Ketchikan, AK

Ketchikan  July 7th

We returned from Prince of Wales on the 7am ferry so that we had most of the day and all of the next to tour Ketchikan. Ketchican is on the southwest coast of Revillagigedo Island accessible by boat or plane only. The only other community on the island is Saxman which is south of Ketchican with a population of 434 while the population in the borough of Ketchican is over 13,000.  It was raining off and on as it had been for a few days, but that didn’t deter us too much. We parked in the Walmart parking lot again for the one night we would be there. They are very welcoming to RVers as they know we will be going in to the store to buy our supplies.

Creek Street Downtown Ketchikan

Ketchikan was started in 1883 when a Mr. Snow built a salmon saltery there.  The fishing trade flourished and soon the mining and logging industries developed. , Ketchikan grew rapidly from a population in 1900 of 800 to what it is today.  Today fishing and logging are the two mainstay industries.  The tourist business has now added a new industry to the area. Our first day downtown, there were 4 cruise ships in port, each probably holding 4000 people or more. The place was packed! The dock area and shops are well done to handle the masses with many gift shops, galleries, cafes and the like, but it was a little overwhelming for us after being on Prince of Wales for almost a week with its minimal population. We strolled in the rain a little and called it a day.

Dock in Ketchikan

The next day there were only 2 ships in port and drizzling slightly so it was much easier to get around. We went to the old historic district, Creek Street, watched fish literally jump out of the river while being chased by a seal and talked to some children fishing off the bridge. It was great fun!

Fish Ladder

 We saw the fish ladder in the river which was built to help the salmon swim upstream against the rushing river. 

We also toured the Totem Pole Museum while downtown which gave us more history on the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimhian tribes. The Totem Poles were not idols as some of the earlier settlers thought, but rather were built in honor of their ancestors and deceased immediate family members.

 In the afternoon, we drove to the other end of the island on the main road. We were told that from the City Offices there are 17 miles of road to the north and 17 miles of road to the south. We covered most of them and saw the airport on another island across the harbor and more float planes then we could count kept taking off and landing in the strait.

The sightseers didn’t have much of a view with all the fog and rain, but they had probably booked this tour well in advance or on the ship. For any future cruisers of the Inner Passage, I would advise them to wait until they get to a port to see what the weather is like before they book any tours. Trust me there are plenty of tours available, especially in Ketchikan.

There is a saying in Southeastern Alaska that rubber boots are their flip flops! Truly, most of the citizens we have seen in all of the ports starting in Prince Rupert, wear rubber boots. The rain fall, or so we were told, in this area is over 12 feet (yes feet) per year! So winter or summer, long pants or shorts, boots are the preferred footwear. Our rubber boots didn’t come out, but we did wear our usual hiking shoes for warmth, comfort and to keep our feet dry as well.