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Ketchikan Gateway Borough

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    • TravelerSue & Mark - Canada 2023
      Day 7

      Day 7 - Ketchikan

      September 22, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

      Spent a chilled morning by the indoor pool and in the hot tub as we weren't docking in Ketchikan till 2pm. Could get used to this lifestyle ☺️.
      Once off the ship we had a quick browse in a couple of shops before joining our tour. We had a bus trip round the town with a running commentary from the driver. The towns in Alaska are like something from centuries ago, very quaint. We visited Saxman Totem Park and were told the history of some of the totem poles. Apparently they only have carvings of live creatures (humans or animals) and they all have different spiritual meanings or stories.
      After the bus tour we went to a Lumberjack Show which was entertaining if not a bit staged 🙂 🪚🪵. The audience was either on the Canadian team or the American team and had to shout for their own side as the lumberjacks took part in various competitions. It was good fun!
      Back onboard the ship we had a glass of wine before getting ready for dinner - Evening Chic dress code so posh frocks and smart shirts 👔👗.
      Sat in the bar and watched the ship's dancers perform to 60s music, followed by fellow passengers on the dance floor. Love people watching 😉.
      Can't believe we've only got one more day on the ship and our first week will be over 😔.      Read more

    • TravelerAlaska & the Yukon
      1
      Day 20

      Ketchikan, AK

      September 1, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      Have travelled south overnight to the port of Ketchikan for an 11am arrival. It's a much larger town based around the fishing and timber industries as well as tourism. We are the 5th ship in port today and can't dock until after 1:45pm. People who have earlier shore excursions have to use the tenders to go ashore. Ours is this afternoon, so we wait for the docking.

      The port is a hive of activity with float planes and helicopters buzzing between the cruise ships. All manner of sea craft go to and fro on this waterway. Ketchikan gets the most rainfall in Alaska. It is fine and sunny this morning.

      A large portion of the waterfront properties in Ketchikan are built on stilts over the water - there is so little land that can actually be built on as the mountains rise steeply so quickly. Property is quite expensive here in Ketchikan because of this - so little land can be built on. An interesting fact we learn is that homes cannot be accessed by cars.....they are accessed by stairs and elevated timber pathways which are called streets and avenues.      Read more

    • TravelerNorth Pacific Passage
      Day 9

      Fish Creek, Ketchikan - Salmon Ladder

      August 16, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      The salmon ladder has been constructed to provide an alternative route upriver for the salmon to spawn. They arrive at this point exhausted and languish in the eddies gaining strength and muscle tissue to make the last dash upriver.Read more

    • TravelerNorth Pacific Passage
      Day 9

      Fish Creek, Ketchikan

      August 16, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      We follow the path through town, through Whale Park and following the Married Man's Trail along Fish Creek. Just like the name suggests, this is a salmon spawning river with a salmon ladder to assist the fish over a small waterfall. The river is teeming with salmon who will all ultimately die after spawning.Read more

    • TravelerNorth Pacific Passage
      Day 9

      Cliff Tunnel, Ketchikan

      August 16, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      The original application to build this tunnel through the cliff failed. During WW2, funding was reapplied for - to build a bomb shelter - and it was granted. The cliff hangs above the water. a tunnel was drilled for vehicles, but water still flows beneath the rock.Read more

    • TravelerAlaska 2018
      Day 7

      Ketchikan

      July 25, 2018 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

      Landgang in Ketchikan, der Lachshauptstadt der Welt. Zusammen mit 10 anderen Wagemutigen ging es mit Jeeps über Stock und Stein durch den Tongass Wald, nach Amazonas der grösste Regenwald der Erde. Endstation war ein See, den wir per Ruderboot überquert hatten, danach kurze Wanderung im Wald.Read more

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    • TravelerThe Alaskan Cruise
      Day 8

      Ketchikan, Alaska

      August 19, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Today we visited our first port of call on our cruise - the town of Ketchikan. Our boat arrived at about 7.00am, although we went to the buffet breakfast before disembarking. Ketchikan is not a very big town and we didn't have any specific plans, so we went out to explore on our own.

      The weather was surprisingly fine, and a very pleasant day. Finding wifi was impossible though - everywhere requires a password (obviously to stop tourists from using it for free!), so we decided to finally buy a SIM card.

      We walked along the famous Creek Road with its colourful buildings, but they were generally either a shop, a restaurant, or a former brothel. One amazing sight was a nearby river which seemed to be bursting with salmon. We'd never seen so many fish congregate in one area before.

      We were pretty interested in the local cannabis shop, which is clearly a new thing for us. It was very interesting - we really didn't know anything about it, and seeing a lot of their products and the wide range available was something new. For me personally, learning about the different medicinal reasons too was an eye opener.

      Around the middle of the day, we went back to the cruise ship and had lunch with Stephen and Woody before heading up to the sun deck for our departure from Ketchikan. We ended up enjoying the jacuzzi with beers in the adults pool section before going to dinner.

