Swimming with the Fish: The Best Way to Spend your Port Day in Ketchikan
After sharing in an inside cabin with me following Mexican night at the Lido Buffet, I awoke to a foggy haze in our room and a family loudly proclaiming, “we’d rather swim with the fish than suffer that again!” “Well we’re in the right place,” I replied, excited at having arrived at port in Ketchikan, the salmon capitol of the world, and naïve to the idiom.
Don’t worry, no one was murdered by gangsters and dumped in the river. And we did, in fact, swim with the fish on our third cruise to Ketchikan as my innocent and optimistic nature suggested we would (stay tuned).
What is There to do Close to the Ship in Ketchikan?
We’ve cruised to Alaska three times and have visited Ketchikan each time. On all three occasions, we’ve toured on foot, exploring everything there is to do close to port. And there’s a great deal to do! Here are some fun and inexpensive ideas for your port day in Ketchikan.
Totem Pole Lovers Rejoice!
You should know that Ketchikan holds the record for the largest collection of totem poles in the world. Keep an eye out as you’re exploring around downtown and I’ll highlight some places to see a concentration of them.
Creek Street
If you were visiting Creek Street back in the 1920’s, you probably weren’t coming to shop. Back then, Creek Street was known as a place where “both salmon and men swam upstream to spawn.” The salmon in Ketchikan Creek and the men at one of the many brothels in Ketchikan’s former red light district.
Today, historic Creek Street is as quaint – with its colorful wooden buildings, boardwalk, and pilings – as it is beautiful, framed on one side by an evergreen covered hill and bisected by the salmon populated Ketchikan Creek. It makes the perfect backdrop for a family photo:
Get there early to explore around and take pictures before the crowds arrive. Spend some time in the shops or learn more about the history of the area at Dolly’s House, a former brothel turned museum ($10 admission per person).
Cape Fox Hill-Creek Street Funicular
Before Seattle, we lived in Pittsburgh, home to the historic Monongahela and Duquesne inclines. The inclines are a sibling pair of long, steep, rickety cable cars that tenuously hoist one up the side of Mount Washington to Grandview Avenue where you kiss the ground and thank God for still being alive before steadying yourself on shaky legs to take in a magnificent view of Pittsburgh’s three rivers and downtown.
So we were neither horribly impressed, to take a negative view of things, nor utterly terrified, to take a positive view of things, by Ketchikan’s Cape Fox Hill-Creek Street Funicular which rode us from Creek Street to the Cape Fox Lodge. But at just $3, it allowed us an opportunity to say, “see, this is better than Disneyland” to our gullible child who has never been to Disneyland and doesn’t know any better. Plus there was some cool stuff to check out at the top.
Council of the Clans Totem Pole Circle
This impressive circle of six totem poles depicting native culture can be found at the top of the Cape Fox Hill-Creek Street Funicular in front of the Cape Fox Lodge.
Married Man’s Trail
If you came to Creek Street looking for a brothel, you’ll be particularly disappointed to find no brothels and this:
It’s a short, beautiful trail that will give you some time to reflect on how much you love your better half. Or, as was the case for Mr. Cruise, allow for a few moments of peace and quiet away from her nagging. Note that this was on our honeymoon – poor guy had no idea how much worse it was going to get.
The Puddle of Cape Fox Lodge
While you won’t find this attraction on any tourist map, this secret giant puddle in the parking area of the Cape Fox Lodge isn’t to be missed by the 6 and under crowd and is another example of your kid liking the cardboard box his expensive Christmas present came in more than the present itself. Or maybe something like the opposite in this case: liking a giant nuisance puddle more than the $5,000 cruise that delivered him there. But this brings me to another, related point I should make about your stop in Ketchikan.
Rain, Rain Come and Play, We’ll See Sun Another Day!
While you may be praying for sun, every time we cruise to Ketchikan we experience at least a little drizzle of rain. Resign yourself to it and do this:
Or fully embrace getting wet and pack your swim trunks to:
Swim with the Salmon in Ketchikan
This activity offers further proof that unplanned adventures are the most fun and that if there’s a body of water of any size or disposition to be found, my T.A. “H” and I will find ourselves in it.
We were walking along Ketchikan Creek, watching the salmon swim upstream and occasionally jump from the water in dramatic fashion.
Then, just past the Harris Street Bridge, we noticed a small trail leading down to the water. And roughly ten seconds later we had tossed aside our shoes and socks, rolled up our pants as high as they would go (mine were pretty tight by this point in the cruise), and were wading among hundreds of salmon fighting against the current, determined to reach spawning grounds up river.
Although I often say to H, “you’re killing me kid,” it was not lost on me that these salmon moms and dads were literally killing themselves to bring life to the next generation and that maybe I didn’t have it so bad. And then I thought to myself, at H’s delighted giggles and screams as a salmon would leap from the water and splash him: “I’ll remember this day with you for the rest of my life.”
But for those of you looking for more “traditional” activities (boring), may I suggest you keep walking through City Park and land yourself at the Deer Mountain Hatchery and Eagle Center or the Totem Heritage Center.
Deer Mountain Hatchery and Eagle Center
Our first time in Ketchikan we toured the Deer Mountain Hatchery and the neighboring Eagle Center. For an admissions charge of $10 for adults and $5 for kids 2-11 you will learn about the life cycle of salmon and get up close to ten rescued birds, including a pair of bald eagles, owls, and a turkey vulture. Hours are 10am-2pm, M-F.
The Totem Heritage Center
This is a very small museum, but it houses a rich collection of unrestored 19th century Tlingit and Haida totem poles and other artifacts. Be sure to ask for a tour from one of the knowledgeable guides. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for elders, and free for those under 18 and active military.
If you’re too tired to walk, take advantage of a free shuttle back to the port area. Or if you have Prof. Cruise with you, hit the playground across the street to burn off her remaining energy so she’ll have a fighting chance at behaving like a lady in the MDR. Why do they always sit me at a table in the corner?
However you choose to spend your port day in Ketchikan, from swimming with the fish to staying warm and dry in your stateroom, I hope you have a wonderful time!
Class Dismissed.
Homework (5 points): Review my other Alaska port posts here. And check out my Packing Guide For Alaska.
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