Ketchikan is a fun port! I have visited in 2003, 2016, 2021 and 2022. In 2016, we docked directly downtown. I love this docking location as it is so very convenient for exploring downtown.
The view of Ketchikan from our balcony in 2016:
The day started out slightly rainy, but that is pretty common for Ketchikan. We walked around in downtown and all around nearby Creek Street. It was cloudy and chilly, but the rhododendrons were gorgeous. It’s fun to spend time walking around the town and exploring the shops.
Back in 2003, we visited Totem Bight Park and saw how totem poles are hand crafted. The walking paths in the park are lined with artistic totems, then we came back to downtown to see the Great American Lumberjack Show, a fun competition (touristy) lumberjack show. This is my scrapbook page from that year.(The park and the lumberjack show are still options for tourists as of this post’s date.)
In 2021, we docked right downtown again but took an all-day scenic boat ride to Misty Fjords National Monument on the Melinda Leigh: scenic cruising among the Alaskan fjords at its best. The Melinda Leigh was docked to the aft of our cruise ship so we just walked from our ship to that boat. We were the very last cruisers to get back onboard from the excursions that day. They were pulling the gangway up as I stepped back onboard. Very glad I had experienced downtown Ketchikan another day.
In 2022, we docked about 15 minutes from the main part of downtown, but it was a great location for watching the float planes take off and land. Visitors could conveniently shop at a large souvenir shop close to the dock and they could also catch a trolley from here into the downtown area.
I never tire of Ketchikan, or anywhere in Alaska for that matter.
Thanks for this excellent snapshot of another great day in Ketchikan!