Ketchikan All In One
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Ketchikan All In One
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Ketchikan All In One

2h30
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Your Seaside Tour begins with a short city tour where you will see; a salmon ladder, the first of its kind, and a hand dug salmon hatchery. Then the tour will continue south to the village of Saxman, which includes the worlds largest collection of Totem poles.There you will walk among the totems, learn their history and view eagles on the nest. From here a short ride to Rotary Beach, to explore tide-pools and a great opportunity to see whales (humpbacks and orcas, are numerous in what is Nicholas Passage).Sample local berries. Restrooms are available at this stop. Herring cove is ahead on the tour. At this location.There is an excellent chance to view bears, eagles , seals, heron and the thousands of salmon returning to the place of their birth, in the hatchery up stream. Truly an Alaskan sight to be seen! The next stop is a cascading waterfall to complete your tour. We have 4 tour times offered in a day: 8:00am, 10:30am, 1:00pm and 3:30pm. All tours begin and end at Ketchikan Rain Gauge located, on berth 2 of the ketchikan cruise ship dock.
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Included
  • All taxes, fees and charges are covered
Not included
  • n/a
Additional
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants do not occupy a seat (sits in lap)
  • Collapsible wheelchairs can be accommodated
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
Features
Tourism
80%
Original
40%
Adrenaline
35%
Cultural
30%
Reviews
4.1
62
K
Katherine W
5 | 2019-10-01

What a great tour! Mike the owner of the tour company was our guide today. Not only was the tour fun and informative but Mike was as well! His enthusiasm about his life in Alaska was infectious and had most of us ready to sign up to move to Ketchikan on a grand adventure! I don’t know how he managed to see the eagles in the trees we were flying by on the road but he did! My husband was able to get great pictures... no bear sightings but seriously was not for the lack of trying. Mike went back twice to the bear sighting spot! He really wanted us to see the bears. Unfortunately the bears didn’t cooperate. Loved the story’s of the totem poles at the Saxman Native Village and watching the salmon fighting their way up the salmon ladder was fun.

C
Carol A H
5 | 2019-09-27

What a great excursion Mike was such fun and so informative and went out of his way to make sure we saw a bear and a whale. Would recommend this trip to everyone.

M
Miriam J
2 | 2019-09-20

The description of the tour is very deceptive and thought was misleading. Though the weather was not the best I don’t think that would have made any difference for the lack of nothingness we saw. The guide I would rate as average and discussed his personal life with the group which no one cared about. Ensure you check your tour goes inland for better excitement.

W
William G
2 | 2019-09-16

Usually like Viator, but the guide was not trained and was essentially a driver. He answered questions if asked but otherwise didn't do much more than drive. We saw a sea leo and some seals at a distance. No information was provided regarding the totems. We enjoyed getting out a bit, but wish we had chosen a different tour. Company should make sure guides know what they are supposed to do.

B
Brian U
4 | 2019-09-13

My husband and I went on the 2.5 hr tour in Ketchikan late August to see totems, salmon spawning, and Herring Cove for possible bear sightings. The tour bus was adequate as it was a group of 7 people. Our guide/driver was informative and tried his best for us to see bear which unfortunately did not happen, not his fault, nature is nature. The stop at the Totem village was awesome as was the salmon ladder area where the salmon were so jammed up you could walk across them. We enjoyed the tour very much, he is a teacher and was upbeat in showing us this part of Alaska.

a
allen.mabry82
5 | 2019-09-12

We loved this great overview of Alaska. Highly recommend and the kids age 6 and 13 both enjoyed it as well. The guide was superb and attentive to making sure we all had a great experience.

l
lily652
5 | 2019-09-10

Ava our tour guide was wonderful. Very knowledgeable about Alaskan culture. Shared personal stories about growing up in Alaska. Saw a family of bears feeding in the water.

j
judithwingo
5 | 2019-09-06

We were fortunate enough to have Ava as our guide. She is a local and gave us an amazing amount of information about the lifestyle in Ketchikan. We saw tons of salmon. Ava took us to the beach and showed us marine life. Must-do in Ketchikan.

k
kpilo1001
5 | 2019-09-02

Enjoyed tour with Eli. He was persistent with our excitement to see bears and it succeeded. We saw one eating fish. He was very knowledgeable with the wildlife on the beach. Only thing I would say is a newer van was needed. 2nd seat was worn out and bent. Loved the salmon and the totem poles!

c
csirisin
5 | 2019-08-27

Enjoyed visiting Ketchikan town even though it was raining all day. Tour guide was very nice and showed all the important places.

B
Barry C
5 | 2019-08-20

Excellent, excellent tour. We went out with Eli and he was extremely knowledgeable and knew the area very well. I would very highly this tour to everyone.

