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| Activities |
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Wildlife sightings are an everyday experience here and a visit to Ketchikan offers many options for viewing. Majestic Bald eagles abound, and are easy to spot perched in shoreline trees and even atop church steeples with advantageous views. In season find them near salmon spawning streams and nesting areas. The variety of land and sea birds in the region will keep birders busy. Of special note is the Stikine River area in Wrangell, a haven for over 120 migrating species of bird in the spring and fall. Black bear are common throughout the region, along with brown (grizzly) bears in mainland areas. Boaters and hikers sight them often, especially in Misty Fiords National Monument and on Prince of Wales Island. Some of the finest black and brown bear viewing locations in Alaska are at Anan Creek near Wrangell and at Salmon Creek in Hyder. Sitka black-tailed deer almost pose for cameras on beaches, and along roadsides and trails. Mountain goats are plentiful, wolf may be sighted and moose range the mainland. Sightings of Orca and Humpback whales, sea lions, seals, playful sea otters and porpoise may be enjoyed on cruise excursions and from state ferries. Marten, mink and river otter can be seen along beaches, streams and lakefronts.
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| Fishing |
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Huge runs of salmon migrate from the open ocean, around Prince of Wales Island, and into the protected waters of the Inside Passage near Ketchikan. This mass gathering of five species of Pacific salmon is the reason that this area is known as the "Salmon Capital of the World". This region of Alaska is particularly noted for its strong runs of trophy size fish, including king (chinook), silver (coho), red (sockeye), pink (humpy), and chum (dog) salmon. The finest salt water fishing for giant halibut, red snapper, ling cod and rock cod is also available.
Numerous wilderness lakes and streams provide incredible fishing for steelhead, dolly varden, grayling, rainbow and cutthroat trout. The fighting spirit of these native species is enough to satisfy the most demanding angler. Fly fishing in these remote areas is excellent. Ketchikan and neighboring Prince of Wales Island offer an outstanding variety of fishing experiences. First class lodges and resorts will pamper you with personalized service and handle all aspects of your fishing adventure. Charter operators will guide you to the hot spots for half, full or multi-day fishing trips. Hotels and some B & B's offer booking services. The US Forest Service maintains over 80 remote cabins accessible from Ketchikan, located on or adjacent to fresh and salt water. Reservations are recommended well in advance. Consult the directory at the back of the guide for more information. Transportation options vary, depending on the location and the type of fishing experience you select. Most lodges offer pick up and transfers from the Ketchikan International Airport via car, boat or float plane. Remote wilderness areas can be reached by float plane, boat or hiking trail.
From do it yourself packages to full-service world-class resorts and charming lodges, the Ketchikan area has a fishing experience that will appeal to your style and budget.
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| Camping |
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The Ketchikan area offers several camping facilities for visitors to enjoy. Camping is a favorite local pastime too- your neighbors could very well be residents out for a weekend getaway.
The US Forest Service operates the Ward Lake Recreational Area, located 8 miles north of town. Three campgrounds: Signal Creek, Last Chance and Three C's provide a total of 47 sites. Campsites are of varying size and accommodate vehicles up to 45' long; most sites handle 30' to 36' vehicles. Reservations are available for some sites.
Ketchikan's Settler's Cove Campground, operated by the Alaska State Parks system provides 14 campsites situated on salt water, 18 miles north of Ketchikan. Access is by highway, followed by a dirt road the last two miles to the campground. 13 accommodate RVs, 4 handle vehicles up to 35' long. All sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Private RV facilities are also available on a limited basis, but fill quickly during peak summer months. Reservations well in advance are strongly recommended.
For a truly remote getaway, consider a US Forest Service or Alaska State Parks operated recreational cabin. The cabins located on either lakefront or saltwater settings are furnished with bunks, tables, wood or oil fired stoves, and skiffs. Transportation, via floatplane or boat can be arranged through local charter companies.
The US Forest Service utilizes a nationwide reservations system on the Internet as well as a toll free phone number to reserve your campsite or cabin. Contact information for the Alaska State Parks system is also listed at left.
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| Adventure Tours |
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| Our experienced captain and naturalist will furnish you with the necessary raingear and safety equipment, binoculars and headsets to assure you an enjoyable and safe boating experience in our 30' aluminum chambered boat that is comfortable in rough and calm waters.
We'll pick you up in downtown Ketchikan at the Cruise Ship Docks in our courtesy van and whisk you away for the boating adventure of a lifetime. We'll take care of the rest.
And don't forget your camera! We'll scan the coastline and waters of the Inside Passage for black bears, deer, eagles, killer whales, humpback whales, porpoise, otters, mink, sea lions, seals, salmon, crabs, and star fish. Along the way pass fjords, lighthouses, working boats of Alaska's fishing fleet, and so much more... You won't want to miss this exciting Ketchikan tour.
