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5 Free Things to do in Ketchikan Alaska with Kids

Ketchikan, Alaska is the “salmon capital of the world” and a port in many Alaska cruises but also great for land vacations. Ketchikan has plenty of activities from a lumberjack show, floatplane rides over Misty Fjords, zip lines and fishing charters. But, all of these aren’t cheap especially when traveling as a family. Wondering what to do during your visit? Here are five free things to do in Ketchikan Alaska with kids.

free things to do in Ketchikan

1. See the Totem Poles

Ketchikan is said to be home to the world’s largest collection of totem poles.There are a few places to see totem pole collections around Ketchikan. Many are near the cruise ship docks in downtown or accessible via a short bus or taxi ride away.

There are otem poles to see at some locations around downtown Ketchikan. Look for totem poles outside of Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. Also, check out the small collection of totem poles at Cape Fox Lodge.

Ketchikan totem poles

The craftsmen and locals carved and built totem poles to tell the Alaska Native Indians’ stories and legends, to celebrate special events in their lives from birth to death or to display the family’s status or lineage. It is amazing that these beautiful works of art are all hand carved with intricate details.

Totem Pole Parks

The Potlatch Totem Park is 9.5 miles from town with a collection of totem poles, 5 tribal homes with beautiful carvings, an antique car museum and a carving center. There is no admission to this park.

The adjacent Totem Bight State Historical Park has a collection of abandoned totem poles and a clan house but charges $5 per person fee from May to September. There is no admission between October and April.

The Totem Heritage Center in downtown charges admission from May to September during cruise season but kids 17 and under are Free and $6 for adults. It houses over 30 original totem poles rescued from abandoned Native American villages. The center offers free 15-minute guided tours during the summer.

We also visited Saxman Native Village which was three miles from town. Though our admission was covered with our tour, admission is $5 but kids may be free. The park like setting had over 25 totem poles in different sizes scattered throughout for visitors to see up close.

Ketchikan Saxman Native Village

This is supposed to be the world’s largest collection of standing totem poles. We visited one of the carving centers to see the master carvers working hard on the stunning details of a totem pole. My kids loved seeing the totem poles around Ketchikan and trying to guess the stories or animal representations behind them.

2. Do a Historic Walking Tour

We’ve visited Ketchikan twice. The first time we didn’t get to see much since it was raining hard and we sought shelter inside an Internet café and shops.

Chances are it may be raining during your visit since Ketchikan averages over 160 inches of rain annually. This may be the only place with a liquid sunshine gauge. We had the perfect, sunny weather during our next visit and did a tour but also had the chance to walk around.

Ketchikan downtown pictures

Experience Ketchikan offers a free Ketchikan Walking Tour Map that has many walking tour points and points of interest around the downtown area. Pick up your map at the Ketchikan Visitor’s Bureau, at stores or at kiosks by the cruise docks.

Ketchikan Creek Street

The two mile walk allows plenty of time to get to know the city, see some totem poles, historic sculptures and doable for kids of various ages. This tour also includes passing through Creek Street.

This historical area is a wooden boardwalk over Ketchikan Creek with shops, restaurants, museums and galleries. This used to be the town’s red light district. As far as my kids were concerned, this was a wonderful place to window shop and look over the creek.

3. Southeast Alaska Discovery Center

The Southeast Alaska Discovery Center may not be the first thing that comes to mind when visiting Ketchikan with kids but it is a wonderful educational center. The center has “exhibits and interactive displays about the land, people, and culture of Southeast Alaska.”

The exhibits include walking through a rainforest, seeing a life-size smokehouse and hand-carved canoe, watching salmon in an aquarium and searching for wildlife via a spotting scope. There’s also a theater and a decent size bookstore.

Photo Credit: www.alaska.org
Photo Credit: www.alaska.org

This would have been our first stop and a great alternative if it was raining when we docked there since it was located near downtown Ketchikan. It’s a great way for the family to learn about this part of Alaska. There are also totem poles in the lobby.

Kids ages 15 and younger are free but adults pay $5. They only charge admission between May and September and since the Alaska Public Lands operates the center. They also honor the America the Beautiful Interagency National Park pass.

4. Hike the Trails

Like many Alaska coastal towns in the Inside Passage, Ketchikan is filled with beautiful scenery begging to be explored. I wish we had more time ashore to do these hikes.

In hindsight, we should have rented a car to see a few off-the-beaten path places around Ketchikan. We would have loved to do some beach combing and short hikes along Rotary Beach, Refuge Cove State Park or Settler’s Cove State Park.

Locals recommend the Rainbow Trail which is located near the cruise ship terminals in downtown and is 1.3 miles long winding through rainforests with views of the water and city. The Forest Service maintains two other local favorites, Ward Lake and Perseverance Trails, a few miles from town.

