A Day in Ketchikan: Bears, Frybread Taco Salad, and a Lumberjack Rematch We Still Owe Team Canada
Ketchikan has a reputation. Colorful. Quirky. A little ramshackle in the best possible way. The kind of place where buildings are perched on stilts over a salmon stream and the local ice cream shop names its flavors after bears and moose.
It lives up to it.
Here's how we spent our day - including the bear that appeared and vanished, the salmon that did not appear at all, and the cookies that somehow became the most memorable part of the evening.
Docking at Ward Cove
We didn't dock downtown. The Azamara Pursuit berthed at Ward Cove, about twenty minutes north of the main cruise berths - and the shuttle ride in was its own small piece of orientation.
The road into town took us past the old logging facilities, the remnants of what Ward Cove and Ketchikan used to be built around. It's a different side of the city than the postcard version, and it's worth paying attention to - context for everything you're about to see.
The shuttle dropped us off north of the main downtown cruise berths, directly across the street from Jellyfish Donuts. We noted that for later and made a beeline for Alaska Coffee. Full port day ahead: coffee first, plan second.
Creek Street
Caffeinated and oriented, we stopped at the Visitor's Center to pick up a map for the Ketchikan Salmon Walk. We had no shore excursion booked and no fixed agenda - our only real goal was to find salmon. Creek Street seemed like the obvious starting point.
It was a busy day in port. There were at least four other ships docked with us, and the streets showed it. We want to be honest about that: if you're arriving on a peak summer day, Ketchikan is not a quiet discovery. It is a glorious, colorful chaos, and you are very much part of it.
That said - Creek Street was as adorable as every photo, blog, and video you have ever seen of it. The buildings are painted in colors that make no architectural sense and make complete visual sense. They hang out over Ketchikan Creek on stilts, and if you look down through the gaps in the boardwalk, you can see the water below.
We were barely a few steps in when someone nudged us and said, quietly but urgently: bear.
It had been spotted on the boardwalk and had just ducked under the buildings. Everyone within earshot went immediately, completely alive with excitement. We craned our necks, moved to get a better angle, and got precisely nothing - the bear was gone, apparently unconcerned with its audience. We did a little window shopping, took some photographs, and eventually accepted that we were not going to out-wait a bear who had clearly done this before.
The Salmon Ladder (and the Salmon Who Declined to Perform)
From Creek Street, we made our way to the salmon ladder. The walk took us past more of Ketchikan's particular charm - the streets climb steeply, the houses stack up the hillside, and bald eagles appear overhead with startling regularity.
The salmon ladder had a good crowd. Everyone leaning over the railing, cameras ready, waiting.
The salmon were not cooperating.
We stood for a while. We were optimistic. The weather was genuinely beautiful - warm (almost hot) and clear, which is not to be taken for granted in Ketchikan, a city that receives more annual rainfall than almost anywhere else in the country. Eventually we accepted that the salmon had their own schedule, and we had ours.
Totem Heritage Center
From the salmon ladder, we made our way to the Totem Heritage Center - and this is the stop we'd most strongly recommend to anyone spending a day in Ketchikan.
The center houses one of the largest collections of original, unrestored 19th-century totem poles in the world. These aren't reproductions. They're the real thing - retrieved from abandoned Tlingit and Haida village sites in the late 1970s and preserved here. Standing among them is a quietly staggering experience. The scale, the detail, the weight of what they represent and how old they are - it recalibrates things.
If you have limited time in Ketchikan and you have to choose between things, put this on the keep list.
Float Planes at the Harbor
On the way back toward town, we stopped at the Ketchikan Harbor Seaplane Base to watch the floatplanes take off and land.
This never gets old. The approach over the water, the touchdown, the spray. A float plane lifting off a harbor with forested mountains behind it is one of those images that captures something essential about Southeast Alaska - the way the wilderness is just right there, at the edge of everything. We stayed longer than we probably needed to. No regrets.
Lunch: 108 Taphouse
By now we were hungry. We found 108 Taphouse and are very glad we did.
Elizabeth ordered the Frybread Taco Salad. What arrived was - and we want to be precise here - the largest, most gloriously generous frybread we have ever seen, topped with traditional taco toppings and served with complete confidence. It was extraordinary. It was also roughly the size of the table.
