Ketchikan and Juneau
 

Any suggestions as to things to do in Ketchikan and Juneau if the weather is poor and it is raining.

It was raining off & on when we were there so we scheduled a fishing excursion which turned out great & the rain didn't matter. My husband caught 5 salmon & we had a humpback surface right next to the boat. Also eagles were swooping down from the trees to eat the fish we were throwing out. I loved it!

There is so much to do that goes rain or shine so plan according to your interests and look over a shore excursion list. I never recommend not having plans and reservations in place before you go.

Plan on bringing along good rain gear so that you'll be prepared for poor weather. I'd suggest purchasing Inside Passage Walking Tours by Julianne Chase. This guide gives you lots of information about things to do in both Ketchikan and Juneau in all kinds of weather. There are also plenty of museums to tour in both cities if it's absolutely pouring.

In Ketchikan, we were told that the way to forecast the weather is this: if you can't see the mountain, it's raining; if you can see the mountain, it's about to rain.

In Juneau, the State of Alaska Museum is an excellent way to apend several rainy hours. We also liked touring the State capitol (but we're odd and like that sort of thing) and the Juneau-Douglass City Museum.

In Ketchikan, the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center is very good, as is the Totem Heritage Center; both are indoors.

Most Alaskans we saw didn't carry umbrellas; I'd recommend a hooded, below the butt length water resistant jacket.

We went kayaking in the rain in Sitka and had a great time, to my surprise. Ketchikan has good kayaking too, I hear. We wore a "skirt" so weren't sitting in the water and we managed to keep dry. more or less. I also wore a warm sweatshirt, a waterproof jacket with a hood and a hat with a bill (I wear glasses and the hat kept the rain off my lenses.) It didn't rain the entire time and the views were dramatic.

When I arrived in ketchikan last summer, It was 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The weather was like that for five days. Some of the older locals I met said they have not seen the weather that nice for so long in like 20 years. We were lucky. But what I noticed is when it rains it is not a hard downpour. It is just a constant drizzle. The rain is light enough to enjoy your day. A sea-plane (float plane) is a great tour. Also go to the "redlight district" and watch the salmon jump. On saturday nights the eagle lodge has a dart tournament and they are great people. They are proud of alaska and we got a lot of advice about things to see from them. Also go to the Arctic Bar...(their logo is great) Juneau is very similar to ketchikan. (cruise ship tourist stop) but still nice. ride up the tram and see the sites. The Alaskan Hotel Bar is a great place and also (The blue building) has a great place over the water with live music...enjoy