How to Avoid the Crowds in Ketchikan
The short answer. Downtown fills when the ships are in, so the way out of a crowd is to leave it. Book a group of nine or fewer, get onto the water in a kayak or a Zodiac, fly, or go private. From Ward Cove, book a tour that collects you and skip the shuttle.
Ketchikan is a town of about 8,200 people that receives more than a million cruise visitors a season. On a busy day most of them come ashore within a few streets. This guide is about getting out of that stream, with the Ketchikan tours by locals that keep their groups small or leave the road entirely.
How busy does Ketchikan get?
Very. In 2018, 40 cruise ships made more than 500 calls and brought more than 1,073,000 visitors. Later seasons have been forecast larger still. Against a city population of 8,192 at the 2020 census, that is a lot of people on Front Street.
The port has four large cruise berths downtown, Berths 1 to 4, plus The Mill at Ward Cove about seven miles north. On a day when every berth is taken, downtown is at its fullest. The Mill at Ward Cove took its first ships in 2021, so on some days part of the crowd starts seven miles out of town.
How can you tell how busy your day will be?
Count the ships. Your cruise line tells you your berth and your hours. Cruise-schedule sites list which other ships share your day. If all four downtown berths are full and Ward Cove has a ship too, plan to spend the middle of the day away from Front Street.
Your hours matter as well. A ship that stays into the evening gives you the end of the day, when downtown empties as other ships sail.
Where do the crowds gather?
On Front Street by the berths, at The Rock on Berth 2, where most tours meet, and along Creek Street, the stop most town tours include.
The further a sight is from Front Street, the fewer passengers reach it on foot. The Totem Heritage Center is at the top of the creek walk; Totem Bight is ten miles north and Settlers Cove 18.
Small groups: nine guests or fewer
Several tours cap their numbers low. The photo safari takes nine at most for $134, and you can ask for your departure time by email. The Over the Top loop takes nine for $100. The old-growth creek trek takes seven, and Orca Cove kayaking six.
Compare that with the busiest coaches: the All in One takes up to 70 and the small van up to 88. Both are good value, but neither is quiet.
Other caps stay low too: the Totem Bight walk and the ropes park take 11, and the rainforest loop and the e-bike trip take 12.
Do small-group tours cost more?
Sometimes, and not by much. The photo safari takes nine for $134 a person, and the All in One takes up to 70 for $94. But the Over the Top loop takes nine for $100, and the rainforest loop twelve for $119. On the water, the Zodiac's twelve seats cost $209 against $178 on the 66-seat cabin boat.
From seven people, the private tour for up to 14 at $680 costs less per head than the $100 small-group loop, with nobody else aboard.
Leave the road: Zodiacs, kayaks and floatplanes
The surest way out of a crowd is off the road. The open Zodiac carries twelve people at most and follows the wildlife rather than a set route. The Clover Pass kayaks send one guide with every six paddlers. At Orca Cove, a 20-minute boat ride takes six paddlers out of town before they start.
A floatplane goes furthest. The Misty Fjords flight takes you over 2,142,243 acres of wilderness. The flights are compared on Ketchikan seaplane tours.
Which tours take you furthest from town?
Distance thins a crowd faster than anything else. These go furthest:
- The bear flight: 40 minutes each way by floatplane to Polk Inlet on Prince of Wales Island.
- Misty Fjords: the monument begins 22 miles east of town, and the flight without a landing heads about 40 miles out.
- Neets Bay: a coach to Clover Pass, then an enclosed boat along the coast to the bear observatory, 4 hours 45 minutes in all.
- The creek trek: a 40-minute drive each way to a 3.6-mile river trail.
- Settlers Cove: 18 miles north, on the private rainforest and beach walk.
- Mahoney Lake: off-road trails along George Inlet, on the UTV.
- Totem Bight: about ten miles north, on the Totem Bight walk.
Kayak, Zodiac or cabin boat: which is quietest?
On the water, the group size is the boat size. The whale quest's cabin boat takes up to 66, the lodge trip 46 and the storytelling cruise 40. The Zodiac takes 12, the Clover Pass kayaks 12 with a guide to every six, and Orca Cove six.