W
Willy
2 | 2019-08-20

Not what we expected. The tour guide was very unprofessional and too informal. The appearance of the tour guide and the van was not Viator quality. Not recommended.....

G
Gary L
5 | 2019-08-12

The tour was fun and informative. THe tour guide Carson was well informed and a long time resident of Ketchikan. He was familiar with the sites we visited especially the Totem Park as he helped construct the Center where they craft the poles. Very friendly. Anyone who is lucky to get him as the guide will be treated to a great tour

r
ruchi1000
1 | 2019-08-12

I have two issues with this tour. The smaller issue is that I think the photo of the bear is misleading and somewhat false advertisement. This is a usual sightseeing tour with stops at waterfall and such sites, and if they see a bear, I am sure they will point it out, but this is not a bear viewing tour. Second and the bigger issue I had was that pretty much every story our driver told us somehow focused on how in the 1800's natives used to entertain strangers and as part of the hosptality would "offer them their daughters with hopes of getting them impregnated". Not once or twice, this was talked about numerous times. Made for an awkward situation for us sitting with two tween daughters. Then at the end of the tour, as I extended tip to the driver, he complimented my ring (which is okay), but then he proceeded to talk to my older daughter and said "you are pretty, why don't you have a ring?" I was shocked, and as I was already walking, couldn't say much except - because she is 14 years old. But I can not stop thinking about how inappropriate this was. I would like to believe that this driver has good intentions, but would like someone to 1) Teach him appropriate behaviour with and around children, may be give him some stories besides this one, and 2) Even if he did not realize how young my daughter is, this would be an inappropriate comment for an adult woman as well. Someone needs to tell him that getting married and having children is not the only thing women can do. This is not the 1800's, and daughters are smart and hardworking, they get a good education, make a difference in the world, and along the way if and when the time is right, they might get married and have children, but that is not their goal in life.

K
KeithT
5 | 2019-07-31

Mike, our guide and driver (and owner of the business) was so enthusiastic and keen for us to enjoy his town. He gave us many a story of its early days, the way the waterfront was converted from a forest to a lumber mill and how the original owners (First Americans) provided the land that surrounded their summer salmon catching grounds for this mill (it operated until 1979 I think and then the whole area was demolished and the town we see today built to service the tourist industry). Mike took us to a viewing point over the Ketchikan Creek where the salmon were running. This was rushing down the mountain side and the salmon were swimming up against the flow to reach the spawning grounds to lay their eggs and have them fertilized before dying of exhaustion (when they head for home after 3-4 years over the other side of the Pacific they do not eat and generally use up all their reserves before spawning). At this point is a salmon ladder (the prototype for all others used in the US) to make it easy for the salmon to get to their spawning grounds and it was well in use. Next to the creek is the remnants of an early salmon hatchery developed by the First Americans in the 19th Century. They realised they were depleting their fish stocks so developed a way of spawning fingerlings and releasing them back into the creek ready for their journey across the Pacific and back again – salmon keep a drop of water from their home creek stored, and when it is time to spawn, then use geomagnetic tracking to get back to the creek that has the same chemical composition as their stored drop. Mike took us along the seaside, where we saw bald eagles (bald meaning white headed, not without hair), sea lions, and sea otters as well as more salmon. He took us for a short walk down by the sea and told us about the year 8 camp each child on Ketchikan does. They are dropped across onto another island with minimal supplies and are required to survive for 3 days and 4 nights. It is so that they can survive if ever they are stranded on any of the islands around Ketchikan – a sensible training activity given the sparseness of the terrain and lack of human habitation. As we continued along the road, Mike sensed that there might be a bear out foraging and sure enough he was right. We, and a few others, were able to see a male black bear foraging in the asparagus grass and near a salmon filled creek. We waited but the bear disappeared. So, on we went to the beautiful waterfall near the end of the road. The water temperature was not too bad and despite Mike’s attempts to find its source, he has not found it yet. Back to see if the bear had re-appeared – no, but in the inlet nearby sea lions or sea otters grazed on salmon, and appeared to be well fed. Onward to the Saxman Historic Totem Row Park. Here Mike described the reason for carving these totems, what they symbolize, what value each tribe attached to them and describes some that are prominent in the park. It was a most illuminating explanation and informed us a lot about what totems were all about. Mike returned us to our pickup point after a most enlightening morning and a bit of touring. We enjoyed his enthusiasm for showing us his township and explaining some of the First American culture and the wildlife.

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GEORGE G
4 | 2019-07-30

Enjoyed seeing the country side and where the locals hang out. Our guide pointed out some neat little places where a big tour bus couldn’t. Seeing bear, bald eagles, otter and salmon ladder made it worth while.

