Day Hikes in Ketchikan
Get out and explore Alaska’s incredible landscapes with Voyij’s curated day hikes. These accessible adventures offer stunning views, wildlife sightings, and glacier overlooks—all in a single day. Whether you’re on a cruise stop or planning a scenic trail outing, our day hikes are perfect for travelers who want big nature without the overnight gear.
3 Activities
Rainforest Sanctuary, Totem Park & Eagles
The Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary is a 40-acre private preserve of temperate rainforest bordering the Tongass National Forest. Take a guided nature walk exploring the wildlife and ecology of the preserve. Visit a historic sawmill, explore a totem park, and view a featured raptor at the Alaska Raptor Center Ketchikan exhibit. Here’s how your rainforest exploration will surprise and delight you. You’ll start out with a scenic eight-mile coastal drive to rustic Herring Cove and the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary. The sanctuary is a temperate rainforest, nestled into the Tongass National Forest. When you arrive, a naturalist guide will be on hand to take you on a 0.75 mile guided rainforest exploration along an improved trail amongst stands of hemlock, spruce and cedar trees. The forest floor is covered with mosses, wild flowers and a variety of berries. Your guide will lead you to a protected open estuary where you follow Herring Creek along an elevated wooden boardwalk overlooking grassy wetlands. During the seasonal spawning season, bears and seals feed on salmon in Herring Creek. Bald eagles and other birds wait for scraps in the estuary. Sitka black tail deer, mink and marten also frequent the area. Weather, tides, and seasonal ecosystem changes result in varying levels and type of wildlife activity. Everything here is alive with color and cultural history. After your trail walk your opportunity to learn about the natural history, wildlife and cultural traditions in the region continues. You’ll be guided through the historic Herring Bay Lumber Company sawmill, seeing saws and machinery that powered this mill. Keep your camera ready as you see a bald eagle at the Alaska Raptor Center exhibit. Explore the first Tsimshian totem pole park in the country with its impressive 40-foot totem and 13 poles carved by the same artist. Before your return to town visit the General Store and pick up a souvenir of your uniquely Alaskan experience.
Island Hummer Tour
A "Guest Preference Card” is provided at the time of booking to ensure we meet your needs and provide the very best customer service. Highlights and attractions are sure to please the history buff, native arts & culture enthusiast, outdoor adventurer, and nature lover. Your expedition begins the moment your guide greets you- Indiana Jones style! Whether it be at the ramp of your cruise ship, your gate at the airport, the lobby of your hotel, or any place of convenience for you. Custom stops can include but are not limited to shopping, dining, or exploring just about anything on the island. Wildlife stops can be made at any time the opportunity arises. All tours are fully guided. Please note this is not an off-roading tour. The venues to choose from include: wildlife viewing areas, waterfalls, totem pole parks, historic city tour, walks or hikes through the gorgeous rainforest, panoramic views of Ketchikan and the surrounding islands, museums and attractions including the Totem Heritage Center, the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, and the Tongass Historical Museum. While it is not possible to do everything listed, we do want you to know some of the options available. Our guide will go over your interests and proposed itinerary at the beginning of the tour. This will help us prepare the best custom tour for you! *City tour of Ketchikan Rainforest / beach walk - a stroll through the rainforest leading out onto one of Ketchikan's favorite beaches *Potlatch Park - a family owned Totem Park with totem poles carved by a local carver, a clan house, and access to one of Ketchikan's scenic shorelines *Totem Bight State Park - this beautiful state park offers a unique totem circle, clan house, and access to one of Ketchikan's scenic shorelines *Ward Creek Trail - watch for wildlife as you stroll a trail through the Tongass National Rainforest leading to a great view of Ward Creek *Lunch Creek Trail - this trail starts slowly and gradually as you increase in elevation and wind through a scenic rainforest trail *Herring Cove - the cove's unique mix of salt and freshwater provide the opportunity to see unique seasonal wildlife *Beaver Falls - a beautiful waterfall just south of town *Saxman Native Village and Totem Park - the world's largest collection of authentic totem poles; take a walk through the park and learn about the history and importance of Northwest Coast native culture
Black Bear Express
Ketchikan's finest bear viewing accessible by road! Visit Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary for this unique opportunity to see black bear in their native habitat. Watch for bears from the safety of the raised boardwalks which maximize your viewing and provide protection. This is a short tour focused on opportunity to view bears. Your experience will start with a narrated tour through Ketchikan, followed by a scenic coastal drive to the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary. Within a very short time, you’ll find yourself in bear country. The only drive to bear viewing areas in Southeast Alaska…. This tour offers the same duration for black bear viewing as our comprehensive Black Bear & Wildlife Exploration tour. However, it is streamlined to exclusively focus on black bear sightings, omitting the additional time allocated for exploring our mini-features on site. This experience is curated strictly for seeing black bears in their natural habitat. When you arrive at the sanctuary, naturalist guides will join you, bringing the rich forest to life as you walk along an improved trail. You’ll be surrounded by magnificent stands of spruce, hemlock and cedar trees. And soon you’ll be watching for wild bears in search of spawning salmon and ample berries. These are safe, protected raised boardwalks, exclusively for bear tours only. You can expect to have an intimate viewing experience and to reduce environmental impacts, only a limited number of groups have access to this private bear viewing area. Your guide will lead you along another boardwalk system perched over the grassy wetlands alongside Herring Creek. You’ll have the chance to observe a rich run of spawning salmon and the bears and seals that come to fish for them, along with bald eagles and other birds that wait for scraps in the tidal estuary nearby. Your transportation will be waiting to pick you up where the tour began. *Please Note: The half-mile long trail is over relatively flat terrain. The focus of your tour will be on viewing black bear in their natural habitat. Your guide may change the order of the tour or time spent in any one area to give you the best chance to see bears. Although the chances for seeing bear are excellent, wildlife sightings cannot be guaranteed. The wildlife viewing time is approximately 60 minutes. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. No food or drink is allowed on the trail. You must follow your guide’s instructions at all times to ensure your safety. *ABOUT ALASKA RAINFOREST SANCTUARY In the heart of the Tongass National Forest lies Kawanti Adventures’ very own Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary. The sanctuary is known for its forest trails and boardwalk system that leads to an open estuary complete with a creek running out to the famous Herring Cove. The sanctuary is a hot spot for all wildlife, but specifically bald eagles and black bear.
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