Ketchikan

Ketchikan is located at the extreme southern end of Alaska, sometimes referred to as Alaska’s First City, due to its location.

It’s history is deeply entrenched in the lumber industry, but today a sizable portion of its economy is based on tourism.

Mrs. viii and I wandered around the town. One of the highlights was the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. We watched demonstrations of log cutting, pole climbing, log rolling, and a bunch of other lumberjack skills. It was very entertaining.

We also visited the Creek Street district, which are old restored buildings which now house businesses that sell t-shirts and gourmet coffees. There is also an old building which once housed a bordello which gives tours.

Ketchikan is one of the most beautiful places in the world and I thank my lucky stars everyday while I’m running around town. Situated in the Tongass National Forest, this area makes up the largest old-growth temperate rain forest in the world! Wehave a great arts community here, and lots of hustle and bustle throughout the winter. Still, it’s a snail’s pace of life compared to the big city. But we like it that way!

Love this town. Don’t miss the ferry back to the airport, that can make travel plans messy.

I live in Ketchikan for twenty-three years. It was a great place to grow up in. You’ve got the outdoors, a fairly close-knit community, and Alaska island living. The people make it a great place as well as the fishing. If you are a mall-addict this isn’t the place for you but I’m glad that I spent my formative years there.

Well, I’m from the Pacific Northwest, so I’m used to rain, but if you’re from California, or New Mexico, or Spain or something, just make sure you’re prepared. Doesn’t always rain here, but it’s best to be on the safe side! Loved the town though, friendly, quaint, and colourfull. It’s great fun to just walk around on a self guided tour! If you want to go on a professional tour though, the horse drawn buggies are pretty fun, but again, if you’re from the BC, or Washington State, you won’t see anything super special, tourists seemed to love the totem poles and facts about salmon, but I have a totem pole on my street, and used to have a “salmon spawning stream” in my front yard…shrugs I still loved it though!

Touristy? Absolutely! Worth visiting. You betcha. Totem pole museum. Salmon hatchery. Then be sure to rent a kayak and a guide at the port (no through the cruise line, more expensive and crowded groups) and have him/her take you around the floating houses, the marijuana fields, and, if you’re lucky, the occassional whale slumming in the harbor.

Visit my brother, see all of the local crafters, hike the beautiful trails, and maybe see a moose!!!

i went to ketchikan for a couple weeks because the marines sent me. the story goes that during WWII, the US wanted to build an airstrip on native american land in ketchikan. the tribe there agreed, but they wanted the feds to build them a road from the village to the port. so about 50 years later, there we were finally building this road for them. better late than never i suppose.

I had arrived in Ketchikan via Prince Rupert the night before. That afternoon, I was travelling via The Lituya, to Metlakatla. Before leaving Ketchikan, my boyfriend and I decided to drive the road, take a few photos, and enjoy the scenery. We were sitting in the car at the Ketchikan Rotary Park talking, while the radio played. My car battery died. It was raining outside. Then it started to hail. We walked a while before a nice man drove us back to the car, and gave us a jump (Canadians call that a “boost”). We were on our way again. Car was left running at all times, until I got a new battery.

Came through on a cruise. Definitely do a lap on the piers, but then take a walk about a mile out of town to watch totem poles being carved. Without any other means of getting away from tourist throngs, this is the best move you can make.