Explore Ketchikan in a New Way

A Small, Intimate, Private, Custom Tour with an Expert Local Guide

An Experience Far Superior to the Standard "Bus Tour"

Welcome to

Ketchikan Tours

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Beyond the Standard "Bus Tour"

A private custom tour has many advantages

You get to decide where, and how, and how long you stop and look at local attractions
The tour caters to your wants and needs
The tour adapts to local events, and the weather
No lines of other tourists getting on and off the bus
Spend more time actually seeing and doing fun things
You get to go places off the tourist-beaten track
You get to know your tour guide before the tour

Why Ketchikan Tours?

A small private custom tour with a local guide who is a naturalist, historian, and carver -- Someone who knows and is really plugged into the local community -- that is an experience far beyond a standard bus tour.

About your Guide, Cruin MacGriogair

Ketchikan

A wee place between the sea and the moutains

Totem Poles, Native Art, History, Mountains, Forests, Sea, and Wildlife

There is so much to see and do in Ketchikan, you might decide to come back again. Then you might decide to stay. I did. Everything I love is here. The snow-covered mountains. Vast temperate rain forests full of huge trees, birds, and animals. Deer, wolves, bears, eagles, whales, salmon, and halibut - how could I not love this place.

Ketchikan includes an ancient native tradition. Totem poles, wood carvers, weavers and dancers. My wife weaves cedar-bark and makes moccasins, and I myself am an amateur carver. I can show you carving tools, and demonstrate their use. I can tell you the stories behind the figures. And I can show you the work of some of the greatest carvers living today.

Ketchikan is a small town with an active arts community, and a long, and often amusing history. We can see a bit of all of this. Or we can go for a hike, or to local art galleries, or even shopping. We can do whatever you want to do. Whatever we do, we shall have fun.

Tours

I conduct intimate private tours For 2-6 people in my personal minibus – a 2015 Toyota Sienna. (contact me for larger parties) I also conduct walking tours of Historic Ketchikan for up to 25 people.

Tours are usually 2.5 hours (but can be 3.5 hours, or all day, depending on how much we want to do)

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Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Regent Seven Seas, Virgin, Oceania, and Viking passengers

Most of the the tours on this page start and end in downtown Ketchikan. You can book one of them if you take a shuttle bus in from NCL Ward Cove Dock to Ketchikan. If you want a tour that picks up and drops at the NCL Ward Cove Dock, contact me.

Prices go from $95/person for six people on a 2.5 hour tour, up to $200/person for six people on an all day tour. Pricing depends on number of travelers, duration, and to some extent, what we do -- whether there are any additional access fees. Hit "Book Now" to get a quote for your party.

Ketchikan

A Wee Place between the Sea and the Mountains

Tour around Ketchikan and nearby sites. We will look at a bit of everything, the town, the history, totem poles, stories, shorelines, nature and wildlife

Whale Park
Historic Creek Street
Totem Poles
Downtown Museum
Salmon Falls
City Park (Optional)
Totem Heritage Center (Optional)
Mountain Point Eagle Nests
Herring Cove Nature Viewing (Sometimes Bears)
Pretty Waterfall

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The Spirit In The Wood

Totem Poles, Tlingit, Haida, & Tsimshian Native Art

This tour concentrates more on understanding the art, symbols, mythology, and ancient stories on totem poles. I have studied native history and mythology for 40 years. I am an amateur carver and toolmaker. I will show you my carving tools, teach you their use, and tell you how poles are carved.

Whale Park
Historic Creek Street
Totem Poles
Downtown Museum
Salmon Falls
City Park (Optional)
Totem Heritage Center
Married Man's Trail
Carving Lesson/demonstration

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Prices

A Walk into Southeast Alaska History

Totem Poles, Historic Creek Street, Museum, Salmon Ladder, City Park

One of the things I love about Ketchikan is that you can see a whole bunch of it within an easy walk from the ship:

Whale Park
Historic Creek Street
Totem Poles
Downtown Museum
Salmon Falls
City Park (Optional)
Totem Heritage Center (Optional)
Married Man's Trail

Walking tours are conducted at an easy pace -- the object is sightseeing and history, not a workout.

Tours can be 2 to 3.5 hours (depending on how far we walk). For 1-25 people (contact me for more).

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A Custom Tour

A custom tour is just what you want it to be

Ketchikan - Settler's Cove overlooking Tongass Narrows, Clover Pass

Want to modify a tour you see on this page? -- No problem!
Don't want to see totem poles? -- We will ignore them!
Want to go beach-combing? -- Why not?
Want your kids to have fun? -- I love doing tours for kids!
You have special needs -- That is fine. Every one of us needs a wee bit help sometimes. (see *Note below)

Or we can concentrate on photography, or hiking, or

bird-watching, or art-walking, or shopping, or drone flying

-- we can have fun whatever we do.

*Note: I am happy to take people with wheelchairs or walkers, but they must be able (with help and a stool) to get into and out of an SUV. I can also take a mobility scooter, if the scooter disassembles and fits in the back of the SUV.

Drop me a note and tell what you would like to do.

INQUIRY

Read reviews sorted by tour type:

★★★★★ Date: Sep 12/17

Cruin did a great job in personalizing our tour based on our interests. We took a short hike through the forest to a beautiful beach with amazing views, and were able to see the salmon run up close. We also looked at several of the totem poles in town, learning about carving techniques and getting a chance to try out Cruin's hand-forged tools. He gave us some great tips for shopping in Creek Street, and even provided a light snack. We also got a good sense of how everyday people live and work in Ketchikan

Deborah Hindmarch Carnation, WA, United States