One Day in Ketchikan

If you only have one day in Ketchikan I would recommend that you at least make your way over to Creek Street. If you are walking from the cruise ship docks you can even stop by Fat Stan's (found in the Salmon Landing building next to the "Fish House") on the way and grab a cold pint!

The reason I recommend Creek Street as the main attraction is because, in my mind, it is the one stop shop for those interested in a little Ketchikan history. There are also many great tours offered, so if you have time you should fit in both an excursion and a tour of Creek Street.

So what is Creek Street? Creek Street contains a collection of historic buildings built on pilings over Ketchikan Creek, which also happens to have a decent salmon run. However, the real appeal of the buildings is that they originally housed a number of brothels that catered to the local men. If I remember correctly, these "establishments" were not shut down until the early 1950's.

Nowadays, the buildings are used for a variety of purposes such as shops, cafes, apartments, museums, etc. If you are interested in learning more about the history of the area I would recommend that you check out Dolly's House near the entrance to Creek Street. Dolly's House is the location of where one of the more famous Ketchikan prostitutes lived and worked for many years. It's really interesting if you are at all an Alaska history buff.

After checking out Dolly's House you should take a walk down the boardwalk and eventually make your way to the tram that takes you up to the Cape Fox Lodge. They have a great restaurant with an equally great view. After lunch, take the tram back down and continue down the Creek until you end up on Married Man's Trail. As you can probably guess from the name, this "trail" provided Ketchikan's men a more secretive and discrete entrance to Creek Street. It winds around the Creek and offers several photo opportunities and a little waterfall. Once you make your way to the end of the trail you will end on Park Avenue where you can swing a left a walk back through downtown.

That's it and don't be afraid to go walk around even if it is raining! Rain is just a part of this town and you will experience the real Ketchikan. Plus, you will have a chance to escape the crowds!