Explora Journeys in Ward Cove (Ketchikan)

Ward Cove is a cruise berth built on a former pulp mill site about 20 minutes north of downtown Ketchikan, used to spread ships out beyond the crowded downtown docks. Ketchikan itself is the southern-Alaska town that earns the day: a rain-soaked fishing and timber port built on pilings over Tongass Narrows, with the largest collection of standing totem poles anywhere and the Creek Street boardwalk over a salmon stream. Ward Cove is the door; downtown is the room.

What to do on a day in Ward Cove (Ketchikan)

• Creek Street, the boardwalk built on pilings over Ketchikan Creek, lined with shops in former red-light-district houses and a salmon ladder where fish run upstream in season
• Dolly's House Museum at 24 Creek Street, the preserved former brothel of Dolly Arthur, a small and frank look at the town's bawdy history
• Totem Heritage Center, home to original 19th-century totem poles recovered from abandoned Tlingit and Haida village sites
• Married Man's Trail, the old wooden staircase and forest path at the end of Creek Street, a quick climb into the rainforest above town
• The Tongass Historical Museum near the creek, for context on the fishing fleet, the totem culture, and the Creek Street women
• A short ride to Totem Bight State Park or Saxman Village for full standing totem-pole collections and a clan house, if you want totems beyond downtown

Getting ashore

Ships dock at The Mill at Ward Cove, well outside town, and a complimentary shuttle runs continuously to Berth 4 downtown, about 20 minutes each way, with a roughly 15-minute walk from there to the heart of Creek Street. Budget the round-trip shuttle time into your day. One day covers downtown plus one nearby excursion comfortably.

When to book the ship's excursion vs your own →

Weather and when to visit

• May and September (shoulder season). Cooler than midsummer by several degrees, with highs often in the low 50s F (around 10 to 12C). September trends wetter as autumn rains build.
• June to August (peak cruise season). Mild, with highs in the mid-50s to low 60s F (around 14 to 16C). Ketchikan is one of the rainiest places in North America, so expect rain on a typical day even in the drier window of June and July; waterproofs are not optional.