Ketchikan: Rainforest Zipline & Ropes Adventure with Port Pickup

4.89

(388 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t know what I expected from a “rainforest canopy” in Alaska, but stepping off the ship in Ketchikan, there was this earthy smell—wet cedar, moss, something sharp and green. Our guide, Jamie (she grew up here), handed me a helmet and grinned like she knew I’d be nervous. The harness felt weird at first. Not uncomfortable, just… real. You could hear ravens somewhere overhead and the squelch of boots on the forest path as we walked under these giant trees—honestly, they looked older than time itself.

The first ropes section was higher than it looked from below. My hands were sweating (not just from the mist), but Jamie cracked a joke about “Alaskan monkey bars” and suddenly it felt less serious. There was this moment halfway across when I looked down—nothing but ferns and tangled roots—and realized how far up we were. Someone behind me laughed nervously; I think it helped everyone loosen up. The main keyword for me? Adrenaline. It’s not just a zipline tour; you’re actually moving through the canopy itself.

By the time we clipped into the seventh zipline, my legs had stopped shaking and I was almost disappointed it was ending soon. The last platform jutted right out over the water—wind in your face, salt tang in your nose. Jamie pointed out where salmon run below (I couldn’t see them but pretended I did). That final zipline over the water is still stuck in my head; you feel tiny and wild at the same time. We laughed about our helmet hair on the way back to port—nobody cared by then.