Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Air -- Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com) jet service connects Ketchikan south to Seattle nonstop and north to Petersburg, Wrangell, Sitka, Juneau, and Anchorage. Commuter lines run wheeled planes and floatplanes from Ketchikan to the neighboring communities, and also offer fishing packages and flightseeing.

The airport is on Gravina Island, to which there is no bridge (perhaps you've heard of the famous "Bridge to Nowhere" congressional scandal -- the Ketchikan airport is its destination). A ferry runs each way every 1/2 hour (more frequently at peak times). Believe the airline when it tells you when to catch the ferry for your plane. The fare is $5 for adults, $2 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children under 6. Returning the same day is free. The fare for cars is $6 each way, no matter how soon you come back.

By Ferry -- The dock is 2 1/2 miles north of downtown. Alaska Marine Highway ferries (tel. 800/642-0066; www.ferryalaska.com) run 6 hours north to Wrangell and 6 hours south to Prince Rupert, B.C. The walk-on fare from Prince Rupert is $60, from Wrangell it's $37. Call the local terminal at tel. 907/225-6182 or 907/225-6181 for a recording of updated arrival and departure times.

Orientation

Ketchikan is on huge Revillagigedo Island, popularly known as Revilla Island. The downtown area, pretty much taken over by tourism, is quite compact and walkable, but the whole of Ketchikan, including a second commercial area used by locals, is long, strung out between the Tongass Narrows and the mountains. A waterfront road goes under various names through town (it's Water St. on our map), becoming North Tongass Highway as it stretches about 16 miles to the north. Saxman is 2 1/2 miles to the south of downtown on the 14-mile South Tongass Highway.

Getting Around

You can spend a day seeing the downtown sights on foot, but you will need transportation to get to the totem pole parks or airport.

By Taxi -- The local taxis, mostly minivans, are convenient and usually easy to flag down on the single main road through town. Try Sourdough Cab (tel. 907/225-5544). Alaska Cab (tel. 907/225-2133) is another taxi company in Ketchikan. Taking a cab to the airport terminal is costly because of time that runs up on the meter waiting for and riding the ferry to Gravina Island. Unless you have a lot of luggage, take the cab just to the airport ferry dock and walk on. If you are burdened by luggage, your cab can take you to the terminal, or use the water taxi from downtown .

By Water Taxi -- Only in Ketchikan could you take a boat from the airport to your hotel. Tongass Water Taxi (tel. 907/225-8294) also happens to be reasonably priced and quick. The six-passenger boat runs back and forth from near the airport ferry dock to downtown all day. The first person is $18 and each additional person $7. It also crosses the same route as the airport ferry (without going on to downtown) for $7. Several hotels are right on the water, so the water taxi can take you almost to your door. The operator holds up a sign in the baggage claim area to meet arriving flights or you can call to arrange a pick-up.

By Bus -- The least costly way to the airport or ferry dock is the Ketchikan Gateway Borough bus (tel. 907/225-8726). To get downtown or points south from the airport costs $1. Buses come every half-hour. Your luggage must fit under the seat.

By Rental Car -- Budget has locations at the airport or in town (tel. 800/527-0700 reservations, 907/225-6004 at the airport, 907/225-8383 in town; www.budget.com). Alaska Car Rental (tel. 800/662-0007 or 907/225-5000; www.akcarrental.com) also has offices at the airport and in town.

Visitor Information

The Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, 50 Main St., Ketchikan, AK 99901 (tel. 907/228-6220 or 907/288-6237 TDD; fax 907/228-6234; www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass), is much more than a visitor center. Housed in a large, attractive building of big timbers and cedar, and located a block from the cruise-ship dock, the center is the best museum in the region when it comes to illustrating the interaction of the region's ecology and human society, including both traditional Native and contemporary uses. An auditorium shows a high-tech slide show. Admission to these facilities in summer costs $5, free for children ages 15 and under, with a $15 family maximum; in winter it's free. Without paying, you can get guidance about planning your time and activities in the outdoors. An information kiosk is located near the entrance, and downstairs you'll find a luxurious bookstore decorated like an explorer's private den with room to relax. The center is open May through September daily from 8am to 5pm, October through April Tuesday through Friday noon to 4pm and Saturday 10:30am to 4:30pm.

The Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, 131 Front St., Ketchikan, AK 99901 (tel. 800/770-3300 or 907/225-6166; fax 907/225-4250; www.visit-ketchikan.com), stands right on the cruise-ship dock, offering town information and booths where tourism businesses sell their wares, including tickets for tours. The bureau is open daily in the summer from 8am to 5pm and when cruise ships are in town; weekdays only in winter.

Special Events

There's a detailed events calendar at www.visit-ketchikan.com.

The Festival of the North brings art to Ketchikan audiences for the entire month of February, including theater, ballet, live music, poetry readings, and a wearable art show the first weekend of the month that is a highlight of the winter. The festival is sponsored by Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council, 716 Totem Way (tel. 907/225-2211; www.ketchikanarts.org).

King Salmon Derby, a 60-year-old tradition, takes place at the end of May and the beginning of June.

The Fourth of July celebration is huge, with a long parade on Front Street attended by mobs of locals and visitors. After the parade, there's a Timber Carnival with an all-afternoon loggers' competition at the baseball field near City Park on Park Avenue; admission is free. Don't miss the legendary pie sale at St. John's Church at 423 Mission St., where a slice, ice cream, and beverage is $5. Fireworks are at 11pm on Gravina Island, best viewed from the cruise-ship dock.

Twice weekly through July, the First City Players (tel. 907/225-4792) perform the melodrama Fish Pirates Daughter, as they have for more than 40 years, and serve a crab feed at the Civic Center.

The crowd-pleasing Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show goes on all summer behind the Alaska Discovery Center (tel. 888/320-9049 or 907/225-9050; www.lumberjacksports.com). Canadian and U.S. professional teams of lumberjacks -- highly skilled and cute, too, according to my friend Charlotte -- compete three or more times daily, mostly to an audience of cruise-ship passengers. The show is charming and intentionally a little goofy. The setting is attractive and comfortable. Tickets are $34 for adults, half price for children ages 2 to 12 (including tax) -- expensive for a show that lasts 1 hour, but the great majority of clients leave happy.

The Blueberry Arts Festival, held the first weekend of August, has booths, music, and food, and is put on by the Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council, mentioned just above as the sponsor of the Festival of the North. Check with the council for the Monthly Grind coffeehouse variety show, as well, which happens in the Saxman Tribal House every third Saturday from September to May.