2-Hour Rainforest Walk & Totem Park Tour in Ketchikan

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/7

Duration2h

GroupUp to 11

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Walk through old-growth forest, then learn the stories carved into totem poles

A 2-hour guided tour in Ketchikan combines a rainforest walk in the Tongass National Forest with a visit to Totem Bight State Historical Park, where you'll see Alaska Native totem poles and step inside a historic clan house. Groups stay under 11 people. Cruise ship dock pickup and drop-off are included, along with bottled water and a smoked salmon dip snack.

Step-by-step itinerary

Rainforest walk and Totem Park visit

Drive to Rainforest trailhead
Walk 40-minute Tongass National Forest trail
Stop at waterfall viewing area
Enjoy smoked salmon dip snack
Visit Totem Bight State Historical Park
Explore historic clan house
Learn about Alaska Native culture

The Experience

The tour starts with a scenic coastal drive to the rainforest trailhead, where your guide narrates the local history of Ketchikan. You then walk an easy nature trail through the Tongass National Forest—the nation's largest national forest—for roughly 40 minutes total. Giant trees tower overhead, moss blankets the forest floor, and your guide points out indigenous plants and explains how the Alaska Native people used these resources. The trail includes a stop at a waterfall viewing area with a bench if you want to rest. After the walk, you get bottled water and a snack of smoked salmon dip with crackers.

From the rainforest, the group heads to Totem Bight State Historical Park, where the majestic Alaska Native totem poles stand against the Pacific Ocean. You step inside the historic clan house while your guide shares the stories and meanings behind the carvings, explaining the culture of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people. The whole experience is designed for small groups—11 guests or fewer—so the pace stays personal and you're not moving as part of a crowd. Photo opportunities are scattered throughout, and if you're traveling with kids, the guide can work in a scavenger hunt or geocaching on the trail.

The tour operates in all weather, so bring layers and rain gear; the operator has ponchos and umbrellas on hand. You'll need at least moderate fitness to walk 1 to 1.5 miles on a gravel trail. Pickup and drop-off at the cruise ship dock are included, so if you're arriving by ship, you don't arrange your own transport to the trailhead.

What’s included

Professional guide in English.
bottled water and smoked salmon dip snack with crackers.
cruise ship dock pickup and drop-off.
access to the rainforest trail in the Tongass National Forest and Totem Bight State Historical Park.

Good to know

Moderate physical level

Operated by Wild Wolf Tours, LLC

Is this one for you?Most rainforest tours in Ketchikan focus on the walk alone; this one pairs the forest with the totem poles and clan house, so you see both the land and the culture that shaped it in a single morning, with your ship's schedule already built in.