2.5 Hour Tour in Ketchikan on the Tongass Trolley
Description
Are you looking to see the best of Ketchikan in a short time with hopes of wildlife? The Tongass Trolley tour is for you! Enjoy the sights while your Guide shares Ketchikan's colorful history in a replicated 1800's cable car trolley. You begin the journey with a short drive past an eagle's nest to Saxman Native Village where you will see a collection of Tlingit and Haida totem poles. Your Guide will share the rich cultural history while we pass through the village. After a drive down the coast your first stop is a small cove for an opportunity to see wildlife. Of course, wildlife is never guaranteed, but there is a good chance of sightings at this location. On to Rainbow Falls where you will stop to enjoy a photo op in front of the beautiful falls. After the scenic coastal drive back to town, we will stop at the Totem Heritage Center to view authentic native artifacts, regalia, totem poles and carvings. We will end the tour where we began, or at the historic district of Creek Street.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will disembark in Herring Cove for the opportunity to see black bears, harbor seals, eagles and salmon swimming upstream. Wildlife is never guaranteed because they are wild, but we have a good chance to see them here.
As we arrive back in town, we are happy to drop any guests at the historic Creek Street for a little shopping if they would like, or we will take you back to the location we picked up at the Vistors Center on Front Street.
Learn about the five different species of Salmon we have in Ketchikan, while viewing the Salmon swimming and jumping up a raging creek to reach their spawning grounds to lay their eggs.
We will stop at Rainbow Falls known for its mist caused by the raging waterfall. If it is a sunny day the mist creates a rainbow across the falls, hence the name. It is a fantastic photo opportunity.
City Park used to be a hatchery with small wading ponds where the fish were grown until large enough to make the swim around the Pacific Ocean and return back to the creek where they were born.
Totem Heritage Center is on the National Register of Historical Places for its collection of authentic 19th Century totem poles. In addition, the Center maintains a collection of carvings, baskets, regalia and photographs. to show case the heritage of local native tribes.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(242)
We had a wonderful time on the Tongass Trolley Tour! Our guide, Richard Jolly, was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and shared so much interesting information about Ketchikan’s history, wildlife, and Native culture. His enthusiasm made the tour both fun and informative. The highlight for us was Herring Cove. Although we didn’t see any bears (they clearly had other plans that day! 😄), we saw an amazing amount of wildlife, including countless bald eagles, a harbor seal, a deer, and two beautiful Steller’s jays. We also enjoyed the stop at Rainbow Falls, which was absolutely beautiful, and the visit to the Totem Heritage Center, where we learned more about Alaska Native history and the stories behind the totem poles. One thing we especially appreciated was that we had explored downtown Ketchikan on our own before the tour. Because of that, we had already visited Creek Street and the Salmon Walk, so we didn’t mind that the trolley only drove past those areas rather than stopping. If those sites are high on your list, I would recommend exploring them before or after your tour. Overall, this was a relaxing, informative excursion with beautiful scenery, plenty of wildlife, and an excellent guide. We had a great time and would definitely recommend the Tongass Trolley Tour to anyone visiting Ketchikan.
Informative tour and mild activity for the elderly. Accessibility is easy from the ship. Tour guide was knowledgeable and personable.
We found it a good way to get around the town. We especially like getting out to a lake where we saw man eagles perched in trees. A friend of the guide went down on the beach and threw out bits of fish and we saw a couple of dozen eagles swoop down to get tge fish. That really was tge highlight of this excursion. When we were in Alaska before , we only saw one eagle.
Richard was the absolute best! It truly was a Jolly Trolley!
Chris was fantastic! We had a good time exploring. Even on a rainy day we all had a good time. Thank you!
It is a ride with a few stops. Wildlife viewing is not guaranteed so we only saw bold eagles. Our guide Christopher made it up with a wealth of information and a great sense of humor. A stop at the totem museum was great - wished we had more time there.
Trolley tour was very easy to find, right across from visitors center. My husband rides a mobility scooter and they were able to store the scooter at the office inside til we got back. Thanks again for the great tour! We also saw lots of amazing eagles!
Chris was our driver and guide. He did everything to make our excursion enjoyable and informative. He had large and sweet personality. He was extremely accommodating and went the extra mile to make sure that his trolley adventure would please both adults and kids. Highly recommended.
I signed my husband and I up for a Trolley Tour in Ketchikan 6/26/26. My husband, unfortunately, could not go so it was just me. Turns out I was the only one for the noon tour. I was escorted around by Amanda. OMGOSH…it was amazing having my own private tour. She did AMAZING!!! She is so personable, sweet, kind, and fun. I had the BEST time!!!!!! She told me so much history and this tour was exactly what I was looking for!!! The waterfall and feeding the eagles was the best!! She picked some salmon berries for me to try. I went home with salmon berry jelly!! I have slight mobility issues and she took great care of me assisting me in/out of the van, walking on uneven surfaces, getting me close to the waterfall. Amanda shared videos with me of the bears since we didn’t see them. We got to see the salmon spawning. She escorted me to the shuttle bus to assure I was on the correct one. She gave me a big hug!! Kiddos to your company for a top notch tour and for employing Amanda…she is a big asset!! I would give her 10 stars if that was an option.
It’s a good way to get about if you don’t have transport … and if you’re lucky you may get to see some good stuff in Herring Cove, but IMO you could probably pinpoint the things you fancy and go there direct / independently
