Ketchikan and Misty Fjords

Ketchikan is the gateway to Alaska for many visitors, the largest town at the southern end of Inside Passage with an attractive harbour and proud maritime heritage. The highlight of Ketchikan’s downtown area is Creek Street, a boardwalk path built on stilts over Ketchikan Creek with colourful historic buildings, art galleries and restaurants.

Ketchikan’s indigenous heritage is on display at various sites in and around town. The Totem Heritage Center near downtown has some 17 totem poles, while Totem Bight State Historical Park has totems set in 11 acres of rainforest, and Saxman Native Village Totem Park has the largest collection of 24 totems from abandoned villages in Inside Passage.

Nearby is the stunning scenery of Misty Fjords National Monument, over two million acres of dense forest and fjords overlooked by 1,000-metre rock walls.

Forming part of the Tongass National Forest, the wildlife-rich Misty Fjords are renowned for their beauty with snow-capped peaks rolling down into deep, forested lowlands and abundant waterfalls. The region is filled with wildlife – including bears, moose, otters, seals and sea lions.