Ketchikan Cruise Port: Berths and Ward Cove

Your ship docks either at one of the four downtown berths on Front Street or at Ward Cove, seven miles north. That one fact decides how your port day starts. Ketchikan shore tours that collect you at the ship make a Ward Cove day simple.

Berths 1–4 on Front Street

The City of Ketchikan runs four Panamax-sized cruise berths, Berth I to IV, numbered south to north along Front Street. Floats sit beside them: the Daly Float, the Ryus Float and two at Berth IV. The port office is at 334 Front Street.

From any of the four, you walk straight off the ship into downtown. Creek Street, the Discovery Center and the waterfront are all on foot, and so are most tour meeting points.

The Mill at Ward Cove

The Mill at Ward Cove is Alaska's newest cruise port. The first ships docked in 2021, on the site of the old pulp mill, about seven miles north of downtown. Its Welcome Center has a museum and shops, and some outdoor tours start right from the dock.

A free shuttle runs from Ward Cove to Berth 4, about 20 minutes each way. If your ship is here, check your tour before you board the shuttle. Some collect you at Ward Cove. The lodge and Neets Bay bear tours meet you at the Welcome Center, and you will miss them if you ride into town.

The Rock and the Berth 2 booths

Berth 2 sits across from the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau at 131 Front Street. Beside it stands The Rock, a bronze statue that most downtown tours name as their meeting point. You will see guides holding signs there before each departure.

Several tours check you in at a numbered booth at the Berth 2 Visitors Center: the whale cruise at booth 16, the trolley at booth 12. The small-van loop meets beside the rain gauge. Arrive at the time your tour asks for.

Berth 3 and the Water Street docks

Berth 3 has its own visitor center at 509 Water Street. The crab boat Aleutian Ballad boards here, and so do the fishing charters that meet at the visitor center. The kayak and e-bike tours start a few doors along, by Sockeye Sam's at 425 Water Street, and the small-group sea kayaks from a dock shelter at Berth 3.

A few tours start away from the berths. The Zodiac leaves from 124 Thomas Street, a 10 to 15 minute walk, and the distillery is at 321 Main Street. The floatplanes and the Clover Pass trips collect you by van.

Meeting points by tour

Every tour and where it starts, with what you do if your ship is at Ward Cove. Where the tour says nothing about Ward Cove, ask when you book.

Timing your port day

Work back from your all-aboard time. Plan to be at the ship an hour before it on any tour without a guarantee. The Misty Fjords flights include an all-aboard guarantee, so if a flight runs late, the operator gets you back to your ship.

From Ward Cove, add the shuttle to every downtown meeting time. The crab boat asks you to allow 45 minutes to ride in and walk to Berth 3, and the whale cruise asks for an hour. For timings in rain and cloud, see Ketchikan weather.

Ketchikan cruise port: questions