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| Boating Adventure |
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| We will pick you up in dowtown Ketchikan at the Cruise Ship Dock in our courtesy van and transport you to our tour boat. You will be provided with USCG approved life jackets, raingear, boots, binoculars, and a dry bag for personal gear. After an informative briefing and safety talk we will start your adventure as we make our way along the Tongass Narrows. There we will explore some remote sites to experience nature with possible sightings of seals, sea lions, whales, porpoises, otters, mink, eagles, seabirds, deer and bear, waterfalls and more. Although these sightings are not guaranteed, you will not be disappointed with the natural beauty of Alaska as we hug the rugged shoreline along the Inside Passage.
LISTEN - If whales, dolphins or porpoises are sighted, put on your headset and we will lower our hydrophone overboard to listen in on the sea mammal sounds and interactions. You will live to remember.
LOOK - Lower our underwater camera overboard and you can watch and observe sea life in their natural habitat from the inter-tidal zone up to depths exceeding 500'.
You'll see vertical fjords that rise above us while below the water depth is over 1,000'. Weather permitting we can do beach landings so you can explore tide pools for star fish or beachcomb for treasures from the sea.
As we enter the Clover Pass area we will visit one of the most photographed landmarks in Ketchikan, Lich Point Light Station. We will tie up to their dock and disembark to enjoy some real Alaska hospitality and treats. Look around in the specialty shop for a souvenir or take photos of our resident eagles.
We will then transport you back to your cruise ship in our comfortable van. Along the way you will be treated to a scenic ride along the Alaska coastline as your driver points our spots of special interest. This is a great way to see the "mountain side" of the Tongass Narrows and the Inside Passage. This drive is approximately 1/2 hour and complete with a beautiful showing of Alaskan wildflowers.
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| Flightseeing |
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Our Misty Fjords Seaplane Tour (also spelled Misty Fiords) travels through one of nature's finest masterpieces. It is both an inspirational and educational experience of glacier carved fjords and Alaska wildlife. Come along with us on an Alaskan Adventure Tour - The Misty Fjords Explorer!
For the ultimate Alaska Seaplane Tour, hop on board for Bear Viewing in Ketchikan. We offer the finest Alaska Bear Viewing tours to both Prince of Wales Island and Fish Creek Wildlife Observatory. We offer Ketchikan Bear Tours that no other operator does, our exclusive P.O.W. Bear Tour is our most popular tour and unrivaled in quality...you don't want to miss this one!
Along with misty fjords seaplane tours and Alaska bear watching tours, we offer unique glacier tours and fly-out fishing trips. Let us help you customize your own outfitted fishing tour or air charter to US Forest Service Lake Cabins. We are fully outfitted for your convienence, so if you need a motor, lifejackets, fishing or camp gear...just ask!
Alaska Seaplane Tours has a perfect flight safety record and our aircraft is maintained above FAA commercial maintenance standards.
All tours include pick-up and drop-off at the Ketchikan Visitors Information Center (the building pictured to the left, behind our courtesy van) in front of our "Liquid Sunshine Gauge" (also pictured) located on the cruise ship dock.
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| Bear Viewing |
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No cruise ship tour to Alaska is complete without bear watching. Some bears have been spotted from cruise ship tours and even in the town of Ketchikan AK but it is unlikely that you will see these sly creatures unless you travel on one of our wildlife tours.
According to Alaska wildlife biologists, bear watching shore excursions in Ketchikan are your best opportunity. In fact, the highest Black Bear population is found on Prince of Wales Island. "POW" for short, is only a twenty-minute flight from Ketchikan in our floatplane. This Island Black Bear population is the highest in North America and it shows! Just a short air tour west of Ketchikan, and we'll be in bear viewing heaven. This wonderful island will serve as our remote destination for these fine guided bear tours. We will be flying to a quiet watershed where bears are fishing for spawning salmon. These spawning salmon serve as a summer staple for all Alaskan mammals.
Prince of Wales Island is the third largest island territory within the United States, close behind Hawaii and Kodiak Islands. POW is not a popular destination and we are the only tour operator permitted in this area by the US Forest Service, which is why it remains a special area. The country's overgrown logging areas and many salmon streams are exactly the habitat that bears require to flourish. It is always a pleasure to fly out to this wild Island where Bears walk confidently. We have put all the odds in our bear viewing favor to create the ultimate cruise ship
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Save time, money and stress!
For reservations: Fill out the vacation planner to be contacted by a Ketchikan vacation specialist.
Contact: Travelwizard.com
Phone: 1-415-446-5252 or 1-800-330-8820
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