Ketchikan Alaska Adventure Activities Directory

Flightseeing
The geologic highlight of the entire Ketchikan area is the Misty Fjords National Monument. At 2.3 million acres, the monument is the size of the state of Connecticut with no roads into or out of it, no development allowed and no permanent residents. Gigantic sheets of ice a mile thick at one time covered this entire area. At the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago, as the ice melted and the glaciers retreated, large trenches or canyons were carved out of solid granite. These are known today as fjords and in the Misty’s, the walls of granite rise up 2-3,000 feet and the water below goes down for 1,000 feet. High speed, well-equipped catamarans can take you through these fjords and provide a unique glimpse into a world of untouched natural beauty. On the way into the fjords, you will pass landmarks like New Eddystone Rock, the basalt core of an ancient volcano that sticks up 250 feet out of 1,000 feet of water. There are great wildlife viewing opportunities on this tour also as the boat passes by seal rocks and eagles nests and passengers have spotted black and brown bear on the beaches and mountain goats on the cliffs that tower over the fjords. Whale sightings are common but as with all tours, wildlife is never guaranteed. This boat is custom made for sightseeing as it has two decks of oversized wraparound windows for excellent picture taking and an outdoor deck to really take everything in when the weather is nice. There is also an onboard naturalist to explain the history and geography of the area to you. You even get a continental breakfast in the morning and clam chowder and salmon dip throughout the rest of the day. As you cruise back into the deepest part of Rudyerd Bay, you have the option of meeting a waiting floatplane and flying out.

Duck Tours
Pickup your feet and put your hands in the air as The Ketchikan Duck Tour drives into Ketchikan's bustling harbor. Our modern, state-of-the-art, amphibian will take you on a 90 minute tour through the rustic streets of Ketchikan, past historic Creek Street and then literally drive you into the scenic harbor of the Tongass Narrows for a fun-filled adventure that will show you all the best that Ketchikan has to offer. learn more and book your tour today by visiting the Duck Tours page.


Fishing Trips
See why they call Ketchikan the “Salmon Capital of the World." Depending on the time of year, it is possible to catch coho, pink, chum and of course the legendary King salmon in the waters off of Ketchikan. Most salmon fishing trips last around five hours and will run from $160-$180 per person. If you want to try to catch some of the delicious halibut, too, plan on the half-day trips that run from $185 to $200 per person. You can either catch-and-release or have the fish processed and shipped on dry ice to your home for an extra fee. Great views and possible eagle and whale sightings included. These trips do take a considerable amount of time so you will want to book in advance. For more information on fishing trip charters visit the: Fishing Trips page.

Hiking Trails
Did you know there are about 3,000 brown bears in the lower 48 states but over 30,000 in Alaska? There are over 100,000 black bears in Alaska , many of those on the islands of the Southeast around Ketchikan. The temperate climate, abundant food sources and lots of wide open spaces free from the interference of man have made this part of the world ideal bear country. There are actually many black bears on Ketchikan’s island but most of them prefer to stay away from people and the loud hustle and bustle of the city. Fortunately there are some large salmon runs at different creeks not far from Ketchikan that have been drawing large numbers of hungry bears for many years. Some of the creeks have rockslides or waterfalls that often cause many of salmon to get stuck as they try to get upstream to spawn. This creates large pools of delicious Pacific salmon basically just laying thee ripe for the picking. The bears know this and have been coming to these spots year after year after year. This has made it relatively easy to know where we have a high probability of seeing bears in the wild. The U.S. Forest Service and others have even built observation decks overlooking these parts of the streams and also taken great pains to acclimatize the bears to small groups of people. This helps insure that we don’t disturb the bears and they don’t disturb us. Learn more about black bears and the hiking trails to view them on the: Hiking Trails page.

Kayak Tours
For more information on Ketchikan kayak tours visit the: Kayak Tours page.
Motorcycle Tours
For more information on Ketchikan kayak tours visit the: Motorcycle Tours page.
Hummer Tours
For more information on Ketchikan kayak tours visit the: Hummer Tours page.
Sightseeing
For more information on Ketchikan kayak tours visit the: Sightseeing page.
Skiff Rentals
For more information on Ketchikan kayak tours visit the: Skiff Rentals page.