Flightseeing in Ketchikan

Photo by Jon Wilson

The first thing you’ll notice about Ketchikan is the sky, buzzing with sea planes. Dubbed the sea plane capital of Alaska, there are over a dozen companies ready to make your Alaska dreams come true. Ketchikan is located in the middle of the Tongass National Forest. The city stretches 31 miles long and 10 blocks wide, right along the shoreline, with many businesses and homes built on stilts jutting out over the water. This compact, vibrant Alaskan city hides the fact that there is just so much to see and do, from awe-inspiring natural wonders, brag-worthy fishing spots to a rich Alaska Native culture heritage.

Set at the entrance to the famed Inland Passage, Ketchikan started like many Alaskan cities with salmon canning. Fishing continues to be the heartbeat of the area and locals boast that they have the best seafood in the world. Surrounded by a lush, temperate rainforest, a state park and beaches on three sides, Ketchikan has grown in its many offerings to visitors.

For local Native Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian, the rainforest provided massive red cedar logs for carving, and the city has the largest collection of totem poles in Alaska, with many being over 100 years old. Totems are as varied as the cultures that carved them. Some represent a story or legend with each figure on the totem telling a part of the oral history. Others represent the genealogy of a tribe and still others were carved as memorials to ancestors who had passed on. A thought-provoking totem is the shame pole, carved to embarrass someone who has done wrong and taken down when amends are made. The most modern, well known shame pole stands in a museum in Cordova, Alaska and it represents the spilling of oil by the Exxon Valdez and the unpaid debt that the company owes to the area. Native arts continue to thrive in Ketchikan and The Totem Heritage Center offers classes in carving, basketry, weaving and regalia making.

For those who want to see the rugged wilderness and the chance to view bears, then one of Ketchikan’s many flightseeing operators can offer a variety of tours. Southeast Aviation is a husband and wife team who have been operating in Ketchikan for 18 years. Their guides and pilots offer visitors a unique way to see Alaska from a bird's-eye view. “We enjoy what we do,” says Jim Cosmo of Southeast Aviation. “God has given us an amazing place to live and we like taking people out of their daily routine into seeing some of the most extraordinary country there is.”

These are some of the bear-viewing opportunities out of Ketchikan. Flightseeing operators operate a variety of tours to fit every age and adventure level.

Anan Observatory- Flights from Ketchikan to Anan. Permits are limited by the United States Forest Service and must be scheduled in advance. More can be read about Anan in the Wrangell section of Breath of the Bear.

Traitor’s Cove- A popular bear viewing area and a short 20 minute flight from Ketchikan. After disembarking from the plane, there is a short 10-12 minute guided walk through the rainforest, where local flora and fauna are pointed out. At Margaret Creek there is a bear viewing platform situated above a waterfall and a unique fish ladder that helps the spawning salmon, but also makes for an easy lunch for the bears. The area is wide open and the short hike is one of the prettiest in the area. The site is maintained by USFS and permits are limited.

Neets Bay- This area has the highest population of black bears per square mile and is also a short 20 minute flight from Ketchikan. After a hike through the rainforest, you will arrive at Neets Bay Creek, home to many black bears who are attracted to the creek because of the fish hatchery located nearby. Some operators include a tour of the hatchery.

Prince of Wales Island- One of the lesser known spots and not as popular as some of the other bear viewing sites, but is still a unique tour where visitors disembark upon the shore and explore a rain forested island with the chance to see bears. Permits to Prince of Wales Island are issued by the USFS.

Herring Cove- Another lesser known spot that rivals others in its serene rainforest walk on elevated platforms.

Hyder and the Fish Creek Bear Viewing- Bear viewing can be a hit or miss at Hyder, but the trade-off is the beautiful and dramatic scenery you will experience on your journey. The 90 minute round trip flight takes visitors over the Misty Fjords National Monument, a 2.3 million acre piece of pristine wilderness carved to perfection through thousands of years of glacial activity. As you soar with the eagles, you will come face to face with 3,000 foot vertical granite mountains, endless waterfalls and miles of gorges with sky-blue lakes. The tour that includes bear viewing at Hyder isn’t always a “bear guarantee” but the trade-off is views that will take your breath away.

The Fjord Bears- Journey to the Misty Fjord National Monument, where the bears of the watershed dig for clams and uproot grass. After landing in the water, disembarking is onto a floatplane platform, as shoreline excursions are not permitted by the USFS within the National Monument.

As time permits, operators also offer specialized fishing/hiking trips, tours that include a crab fest as well as specific Misty Fjords flightseeing tours. No matter how long you spend in Ketchikan, you will not be able to see all that the area has to offer, and that is why, for many people, Ketchikan is their first stop on a return Alaskan visit.