical Museum offer an insight into the history of the area, while the Saxman Native Village is home to an impressive collection of totem poles. And no visit to Ketchikan is complete without celebrating the area's stunning natural beauty on a boat or kayak tour of the Misty Fjords National Monument.

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