      One of the highlights was seeing some humpback whales on the side of the boat. We tried to see them from the dining room after dinner, but it made more sense to get the better view from the top deck. As you can imagine, this was very popular with everyone, and we were very lucky to see a whole school of them very close to the boat,

      Later in the evening, we went to the Martini Bar with the friends we have made so far on the cruise. We have been very fortunate to meet some great people, meaning the cruise has really gone very well so far.      Read more

    • TravelerAlaska & the Yukon
      Day 20

      Totem Bight, Ketchikan, AK

      September 1, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      Totem Bight is a state historical site in Ketchikan. This site held sacred by the natives has been salvaged and reconstructed. The site has several totem poles and a clan house. Our guide tells the story of each of the poles from the Tlingit and Haida tribes who lived in the area. Each totem pole reflects the native myths and legends. The symbols are the raven, the eagle, the beaver, the bear and wolf, and the killer whale.

      The totem poles were hand carved with native implements like the adze. Paint was made from charcoal, copper deposits, iron deposits and mixed with saliva and fish roe.

      It's a beautiful, quiet setting right on the banks of the Inland Passage just a few minutes from downtown.      Read more

    • TravelerCanada & Alaska Summer 2019
      Day 14

      Snorkelling in Alaska

      July 29, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      Ketchikan, a small port town of 12,000 people, can sometimes double in population with up to seven cruise ships in port in a day. On disembarking we caught a glimpse of the Alutian Ballard, a Deadliest Catch ship (but actually in port as an excursion for passengers). We however had to be on the dockside before 7am to get a bus to our snorkelling site.

      Driving around 15 minutes south of Ketchikan to Mountain Point, we were kitted up in 7mm wet suits, booties, hoods, gloves and masks before venturing into the Alaskan Pacific Ocean - really! These guys really know what they are doing however and within minutes of being in the water we were toasty warm. They guided us around the bay, talking about and showing us the marine life - seastars, urchins, cucumbers and crabs. It was a bit surreal swimming amongst so many jellyfish but we were assured we were safe unless it was the red-orange Lion's Mane jellyfish...we saw three of them! Before we headed back to change we had an "Alaskan sauna" - a tub full of very warm water tipped down our wetsuits! On the way back, (and indeed whilst we were in the water) we saw SO many bald eagles, which was hugely exciting!

      Back in the town proper, we wander the historic centre and Creek Street looking at the mass of salmon swimming upstream. The damp drizzly day coupled with the floods of tourists and shops touting tat to them made for a somewhat false experience though. So we retired for a beer and some Alaskan salmon before getting back on the boat to journey to the state capital of Juneau.      Read more

    • Osi InglinAlaska & Kanada
      Day 18

      Ketchikan

      July 18, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      Ketchikan kommt vom Tlingit-Indianer-Wort „Kitschk-Hin“ und heisst soviel wie „thundering wings of an eagle“. Deshalb findet man auch diese übergrosse Holzskulptur unten auf der Hauptstrasse des Ortes unseres letzten Landganges.

      Wie Juneau ist auch Ketchikan durch seine Insellage nur mit Fähre und Flugzeug zu erreichen. Alles muss auf diesen beiden Transportwegen „importiert“ werden. Unser indianischer Stadtführer sagte denn auch trefflich: „The only things we produce are salmon and babies.“

      Tatsächlich hat der 8´000-Seelen-Ort keine Goldvergangenheit, weil hier schlicht kein Gold gefunden wurde. Er wurde 1883 gegründet, indem hier ein Mann namens Snow eine Salm-Einsalzungs-Anlage gebaut hat.

      Heute legen - ähnlich wie in Juneau - täglich mehrere Kreuzfahrtschiffe an, dies z. T. unmittelbar neben der Hauptstrasse, wie das Bild unten eindrücklich zeigt. Auch hier werden noch dieses Jahr 1,2 Millionen Menschen den Ort besucht haben.

      Nach der Stadtführung am Morgen ging‘s am Nachmittag in den Regenwald. Dort bekamen wir in einem Fluss auch Harbour seals zu sehen, und in einem Heim für verletzte Vögel konnten wir auch einen Bald eagle von nahe betrachten.      Read more

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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Ketchikan Gateway Borough, কেটিকান গেটৱে ব্যুরো, Borough de Ketchikan Gateway, Arrondissement de Ketchikan Gateway, Ketchikan Gateway megye, Քետչիկան Գեյթուեյ շրջան, Borough di Ketchikan Gateway, ケチカンゲートウェイ郡, Ketchikan Gateway Kūn, Okręg Ketchikan Gateway, Ketchikan Gateway, Кетчикан-Гейтуэй, Кетчикан, کٹچیکان گیٹ وے برو، الاسکا, Boro han Ketchikan Gateway, 克奇坎門自治市鎮

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