We should note: we attempted to order s'mores. They were not on the menu. This is the second time we have been denied s'mores on this trip. We are beginning to suspect the universe is trying to tell us something.
The Newtown & West End Walking Tour (All 140 Steps of It)
After lunch, we switched itineraries. The goal: get to the top of the city for views.
What we did not fully appreciate going in: Ketchikan goes up steeply. The Newtown and West End walking tour wound us through actual residential neighborhoods - not the tourist corridor, but where people live. Lovely houses, beautiful gardens, spectacular views from driveways and porches.
We may have looked slightly lost. We were looking for the Dunton Street Tressle and were, in fact, slightly lost.
Some lovely locals noticed and came out to ask if they could help. When we explained what we were doing - following a walking tour up to the overlooks - they were genuinely charmed and immediately helpful, giving us tips on how to get back down the hill and how to navigate around some road closures we hadn't known about.
Their directions took us down multiple wooden staircases. 140 steps, twice. Past houses with views that belong on a postcard. Through back lanes that felt genuinely local in a way that the Creek Street boardwalk - wonderful as it is - can't quite offer.
If you're the kind of traveler who likes to wander off the map a little, this walking tour is for you.
Jellyfish Donuts (Attempt One)
The staircases deposited us near the ship berths, and we realized we were passing right by Jellyfish Donuts - the spot we'd clocked when the shuttle dropped us off that morning. Perfect timing for a sweet treat.
We waited in line. We were optimistic. We were also, it turned out, too late: they had run out of donuts for the day and weren't making more.
A note for future Ketchikan visitors: If you want a Jellyfish Donut - and if you like donuts, you do - go early. Especially on a busy port day with multiple ships in. This is not a drill.
Slightly deflated but undeterred, we redirected to Dock Street Yard.
Ketchicones at Dock Street Yard
Donutless, we wandered into Dock Street Yard, Ketchikan's food truck park, with excellent timing: we were ready for something sweet.
Ketchicones did not disappoint.
We sampled two flavors. The Malted Moose Nugget - malt-flavored ice cream, homemade fudge swirls, and an aggressive quantity of Whoppers - was exactly what it promised to be. The Bearly Awake - rich chocolate ice cream, AK-sea salted caramel, and homemade chewy brownie bits - was perhaps even better.
Highly, genuinely recommend. Get both if you're undecided.
The Lumberjack Show
Back to the ship to clean up, change into flannel (appropriate attire), and head out for the evening.
We'd heard the daytime Lumberjack Show going on all around town during the day - cheering, clapping, the general sounds of competition - so we were already excited. Our sailing had a special performance at the brand new facility out at Ward Cove, just for the Azamara Pursuit. We were split into Team Canada and Team USA.
Reader: Team USA lost.
But the evening itself was wonderful. Our lumberjacks worked through the full catalog of historical lumberjack achievements: log sawing, log running, axe throwing, tree shimmying - all performed with genuine skill and a generous side of comedy. There were Alaska drinks to try (a lavender cocktail that surprised us pleasantly) and local snacks, and the whole thing had the feel of a performance where everyone - audience and competitors alike - was having a genuinely good time.
At the end of the night, as we made our way back to the ship, we were each handed the most adorable blueberry Azamara AzAmazing Evening cookie.
It was a perfect end to a very full day.
Then it was onboard, and off toward Klawock. But that's a story for another post.
Our Pick: Lumberjack Show and Axe Throw Challenge
If You're Planning Your Ketchikan Day
A few things we'd tell you going in:
If you dock at Ward Cove (rather than downtown), budget the shuttle time and use the ride to pay attention - the old logging infrastructure along the route is a real piece of the city's history.
Creek Street is worth it, even when it's crowded. Go for the architecture and the atmosphere. If you get a bear sighting, consider yourself lucky. If you don't, consider yourself normal.
The Totem Heritage Center is not optional. This is the stop that stays with you.
The Newtown walking tour rewards the curious. Bring comfortable shoes, be prepared for stairs, and don't be too proud to accept directions from a friendly local.
The Lumberjack Show is genuinely fun. Either venue. Either team. Even if your team loses.
Sailing to Alaska and wondering where else to spend your port days? Our Southeast Alaska Approach Guide covers all the major ports in depth. And if you're still in the planning stages, our Alaska Cruise First-Timer Guide is the place to start.
Questions about building your Alaska shore day itinerary? We're always happy to help.