If you want to hear the water rather than the other passengers, pick by that number. The trade is comfort. An open Zodiac or a kayak in rain is cold, even in the rain gear they lend, and the kayaks ask for moderate fitness. Children can join the Zodiac and Orca Cove from five, and the Clover Pass kayaks from six.
Which tours meet away from Berth 2?
Most tours meet at The Rock on Berth 2, so the booths there are the busiest spot in town when a ship comes ashore. Some start elsewhere. The crab boat boards at Berth 3, 509 Water Street, and Orca Cove starts from the shelter on the Berth 3 dock by Sockeye Sam's. The Zodiac gears you up at 124 Thomas Street, a 10 to 15 minute walk away.
The distillery tour starts at 321 Main Street. The creek trek collects you from your hotel, and the landing flight picks you up at the docks. Starting away from the booths is a small thing, but it sets the tone of the day.
Private tours for your party only
A private tour removes other people entirely. The four-hour private tour takes up to nine for $1,000, on a route you set. The tour for up to 14 costs $680 for three hours. The rainforest and beach walk meets your party outside your berth and walks Settlers Cove and Lunch Creek Falls.
Most of the fishing charters are private too. Every option is on Ketchikan private tours.
How do you skip the Ward Cove shuttle?
Book a tour that collects you there. The kayak and e-bike trips pick up at Ward Cove. The ropes and zipline park is at The Mill itself. The lodge trip and the Neets Bay trip meet at the Ward Cove Welcome Center, and the private beach walk meets you outside your berth.
Otherwise the free shuttle runs to Berth 4 in about 20 minutes each way. The crab boat asks you to allow 45 minutes for the shuttle and the walk. The details are on the cruise port page.
Does the time of day matter?
Yes. Book the first departure you can: it puts you out of town while the day is young and leaves the afternoon free. Some flights leave from 7am.
Then walk Creek Street late in your day, if your ship stays long enough. The boardwalk costs nothing, so you lose nothing by leaving it until last.
Is it quieter outside the summer?
Yes, but the town is on winter hours. From October to April the Discovery Center opens only on Fridays and Saturdays, and the Totem Heritage Center only on weekday afternoons. The tours are sold for cruise port days, so check each calendar.
May and September sit at the edges of the season. September is wetter, at 14.30 inches of rain. The months are compared in the best time to visit Ketchikan.
Small-group tours compared
| Tour | Group cap | Fare | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orca Cove kayaking | 6 | $205 | A boat ride out, then a sheltered cove |
| Old-growth creek trek | 7 | $258 | A 3.6-mile river trail out of town |
| Photo safari | 9 | $134 | Creek Street to Potlatch Totem Park |
| Over the Top loop | 9 | $100 | Herring Cove, a beach, a waterfall |
| Four-hour private tour | 9, your party | $1,000 | A route you set |
| Rainforest and beach walk | 10, your party | $117 | Settlers Cove, Lunch Creek Falls |
| Totem Bight walk | 11 | $95 | Totem Bight and a forest trail |
| Open Zodiac | 12 | $209 | The Tongass Narrows and beyond |
Frequently asked questions
How busy is Ketchikan on a cruise day?
How do I avoid crowds on Creek Street?
Which Ketchikan tours have the smallest groups?
Are there tours that leave Ketchikan entirely?
Which tours skip downtown entirely?
Do small-group tours cost more in Ketchikan?
Can I avoid the Ward Cove shuttle?
Next: the picks by goal in the best tours by goal, and a plan in one day in Ketchikan. Every tour sits side by side on Ketchikan Alaska Tours.
Tours with room to breathe
Orca Cove Sea Kayaking
Six paddlers at most, a boat ride out to Orca Cove, waterproof gear and smoked salmon, from age 5.
From $205 per person
Check Availability
Ketchikan Magical Old-Growth Creek Trek Guided Tour
A 3.6-mile round trip on a gravel river trail with seven hikers at most, hotel pickup and the park admissions included.
From $258 per person
Check Availability
Customize Your Own Private Tour
Up to four hours on a route your party of up to nine sets, priced per group, from the statue by the Visitors Bureau.
From $1,000 per group (up to 9)
Check Availability