The one-mile Ward Lake Trail is considered to be the easiest along a nature trail and a lake. Perseverance Trail is three miles long through a forest and lake.

ketchikan herring cove

We did a very short hike along a small but beautiful waterfall near Herring Cove during our tour. You may even stumble across some thimbleberry or salmonberry bushes during your hike.

Our tour guide pointed these out to us along the side of the road. They were actually quite tasty. My kids didn’t hesitate to sample them and liked it.

ketchikan salmonberry

5. Eagle and Salmon Sightings

One of the reasons we love about Alaska is seeing wildlife we don’t easily see in our part of the country. We saw some eagles perched on trees, eagles’ nests and eagles on the ground. It was amazing to see these majestic creatures take flight.

Ketchikan eagles

Eagles flying became a common occurrence during our cruise but the kids never got over the excitement of seeing them soar above the Alaskan skies. We also saw salmon leap out of a river which is an unforgettable sight to see. My kids could have sat for awhile just to catch a glimpse of those salmon.

Ketchikan salmon

One of our unforgettable moments was seeing hundreds of salmon crowded together at Herring’s Cove a few miles from town. At the end of Creek Street is a great area to watch salmon swimming upstream from May to September guaranteed to entertain the whole family.

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*What other free things to do in Ketchikan can you add to the list?


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This is a part of a series called Five Free Family Friday.  I hope this will grow into a collective guide of free family-friendly attractions of places all over the world.  If you’d like to contribute with the free attractions in your home city, I would love your guest posts.

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Free things to do in Ketchikan

24 thoughts on “5 Free Things to do in Ketchikan Alaska with Kids”

  1. These are all great things to do and I would love to do every single one of them.
    The photo of the Creek Street boardwalk captured my attention – Definitely want to
    go there :)

  2. We also had a great time in Ketchikan just walking around and checking everything out before we went to the Lumberjack Show. Creek Street was a lot of fun!

    1. Glad you were able to walk around on a rare, no rain day in Ketchikan. I think we’d definitely have to do the lumberjack show the next time we visit Ketchikan. I’m sure my kids would love it.

  3. Great finds, Mary! Alaska is a beautiful place, it’s great to see that there are free fun things for kids to do.
    I’ve always liked that name – Ketchikan. That Liquid Sunshine Gauge has been busted a long time!

  4. The Totem Poles sound so interesting and they look so beautiful. Also the hiking trails must be such a pleasing journey with all the scenery around.

    1. Ketchikan was a very scenic town as most of Alaska. we loved the totem poles. They were different and we loved what they represented. The details on them were amazing.

  5. I’m saying YES to the hiking trails. It’s A) cheap, B) so healthy and C) so much to see there, amazing landscape!

  6. Thanks for sharing your post Sonja! We were only in Ketchikan for a short while and chose totem poles over lumberjacks. We definitely need to return and do that sow too.

  7. HI Mary, I haven’t been to Alaska. I love Salmon with passion and I think Ketchikan will be my first stop!! A totem capital, too? Such a delighful town with combination of rich local culture, hiking, wildlife, and the salmon! I’m jealous my adopted siblings have gone not only once but twice! Their photo tasting the wild berries is so so adorable. It must be quite an experience for them.

    1. Thanks Marisol! It was an experience for the kids to pick berries and eat them. If you love salmon, Ketchikan is the right place to visit. It’s a beautiful city and rich in culture. Just be prepared for the rain.

  8. I’ve only been to Ketchikan for one day, on my first trip to Alaska years ago. I think my favorite thing in the town was that rain — er, ‘liquid sunshine’ gauge.

    I’m hoping to go back when I’m in Alaska this summer. I think I’d definitely appreciate the totem poles more this time!

  9. Thanks for the tips. Was looking for more information about Rainbow trail, and I found one that is called “Rainbird Trail” that matches the 1.3 mile description.

  10. We are going to be in Ketchikan this September. I really want to see the totem poles. If you had to pick between Totem Bight State Historical Park and Saxman Native Village, which one would you choose? I really enjoyed your article.

  11. Hi Mary,
    Thanks for all the photos and tips. You say some of these things were part of a tour – did you pay for the tour – or did you walk to all of these places? We would like to follow your example a small hike to see salmon, bald headed eagles and totem poles and then go to see the lumber jack show. Did you do the hike and totems first and then the lumber jack show? Did you also go to Sitka and Juneau be interested in your very comprehensive recommendations. Every tip helps in keeping teenagers interested, costs down and the trip enjoyable.

  12. Pingback: Toddler Activities Ketchikan: Engaging Fun For Little Ones | The Toddler Life

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