Ketchikan Rainforest Canoe & Nature Walk Tour

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1/7

Duration3h 30m

GroupUp to 40

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Paddle an Alaska Native Canoe Through Ketchikan's Rainforest Lake

You paddle a traditional Alaska Native canoe across a mountain lake in the Tongass National Forest while your guide points out wildlife and forest ecology, then walk the rainforest to see carnivorous plants and learn about the area's natural history. Transportation, snacks, and a professional guide are included, and you're back at the cruise port within 3.5 hours.

3h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Canoe trip and nature walk

Motorcoach to mountain lake
Board Alaska Native-style canoe
Paddle through Tongass rainforest
Watch for wildlife on Lake Harriet
Short nature walk with guide
Return to cruise ship pier

The Experience

A motorcoach picks you up at the Ketchikan cruise port and drives into the Tongass National Forest to a secluded mountain lake. You step out into the quiet, and there it is — a 37-foot traditional Alaskan canoe waiting at the water's edge. Your guide hands you a paddle and explains the basics: the canoe is stable, fast, and built the way Alaska Natives have paddled these waters for generations. You push off into the lake, and the rainforest closes in around you — thick green walls on both sides, the water so still you can see the reflection of the trees.

As you paddle, your guide points out what lives here and what the landscape tells you about Ketchikan's history. You're scanning the shoreline for wildlife — bears, eagles, seals — while the only sound is the paddle hitting water and the occasional bird call. The guide knows the lake and the forest; they'll tell you what you're looking at and why it matters. After paddling for a while, you beach the canoe and walk into the rainforest itself. The ground is soft with moss and fallen needles. Your guide shows you the Sundew, a carnivorous plant with tentacles that trap small insects, and explains how the forest's plants and animals depend on each other in ways you wouldn't notice on your own.

The whole thing takes 3.5 hours from start to finish. You get Alaskan-style snacks during the tour, and the guide handles the pacing — no rushing, no getting lost. The motorcoach brings you back to the ship pier with time to spare before departure. The tour runs in all weather, so bring a rain jacket; the forest looks different in the rain anyway, and the canoe handles it fine.

What’s included

Your tour includes professional guide services, motorcoach transportation from the Ketchikan cruise port to the lake and back, paddling instruction, a 37-foot Alaska Native-style canoe, life jacket, Alaskan-style snacks during the tour, and the rainforest nature walk with flora and fauna explanation.

Good to know

Moderate physical level

Operated by Alaska Travel Adventures Inc.

Is this one for you?Book this if you're docked in Ketchikan and want to paddle and explore the rainforest without arranging your own transport or guide — the fixed 3.5-hour schedule is built around cruise ship timing, so you're back at the port with time to spare.