romandub

DH and I, along with my parents, are taking the M/S Volendam in a couple of weeks from Vancouver to Seward. I have all the excursions planned except for our day in Ketchikan. DH and I are 60 and 50, and my parents are in their early 80s. They are in good health, except that my father has bad arthritis in his back and can't walk very far.

I am thoroughly confused about what to do in Ketchikan that won't break the bank! Are the flightplane tours worth the cost? Should we go up to see Misty Fjords or take one of the bear watching excursions? Something elese? Please help! I have waited until the last possible minute to finalize this trip and will be in trouble with my hubby and parents for procrastinating! Thanks so much!

abram

In Ketchikan, we liked:
Totem Bight State Park
Saxman Tlinglit Village
SE Alaska Discovery Center
Totem Heritage Center
Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery and Eagle Center

kaudrey

Well, if you are trying not to break the bank, you must have a big bank if you are considering the bear flights - aren't they about $400 a piece?

We did the Misty Fjords with Southeast Aviation. I really liked it, however one in my party thought that it wasn't worth the expense (he liked it, he was just more enthusiastic about the whale watching we did in Juneau for 1/2 the cost).

I'd say it depends what you like - photography is a hobby of mine and I love looking at mountain scenery. My friend said it was definitely very pretty, but so is the rest of Alaska. So, just depends on what "does it" for you.

therenaissanceman

I would recommend the boat trip to Misty Fjords, which is well-planned, very scenic, and much less expensive than the flightplanes. There are a few things in town worth seeing like Creek Street and the totem poles, but unless you are fascinated by native american culture or love tourist shops, your best bet is to take a shore excursion to view the surrounding area, and Misty Fjords is spectacular to view wildlife and gorgeous lancscapes.

romandub

Well, the bank is pretty much broken already, so I think we will pass on the flighseeing. But I am intersted in learning more about the shore excursion to see Misty Fjords. Somehow I was under the impression that the only way to see that was by plane. Therenaissanceman--can you give me the name of the boat or excursion you used? Thanks much!

BudgetQueen

The Misty Fjords boat tours, are still over $100pp usually. For me, viewing the area by air is superior. Just my experience. Ketchikan is a great walking city to consider as well, rich in native history.

jacketwatch

The Totem park is neat and you will see a totem to Abraham Lincoln. The story as to why this became so is very interesting too. If you go there just ask a tour guide.

therenaissanceman

Romandub, I don't rememer the name of the company, but it is a standard offering on cruise shore excursions. Check you shore excursion list.
I have never flown over Misty Fjords, so I can't compare it to the boat trip, but my wife and I felt the boat trip was well worth the money and we did get to see both sea and land animals. I think the cost was about $125, far less than the plane trip.
We did not find Ketchikan that exciting to wander around in. I guess it depends what you'rfe interested in. One warning: it is very often raining there.

Dreps

We really enjoyed our flightseeing trip with Southeast Aviation, which included a lake landing. However, it was also available 2-for-1 in the Toursaver coupon book (it no longer is listed). We were lucky and had a sunny day in Ketchikan, and there was also time to walk around the town, which was pleasant. We bought a few presents (inexpensive jewelry mostly) to take home.

AK_gal

Here's an idea nobody ever seems to think about.

Rent a car, and drive to the end of the road (northern end, be sure to take a picture of our "end" sign and take a walk around settlers cove. South, be sure to stop at herring cove to see plenty of bears, FREE).

Take a drive up revilla road to lake harriet hunt or brown mountain.

You'll soon realize that 'walkable' is maybe not the most adequate description of Ketchikan. Besides, downtown is full of tourists and out of town workers (no offense to anyone).

BudgetQueen

I've rented cars out of Ketchikan several times, it is NOT likely to see bears out of Herring Cove. (the Hatchery is also private property) Most sightings are at dusk, long after you have to be back on the cruise ship. A place not mentioned above, is Ward Lake and Preserveration Trail, both excellent scenic areas.

AK_gal

Oh please,

I've lived here several years and I have yet to go to Herring Cove without seeing a bear. As long as you stay out of the areas marked "private property" you're fine.

jacketwatch

Good to hear from a local. Thank you.

BudgetQueen

Oh really, you always see bears at Herring Point??? Maybe you could run some tours here??

As a visitor, the sightings here are rare, and I make mention of dawn and dusk having the more sightings, which cruise passengers are not there. I have YET to see, loads of tour operators lined up at the visitor center taking van loads of people out for your claim of a plentiful look.

Hope people take your advice and post back, their sighting stats.

jacketwatch

BQ. Give it a rest. There are two people one of whom is a resident who are posting their opinions. Did you ever consider YOU could be wrong?

BudgetQueen

I HAVE been to Herring Cove many times, I am also posting my opinion, I know several people who also live there. This isn't an area that sees an over abundance of bears, like the above post is claiming.

So, I'm looking for the current stats, from several sources.

Certainly, things could have changed, but I don't see any other references for this.

ericr2zz

Try the LumberJack Show. It's about an hour long and could be an entertaining treat for your family. Cost is approx $30 each. Buy your tickets on the ship so you don't pay sales tax. I took my family here in mid-Aug 2008 and enjoyed the show- although it started about 15 minutes late and only lasted 45 minutes.

jacketwatch

BQ. You do offer tons of good info. No question about that. However others have experiences as well that may not agree with yours. No offense but you are not THE authority on Alaska here though I must say you seem very knowledgable. Let others have their say w/o overruling them. JM2C.

