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Ketchikan Gateway Borough

Ketchikan Gateway Borough

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Osi Inglin Alaska & Kanada
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- Jul 18, 2019, 11:06am
- ☁️ 14 °C
- Altitude: 13 m
- United States Alaska Ketchikan Ketchikan Harbor 55.342636, -131.64831555°20’33” N 131°38’54” W
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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Traveler Canada & Alaska Summer 2019
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- Aug 8, 2019, 12:45pm
- ☁️ 15 °C
- Altitude: 15 m
- United States Alaska Ketchikan Creek Street Historic District 55.34331, -131.6445855°20’36” N 131°38’40” W
Day 24
Ketchikan Pt.II
August 8, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Our second visit to Ketchikan and our final port of call on a miserable, grey and rainy morning - perhaps more typically Alaska than we have experienced! We walked up to Creek Street to see the salmon run again but found it almost empty compared to a week ago with some fish and some seals. So we entertained ourselves instead at the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show - 12 events showcasing different lumberjack skills. Despite seeming a bit corny and very touristy, it was actually huge fun and the guys were very funny. Afterwards, we resumed our brewery tour of Alaska before heading back to the ship for our final day at sea!Read more
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Traveler North Pacific Passage
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- Aug 16, 2019, 7:00am
- ☁️ 15 °C
- Altitude: 29 m
- United States Alaska Ketchikan Creek Street Historic District 55.343625, -131.64346255°20’37” N 131°38’36” W
Day 9
Ketchikan - Early Morning Arrival
August 16, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
An early morning arrival sailing through the Tongass Narrows to the Salmon capitol of Alaska. This town is very seasonal with the main industries of fishing and tourism. There are big canneries here for the salmon.
Ketchikan is on a rocky island and hosts several cruise ships each day. Today we are berthed at a sea mooring and tender into the dock.Read more
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Traveler ALASKA AND CANADA 2018
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- May 29, 2018
- ⛅ 8 °C
- Altitude: 41 m
- United States Alaska Ketchikan Ketchikan Harbor 55.344318, -131.64567655°20’40” N 131°38’44” W
Day 5
KETCHIKAN, ALASKA, USA
May 29, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
5.30 am alarm and a quick breakfast in the Lido as we docked at the quaint, first frontier, little town of Ketchikan. Ketchikan is known for its rain and it didn't disappoint. Our bus collected us for our trip and we saw bald eagles in the fields en route not a major wild life spot in these parts as there are as many bald eagles as people! We were greeted by our friendly kayak hosts, kitted up and used the rest rooms which were 'rural' with a curtain for a door. The kayak centre was in a rural spot and we were only a small group and it was good to get away from the cruise crowds and sample the delights of rural Alaska. We had a fast zodiac boat ride to the beach were our kayaks were waiting for us. More kitting up and a briefing from our guides Billy and Terry and we were on the water. It was both tranquil and scenic, there was one harbour seal spotted, more eagles and a star fish. We paddled around the remote Tatoosh isands, the water became a little more choppy when we were on the open sea side in the final section of the trip. We had some dry weather but the rain started again as we beached the kayaks and we were very glad of the shelter, home made cookies and hot chococlate. The rain didn't ease as we boarded the zodiac in fact it turned to hail and we were all pretty wet and cold by the time we got back. We boarded the bus and were pleased to be somewhere warm and dry. Once back at the ship we had a quick change of clothes and headed out to 'do' Ketchikan.

In town first thing on the list was a warm cup of coffee then we started our tour of the town. We visited the compact Whale Park with its Knox Brothers clock and Chief Kyan Totem Pole (Ketchikan is the town with the most totem poles in Alaska), we saw St John's Episcopal Church, Creek Street which was once the rowdy, red light district of town and is home to Dolly's House, Dolly was the town's most successful madam! We of course did a little retail therapy but stayed out of all the diamond and jewels establishments!

The ship set off around 3 pm, the weather was good so we sat on our balcony to enjoy the scenery and do some wild life spotting, we saw a group of 4 either seals or porpoises. We then went to a entertaining talk called Dreamers, Schemers and Stampeders which highlighted some of the colourful characters who lived here especially in the gold rush era.

We dined with a couple from San Francisco and two girls from Toronto who were very amusing and entertaining.Read more
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Traveler Alaska 2018
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- Jul 25, 2018, 10:07pm
- 🌙 19 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- United States Alaska Ketchikan Thomas Basin 55.338756, -131.64428655°20’20” N 131°38’39” W
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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Traveler Alaska & the Yukon
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- Sep 1, 2017, 4:00pm
- ⛅ 15 °C
- Altitude: 15 m
- United States Alaska Ketchikan Gateway Borough Mud Bay Totem Bight 55.421712, -131.77248155°25’18” N 131°46’21” W
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
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Traveler North Pacific Passage
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- Aug 16, 2019, 9:20am
- ☁️ 16 °C
- Altitude: 22 m
- United States Alaska Ketchikan Gateway Borough Mud Bay Totem Bight State Historical Park 55.420116, -131.77253855°25’12” N 131°46’21” W
Day 9
Potlach Park, Ketchikan
August 16, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
We travel out along the shoreline to the Haida tribal land called Potlach Park. Potlach is the first nations term for party - a place of ceremonies and festivities. Here we see community buildings of the traditional Haida tribe, their totems amongst the cool temperate rainforest.Read more
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Traveler Canada & Alaska Summer 2019
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- Jul 29, 2019, 9:00am
- ☁️ 12 °C
- Altitude: 17 m
- United States Alaska Ketchikan Gateway Borough Mountain Point 55.29434, -131.5483155°17’40” N 131°32’54” W
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
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Traveler North Pacific Passage
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- Aug 16, 2019, 8:30am
- ☁️ 17 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- United States Alaska Ketchikan Thomas Basin 55.340013, -131.64105955°20’24” N 131°38’28” W
Day 9
Ketchikan - town built over the water
August 16, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
The shoreline of Ketchikan is a rocky cliff with little land at sea level. It has the second highest tidal change in the world (up to 20 feet). The tide is out when we sail in leaving the pilings that hold up the roads and buildings exposed. Almost all of the dock area and Main Street are elevated over the water.
It's so steep that timber roads are erected along the cliffs and are joined by staircases which are also designated as roads or avenues. It's literally, a cliff side town.Read more
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Traveler Canada & Alaska.
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- Jun 30, 2023, 2:00pm
- ☁️ 14 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- United States Alaska Ketchikan Thomas Basin 55.337833, -131.63716155°20’16” N 131°38’14” W
Day 17
Ketchikan
June 30, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
Another trip out today to paddle a thirty man canoe 🛶 across a lake and then take the wheel of a Jeep up to a view point in the hills.
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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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