Ketchikan is a great town to wander around. A must see is of course Creek Street, which is built right on Ketchikan Creek, for what I am sure were sensible reasons when the town was first founded. Now while it is very photogenic, it also looks like an engineering challenge. Creek Street is right where Ketchikan Creek empties into the sea, so the tidal influence is visible. Right before Ketchikan Creek enters the Creek Street area, the creek is white water going over rocks, but then just a little further back, it is a calmer, mountain creek. Hence it is an interesting walk to follow the creek a bit. The rest of downtown is filled with what for the most part seem to be original buildings from when the town was expanding or buildings built to resemble old buildings. The dock area is huge, and there appear to be more boats than cars in the downtown area.
Creek Street, built along Ketchikan Creek; the mint green building on the far right is Dolly’s House, “where both men and salmon came upstream to spawn”
Creek Street
Ketchikan Creek right before it gets to Creek Street
Ketchikan Creek is more an alluvial stream just a short distance before Creek Street
Downtown sign: Welcome to Alaska’s 1st City, Ketchikan, The Salmon Capital of the World
Downtown Ketchikan where most of the buildings seem to be original
Ketchikan wharf, in the middle is the Potlatch, a famous and popular with the locals bar
Ketchikan’s very crowded docks
Totems at the Totem Heritage Center