AK_gal

Stats? Okay.

Lets see, I've never seen bears at Herring POINT, sure have seen lots of them at Herring COVE however.

Why is there no tours running there. Well, since you are such an expert on the geography of the area, I'll give you a chance to think of which major, extremely popular excursion is located RIGHT In Herring cove...OH YEAh!!! It's called the Rainforest sanctuary and Zipline!

You know what, it's all good and well when you've been here plenty of times, spend a couple of hours and maybe spend a nite or two. But trust me. I live here. I work in the tourist industry. I deal with it EVERY DAY. When the last ship leaves, I'm still here. And in my opinion, tourists are extremely gullible. All these very popular excursions are touted on these sites and you know what, they don't come close in describing the experiences you will have while living here. You can go on the Alleutian Ballad tour one hundred times, it's still not going to give you a clue as to what crabbing really is like. You can walk the entire walking tour map, it's still only giving you a very limited experience of Ketchikan and Alaska.

That's my advice. But of course, people aren't interested in excursions that's anything less than over dramatized. Take it or leave it, I really don't care.

kmw421

I stumbled across this thread nearly 4 years later, but I thought I'd add my 2 cents in hope this may reach future travelers to Ketchikan and help with planning. I, like AK_Gal live in Ketchikan (specifically Herring Cove) and work in the tourism industry. I also tend to agree with AK_Gal on the option of renting a car.

The car rental company is well within walking distance from the cruise ship berths. A mid-size car costs around $60 for a day. If you're a family of 4, that averages $15 a person plus a little extra for re-fueling costs, a price well below most cruisers budgets'. You will also see more of Ketchikan than most will ever see.

Recommendations to the end of the road at Settlers Cove are great. Plenty of short trails to hike in this area with a beach and small waterfall.

Driving up Revilla road to Harriet Hunt or Brown Mountain is also fantastic. This is the remotest part of the island and the furthest inland accessible by car. Beware that most of this road is gravel and littered with pot holes. At the top of Brown Mountain is a trail head (my favorite on the island) with spectacular views at the top. Ward Lake Recreation Area is also located at the beginning of Revilla Road. This lake has a nice, flat, trail all around the lake, with lots of other hiking trails in this general area.

Herring Cove is a frequent hang out for bears, and I can say this with confidence, as I have lived in this cove. You may not see them in early spring or early fall, but during the summer months when the salmon are running the bears are most definitely out. Small tour buses go out to this area every day, and I can say that it is a mild annoyance as you try to go to or from Herring Cove, and are held up by the scores of people standing in the bridge trying to get a glimpse of a bear. In mid-summer, I'd see bears in the cove just about every day and at all times of the day, not just dusk or dawn. That being said, it cannot be guaranteed that you will see a bear at any given time.

A little bit past Herring Cove the road turns to gravel. If you continue past the gravel about 2 miles you will come to a spectacular waterfall. There is also a trail to the right (it's hard to spot, but it is there) that goes up over the rocks and follows the waterfall.

For more active folks, a hike up Deer Mountain is an excellent choice. The trailhead is within walking distance from downtown, and is about 2 miles to the top. You will be rewarded with a lovely view of downtown Ketchikan, that is if the weather cooperates.

If you're interested in Native American culture hop a city bus and head to Potlatch/Totem Bight parks to see numerous totem poles and clan houses. Bus fare is about $2, cruise ship companies will easily charge you $40-60 for the same trip.

To address the specific question in this thread, I'd chose to visit Misty Fiords by boat. I went through Allen Marine, but I believe there are other companies that offer tours as well. Visiting the Mistys by boat is much more affordable and you'll get up close to the features such as New Eddystone Rock and the Punchbowl. You may have a better chance of seeing wildlife. When I went by boat we saw a grizzly bear (in Ketchikan we don't have any), and some Dall porpoises. The advantage of taking a float plane is that you get to appreciate the geological features. You'll see how the fiords were carved out by glacial activity. I have also done the float plane trip up to Neets Bay, where the bear watching tour is conducted, and though it's phenomenal, I'd still place my bet on renting a car and heading to Herring Cove in hopes of seeing bears there, because the several hundred dollar price tag is too steep for me.

One important thing to know is that it does rain A LOT here. This is a coastal temperate rain forest. In 2011, we received 6 feet of rain from May-Sept. If you have a rain jacket/pants/boots and have space to pack them in your luggage, do it! You may be graced with a rare sunny day, but its better to be over prepared than under prepared! The average temperature in summer is about 55 degrees F, so pack lots of warm clothing and layers.

Also, if you take a guided tour, please don't forget to tip your guides if you enjoyed your experience, even if it's a modest amount. Most guides are young, often college students. They work very hard, frequently 7 days a week (for example in 2012 atleast one ship is in port every day from May 9- Sept 19), and the base pay isn't great. A day off is rare. The cost of living is astronomical (this is an island so clothing, food, and fuel, all must be imported). A cruise ship company may tell their passangers that a tip is included with the cost of a tour but his is false.

Hope this helps. Happy Travels.