If time, 1 hr.
Is there a cost to see Totem Bight State Park - Ketchikan Forum
Return car, overnight ANC. Day 7 — morning train to Seward. Board cruise ship for dinner. That might look something like this:.
Comox to Ketchikan - 4 ways to travel via train, bus, and car ferry, and plane
Or you could do an after-supper drive back to FB if you prefer to have a bit more time in that city. Day 4 — drive to Fairbanks 2 hrs. Evening Museum or Pioneer Park. Day 5 — morning flight to ANC. Day 6 — Wildlife Conservation Center opens 8 a. Drive through Whittier Tunnel Maybe Portage Pass hike to the ridge or beyond. I have an idea for an alternative to the cruise since you are a little disgruntled about the cost for a single.
I know the ferry schedules have been curtailed since our first visit to Alaska , but I think it might still be easily possible to do what we did. We wanted to see some of SE AK but didn't want to cruise, so we flew to Juneau , stayed a night to explore there a bit, then took the ferry to Ketchikan , gorgeous! You could plan something similar, maybe ending your trip by flying from Ketchikan to Seattle. That was a highlight of our trip. Last year at this time we were planning our trip and had no idea of the date we wanted to do that tour, so I called Major Marine and they let me purchase our tickets at the discounted Black Friday sale rate without a specific date.
When we firmed up our itinerary, I called them back and got our tickets for the date we needed. They were great to work with and the tour was awesome. Wow, it must be the thing to do!
I'm keeping an eye on your post for the great ideas people are giving you. The only thing is, I'm an Australian, and don't feel comfortable driving on the opposite side of the road. Have you considered using the rail system? Similarly, we wanted to see part of SE AK without cruising. Our trip began in Anchorage with stops in Homer , then Palmer and back to Anchorage. Since it was our second trip and we had been to Seward and Denali previously, we flew from Anchorage to Juneau and spent a night there.
Then took the ferry to Haines for 3 nights. It was beautiful and we had a blast watching the bears in the Chilkoot River. We then returned to Juneau to explore a bit. The flight from Juneau will also go through Seattle. Perhaps you could do something similar We have rented a car on each of our three trips to AK thus far and are glad for the freedom it gave us to explore on our schedule.
Follow the Author
A very belated thank you SO much to everyone for your replies. I have switched my plans around a bit and will post an updated trip plan soon. TripAdvisor uses cookies to improve your site experience. Learn more or change your settings. By continuing, you consent to our cookies.
All of your saved places can be found here in My Trips. Log in to get trip updates and message other travellers. Log in Join Recently viewed Bookings Inbox. First trip to Alaska August Browse forums All Browse by destination. What are the most popular tours in Alaska? Destination Expert for Anchorage. Destination Expert for Colorado. Read our community guidelines. Get notified by e-mail when a reply is posted. See All Alaska Conversations. I am thinking not to go with Princess and just go by myself.
Signup to Receive Special Offers Today :)
What would be the cost of doing that. Yes, you do get a guided tour for that price, but all of the poles have interpretive signage on them already. Be early for the bus and don't be surprised if it is running a little late. Traffic in the heart of town is very congested during cruise ship calls. Allow 30 minutes for the ride out, an hour in the park, and 30 minutes to return back to town for a two hour minimum tour. There is a bookstore, beach and bathrooms at the park.
I went by public bus and it was very easy. It's the last stop on the bus route. Do this first - I was leaving as the tour groups were just coming! I won't enter the debate about the value of a guided tour since I'm rather biased, but to say "all of the poles have interpretive signage on them" is just not true. There are a couple signs at the park that present general information about totems, and the brochure which can also be picked up at the bookstore that fti linked to has a little bit of information about each pole. The bookstore as well as Amazon should have a book called "The Wolf and the Raven" which was co-written by the designer of the park, Linn A.
Forest, it is a great way to learn the stories behind the totems. Check out Ketchican Taxi Cab Tours , especially if you've got a group. All the totems have interpretive signs and the guide pamphlet -- also for free , has more details. If you want to splurge more and learn more, buy a book from the book store for much cheaper.
If there is a group, rent a car and drive the 10ish miles to the Totem Bight.
Hotels travellers are raving about...
We just got back from the most wonderful experiences on our Alaskan vacation and much thanks to the folks who replied here on Trip Advisor. Ketchikan was a lot of fun for us!
He picked us up at the berth emailing us and telling us where our ship would be docked. We were on our way before the many buses even pulled into the parking lot..
- To the Tree and Back?
- Travellers who viewed Ketchikan Taxi Cab Tours also viewed.
- NEW Alaska or Bust: And Other Stories by Erma Odrach | eBay!
Our first stop at a creek we saw an abundance of eagles and in minutes saw our first bear. Dave drove up close to the other side of the stream as we quietly watched, as a baby cub was crying nearby. Followed by more bear and deer. He took us to some very scenic spots of Ketchikan we would have never found on our own, with not one tourist in sight. On to Totem Park free which is also connected to Bight Park with more totem poles and informative.