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Options in Ketchikan ?

Texas_firefighter

By Texas_firefighter,
in Alaska

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truthandkeidy

truthandkeidy

Posted
Posted
I'm looking for the same and struggling as well. I think I will end up doing a kayak tour, but beyond that, I haven't found much in the way of active day excursions.

 

http://www.kayakketchikan.com/

http://www.yakfishalaska.com/

 

Patrick...I see you went ahead and planned another trip to Alaska THIS May! Wish we were on the same sailing though. We are looking for something to do in Ketchikan as well and are leaning towards the sea kayaking at Orca's cove. Thanks for providing the link!

 

Texas Firefighter... Something you might want to consider is Ziplining in the Alaska Rainforest. We did it this past September with Alaska Canopy Adventures and had a great time! They are very professional and their safety measures are excellent. They are highly recommended on CC. Here is the link to their website and a video clip of me zipping along!

 

http://www.alaskacanopyadventures.com/tours.html

 

(After viewing, If you click on "More from truvids" you can find our Alaska video which has more pics of the Zipline tour in Ketchikan.

 

Alaska is AWESOME! Enjoy your cruise.

 

Trudy

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mii

mii

Posted
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We are cruising on Princess this coming may and both of excursions we are taking are ship excursions. We are doing a B2B and one of them is going to Saxman Totem Poles. The other excursion is Misty Fjord boat ride to Misty Fjord Nat. Monument. I am not into flying either so am taking the boat ride. I have been to Alaska 4 times previously and had not taken the Saxman tour so thought this time we would. Hope this helps someone.

 

Marilyn

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fti

fti

Posted
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Hi John - Thanks for this. For some reason, I had it in my head that some of these trails heads were outside of town and hard to get to. I could be totally wrong, so I'll do some research.

 

Some may require a car or taxi, others can be reached by public bus. I think a couple can be reached by just walking in town to the trailhead. I am not totally positive though - I haven't hiked in Ketchikan yet, just gathered some info on it.

 

John

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cynt

cynt

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I'm in the same boat. I'm leaning towards the ziplining.

 

I'm noticing with many of the ziplining tours in Alaska you have to book through the cruiseship. Does anyone know why? I'm asking because the price is kind of steep - $139-$159.

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truthandkeidy

truthandkeidy

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Hi Trudy - Hope you guys are doing well. Which trip did you book? Orca Cove or Pennock? Just curious...

 

Hey Patrick...we're doing Orca Cove. I'm mostly concerned about being too cold out there on the water. From your experience, would wearing "thermal" undies be overdoing it? :eek:

 

Trudy

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GMoney

GMoney

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Hey Patrick...we're doing Orca Cove. I'm mostly concerned about being too cold out there on the water. From your experience, would wearing "thermal" undies be overdoing it? :eek:

 

Trudy

 

IMO, no, that's not overdoing it. It will depend on the day's weather of course, but when I've kayaked in AK in the past, I was very much layered as I would be on land. I usually wear insulated waterproof pants and they worked great. If you layer thermal underwear and then rain pants or something similar on top, I think that works well. Keep in mind the tour company will also make you wear a life jacket and a kayak skirt, so there are a few torso layers.

 

It's usually your hands that get cold first. Kayak oars have "dry rings," designed to keep water away from your hands; they can be somewhat effective. A good tour company will give you pot-holder like mittens as well.

 

There is usually a stop along the way so if you are warm, you should be able to shed a layer.

 

When are you sailing in May? I forget.

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GMoney

GMoney

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More on Deer Mtn Trail for those who might be interested. I definitely think I'll give this a try and keep my fingers crossed that things aren't too overcast (yeah right!)...:rolleyes:

 

From various sources

 

> For experienced hikers, there is the Deer Mountain Trail, which leads over Deer Mountain from Ketchikan City to Silvis Lake on the southern end of the

primary island roadway. For the healthy and prepared hiker, the 10-mile adventure offers a striking alpine landscape and postcard views of Ketchikan and Revillagigedo Island and the surrounding island chain.

 

> The Deer Mountain Trail, for example, begins right in town just behind City Park at the intersection of Deermount and Fair streets. An easy though steep hike, much of this well-maintained, five-mile-long trail boardwalk. The trail can be climbed in about four hours, and the reward is a spectacular view of the surrounding area.

 

> The Deer Mountain Trailhead is reached by heading south on Tongass Highway 1/2 mile to Tatsuda's Supermarket. Turn left onto Deermount St. Follow Deermount until it dead ends at T-intersection. Turn right at T and follow hiker signs. Trail length is 9.9 miles from City of Ketchikan to Lower Silvis Lake. This trail is rated most difficult. It ascends steeply from the Ketchikan Trailhead to a spectacular overlook of Ketchikan and the surrounding area. It is a 2.5 mile hike to the Deer Mountain Recreation Cabin. From there, experienced hikers can continue past the summit. The trail crosses high alpine ridges and can be dangerous due to elevation and poor weather conditions. It is not well marked as it approaches Silvis Lakes. Dramatic alpine scenery makes the hike well worth the effort. 1/2 mile of trail near Silvis Lakes is under reconstruction this year.

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Texas_firefighter

Texas_firefighter

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Patrick...I see you went ahead and planned another trip to Alaska THIS May! Wish we were on the same sailing though. We are looking for something to do in Ketchikan as well and are leaning towards the sea kayaking at Orca's cove. Thanks for providing the link!

 

Texas Firefighter... Something you might want to consider is Ziplining in the Alaska Rainforest. We did it this past September with Alaska Canopy Adventures and had a great time! They are very professional and their safety measures are excellent. They are highly recommended on CC. Here is the link to their website and a video clip of me zipping along!

 

http://www.alaskacanopyadventures.com/tours.html

 

(After viewing, If you click on "More from truvids" you can find our Alaska video which has more pics of the Zipline tour in Ketchikan.

 

Alaska is AWESOME! Enjoy your cruise.

 

Trudy

 

Did you do the zipline in Kethikan ? I looked over the site you linked ,sounds great. The one in Juneau sounds a little better .Any insight?

 

Edit: I take that back,just watched the Kethikan zipline on your you tube link. It looks awesome.

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truthandkeidy

truthandkeidy

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Did you do the zipline in Kethikan ? I looked over the site you linked ,sounds great. The one in Juneau sounds a little better .Any insight?

 

Edit: I take that back,just watched the Kethikan zipline on your you tube link. It looks awesome.

 

Yes...we did the one in Ketchikan and the staff, scenery, experience was nothing short of exceptional. The description for Juneau sounds great too but we've not done it to compare. If you have other things to do in Juneau then don't hesitate to zipline in Ketchikan...and vice versa. Either way you will be pleased with Alaska Canopy Adventures!

 

Trudy

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psblin99

psblin99

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I'm in the same boat. I'm leaning towards the ziplining.

 

I'm noticing with many of the ziplining tours in Alaska you have to book through the cruiseship. Does anyone know why? I'm asking because the price is kind of steep - $139-$159.

 

It is quite a process to be added to the cruise ship list. I have a friend in Puerto Rico going through it now. The lines want to control the situation and are now requiring the companies to send us through the ship to get their cut.

 

If you want to save $$ find a company not affiliated with the ship.

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