About Ketchikan

Ketchikan, Alaska, is truly the beginning of the last frontier. Set at the southernmost entrance to Alaska’s famed Inside Passage—a network of waterways that snake through some of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful wilderness in the world—Ketchikan is best known for three things: feisty salmon, idyllic scenery, and an incredibly rich Alaska Native culture.

Due to our thriving, century-old commercial fishery, Ketchikan is known as “The Salmon Capital of the World.” We are proud of our fishing culture and passionate about providing opportunities for visitors to catch and/or otherwise enjoy the best seafood on the planet.

Ketchikan is a photographer’s dream: point your camera in most any direction and you’ll capture an image suitable for framing. Misty Fjords National Monument, with achingly blue lakes, and snowcapped mountaintops often shrouded in an ethereal mist, is the most beautiful jewel in our crown. We are also located in the midst of the Tongass National Forest, a 17M-acre rainforest full of lush cedar, Sitka spruce, waterfalls, and wildlife.

For local Native Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian artists, the Tongass Rainforest provides red cedar logs for totem poles and the cedar bark and spruce roots used in traditional basket weaving. The Native arts are thriving here in Ketchikan and there are several museum collections and totem parks that showcase both ancient and more contemporary works. The arts in Ketchikan are not limited to Native arts, however; an astonishing number of residents participate in the Ketchikan’s art scene, which encompasses the full spectrum of visual and performing arts. The mission of the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau is to promote Ketchikan, attract visitors and enhance the economy.