View of Ketchikan

With clear blue skies we arrive alongside in Ketchikan after cruising 285 NM at an average speed of 18.5 knots. We have until 6pm here in the quaint little town of Ketchikan.

Cruise Day 13 – Ketchikan

Day 96 – June 6th, 2014.

Arriving in Ketchikan

As with our stop yesterday in Juneau, this is also our second visit to Ketchikan. You can read what we got up to on our first visit to Ketchikan on this Alaska cruise, just click that link.

It’s only a few degrees warmer today than it was in Juneau, but with the sun out it made a huge difference. This time we were going to go off the ship and take the funicular or tramway to the top of the hill that you can see from the ship. It is clearly visible from the dock.

The tramway up to the top of Cape Fox hill

The cable car to the top of Cape Fox Hill in Ketchikan

This is a video from Tominator 3 YouTube channel.

At the top there is Cape Fox Lodge where you can walk around, enjoy a meal or a coffee with the view back to the town and ships.

The view from Cape Fox Lodge at the top of Cape Fox Hill in Ketchikan

After a while here we decided to walk back down, the clearly marked paths. The whole town is well-marked out so the tourists don’t get lost.

The walk down from Cape Fox Hill in Ketchikan

It’s not a difficult walk, and doesn’t take long. Going up might be another challenge but that’s what the funicular is for, right.

Ketchikan in Alaska

The Ketchikan Creek will soon be full of salmon

As I mentioned, the trails are well signed and if you do manage to get lost, follow your nose and ears to the river or creek. The Ketchikan Creek will get you back to Creek Street and from there the center of town and dock is only a few minutes away.

The Ketchikan Creek will be full of salmon

Walking along the Married Mans trail and others you pass the Ketchikan creek which feeds the town with huge amounts of salmon. We are just a bit to early for it, yet there are the fisherman along the river trying for a catch.

Following the trail we end up back at Creek Street, the famous area of Ketchikan. It used to be the old red light district years ago, and you can read more about Creek Street and other places to visit in Ketchikan in our other post, just click that link.

Creek Street in Ketchikan

We saw this strange piece of art atop one of the poles at the harbour.

Ketchikan Alaska

Time for cocktails before we depart Ketchikan

Feeling like a late afternoon snack we went back onboard and enjoyed a burger followed by cocktails on the top deck in the sunshine.

Cocktails in the deck chairs onboard MS Oosterdam with Ketchikan as a backdrop

With the great weather and views, I think it was a perfect end to our visit in Ketchikan.

The view from deck

While we were gazing up in the sky, a few Bald Eagles were doing their rounds. Even with my iPhone I was able to capture a few photos.

Bald Eagle soaring above in Ketchikan

Formal night dinner on MS Oosterdam

After saying goodbye to Ketchikan we got ready for dinner. Tonight was formal night and with that, we got the bow tie out… It’s a shame that not everyone makes the effort. Not sure why HAL don’t enforce the dress code more.

Formal night dinner on MS Oosterdam

Dinner was once again very good, and we enjoyed the conversation with our table guests. Jim & Ashleen have been with us nearly every night and they dressed up in their Highland attire.

Tomorrow we will make our through the Inside Passage getting closer to Vancouver.