Ketchikan: Rainforest Sanctuary Walk & Totem Park Tour

4.55

(161 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“You hear that?” our guide, Jamie, whispered as we stepped under the thick canopy at the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary. I’d just been laughing about how my rain jacket was already losing the battle (Ketchikan drizzle is no joke), but then I caught it too—a kind of hush, except for the crows arguing overhead and something splashing way off in the creek. The ground felt spongy under my boots and everything smelled like wet cedar and moss. Jamie pointed out a bear print in the mud—honestly, I didn’t expect to feel a little nervous about that, but there it was.

We wandered along these wooden boardwalks through Herring Cove, where you could see salmon flickering in the water below if you looked hard enough. There was this moment when a bald eagle swooped low over us—so close I ducked (unnecessary, but still). Jamie told us about how the estuary changes with the seasons and why all these animals show up when the salmon run. She grew up here; you could tell by how she talked about everything—like she knew every tree personally. At one point she stopped to show us some lichen and said her grandma used to use it for tea. I tried smelling it—kind of earthy, not sure I’d drink it though.

The last part took us over to this open area with these massive Tsimshian totem poles—one was almost as tall as the trees around it. The artist carved seventeen of them right here at this old sawmill (the smell of wood shavings still hung around). We learned what each animal meant on the poles—I tried repeating one of the names in Tsimshian; Jamie laughed and said I got closer than most people. After that we just stood there for a bit while everyone took photos or just stared quietly. The light started changing—the clouds broke for a second—and everything looked kind of silver-green. I still think about that view sometimes.