M
Marie-Claude B
5 | 2019-07-25

Carson was great! He was excellent and taught us a lot. We didn't see bears but had a great trip regardlesss.

b
bates1999
5 | 2019-07-19

Had a great time with our tour guide Carson. Lots information and his personal experience. Highly recommended tour for anyone who just want to relax and have fun for half day in Ketchikan.

M
Mary F
4 | 2019-07-15

Our guide was entertaining, knowledgeable though a bit quirky! He really shared the area with us going beyond our expectations!

N
Nathan O
3 | 2019-07-03

Went in mid may. No salmon running so no other wildlife to see. Wish they would explain that when booking certain times. Driver was nice but had a cough and the van smelled musty.

J
John And Donna R
5 | 2019-07-03

All tours are in small vans which made it easy to hear the guide and to know what was going on. Our driver Mike was wonderful. He told us about the town, it's background, the economy, the things we were seeing. He stopped and showed us an eagles nest that had an eagle in it. He stopped by a roadside store and we got drinks and snacks. He took us to a small forested area and named the local flora and he told us about how the native boys are dropped in such an area and that they had to survive for so many days eating only what they could find. He showed us an area near the shore where whales were often seen and pointed out that the shells or hats as their called are part of the things natives eat when they are dropped off to survive on their own. He pointed out both the native school and everyone else's school. He explained that the natives are trying to keep their own ways and not adopt ours. He took us to the largest Totem Pole area in the area and explained what each Totem Pole meant. He took us to an area that usually is full of bears but due to the fact that it was extremely warm this year the salmon haven't started their run or breeding yet. He showed us the salmon ladder that is in their town and how it works. He was full of useful information and very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife. He even talked with another guide while we were stopped and the other guide showed us a video on his phone of a black bear trying to break into his house from the roof. It was a wonderful time and I highly recommend this trip with this company!

i
ibcarolek
5 | 2019-07-03

We arrived in Ketchikan early and did the walking tour, so we were wondering if this tour would be worthwhile ... it was that and MORE! Even the parts that we saw on the walking tour, like the salmon ladder, Mike provided interesting facts and figures and insights. We took a driving tour of town, got out often to take pictures, including an eagle nest with eagle, and we even saw a black bear! For the bear, we were able to get out of the van and take pictures without being rushed. We then drove to a lush waterfall, and Mike made sure we got pictures from the obvious front but also from a hidden, but beautiful vantage point. We also stopped at tide pools and were told about day to day life in Ketchikan and school survival training. Mike's unfiltered, but authentic. Definitely would do again, and love that this is a family business. Compared to the other tours we took on our Alaskan cruise, this was the most informative and yeah. We loved seeing the bear!!

M
Matthew H
5 | 2019-07-03

Our tour guide was fantastic! He was a passionate person who customized our tour to the group and wanted to show us as much as possible, you could tell the time limit was frustrating to him and he would take as much time as he possibly could to make the tour special. He walked us to a waterfall and on a beach where he personally showed our kiddo starfish and tide pools. We loved every minute of this tour and would highly recommend it to anyone!

C
Carol P. G
5 | 2018-10-01

Carson gave us a remarkable tour with lots of facts and personal insights! Highly recommend this tour, especially if you can get Carson to be your guide!

R
Rosehndz98
4 | 2018-09-19

Good trip. Got to see a bear and deer. Well worth it.

R
Rodney P
5 | 2018-09-17

On a rainy morning in Ketchikan, Mike's daughter met our group (her sign said Seaside Tours) at the Ketchikan Rain Gauge (actually a little building with a statue behind it, on the pier). The were friendly and ready for us, with their van. Mike drove us around town, explaining various spots, stopping often with plenty of info and colorful explanations about the local lore and local folks. He was easy-going and gregarious, laughed easily, and admitted up-front that he might not be politically correct. (That was okay, but maybe he should have reined it in a bit...) We had a very personal tour, felt like we'd met a happy local, saw interesting local sites.

B
Beverly F
3 | 2018-09-13

We enjoyed seeing Ketchikan but were disappointed in that not much wildlife were seen.Carson was our tour guide and he was informative regarding the area.

V
Victor I C
4 | 2018-09-09

Mike was good and enthusiastic but the bus was cramped and access dificult. Hard to compare as it was our first visit. We did see bear but from a distance. No Whales.

i
inthedoghousenc
5 | 2018-08-13

Best way to see Ketchikan, history, sights, and sounds you won't find in town.salmon swimming up the salmon ladder, eagles, seals and bears catching salmon in the river. Our tour guide did a fantastic narration of Saxman Totem Row Park.

t
tmoonpac
5 | 2018-08-12

We visited ketchikan on an extremely rainy day. Our guide, Mike, made the best of it. He was enthusiastic and informative. He tried hard to find us bears, but nature didn't cooperate. I would definitely recommend Mike with Seaside Tours.

Anonymous
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