Ketchikan - Saxman Village & Totem Bight

[relaxedcruiser]

Can I do these tours myself, without going thru the excursion tours?

- Saxman village

- Totem Bight State Park

 

Thanks.

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May 29th 2005

Sapphire Princess

[GloriaF]

If I got it right - yes, you can pick up a guide on the docks. I paid special attention to what Budget Queen said about this tour because it was one that interested us as well. There was some discussion of whether every tour guide would take you inside the carving house and the clan house, so Budget Queen said to be sure to ask the guide if their tour included these things.

 

I ended up reserving thru Princess because there are six ships in port the day we are there and I thought there might not be enough independents on the dock. And I want to be sure and go inside and see it all. We are only going to Saxman. I think BQ said that was the most comprehensive.

 

If you don't know how many ships are in port with you and want to check, use this link: http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/

 

I just did a search using "saxman" and here are the results: http://messages.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=1744022

I'm sure your answer will be in these posts.

[Budget Queen]

You can go to both with Sourdough tours - booked independently . http://sourdoughtours.com/

[relaxedcruiser]

Thanks for your replies. Sorry.. seems like I was not clear on my question. What I really meant was .. can I be able to take these tours myself, without taking a guided tour? In that case I can avoid the ~$40, and just pay the entry fee (if at all), is that an option?

 

Thanks.

 

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May 29th 2005

Sapphire Princess

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[Budget Queen]

Thanks for your replies. Sorry.. seems like I was not clear on my question. What I really meant was .. can I be able to take these tours myself, without taking a guided tour? In that case I can avoid the ~$40, and just pay the entry fee (if at all), is that an option?

 

Thanks.

 

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May 29th 2005

Sapphire Princess

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Saxman Village is WAY better with a guide. All you will be doing there on your own is looking at the totems, the commentary is just so interesting if of interest. Totem Bight is over 10 miles away from downtown Ketchikan, so tough to do on your own.

[Len3]

After looking over the offerings by Princess, they only show this combo. No combo with Saxman.

[Budget Queen]

After looking over the offerings by Princess, they only show this combo. No combo with Saxman.

 

 

This is probably Totem Heritage Museum?? The combo Saxman, Totem Bight is independent with Sourdough listed above. All three are different areas.

[GloriaF]

BQ, the link you provided doesn't work, but with the info you gave me I was able to google and get the correct site. It is http://www.aksourdoughtours.com/

 

Thanks for the heads up on this tour -- this offers more for a few dollars less than Princess.

[GloriaF]

I contacted Rick at Sourdough Tours. Their price is really a bargain, $45 for both Saxman and Totem Bight, and $40 with AAA or AARP membership. I think you have to do 2 seaprate tours to do this thru Princess; Saxman was $49 and included inside the carvers shed and the native dance. I asked Rick if his tour includes these things, and he said no, they were not allowed inside the carver's shed but looking thru the window behind the shedand were not allowed to see the dance. So, I guess it's all up to the individual to decide which is most important. I wonder how important being inside the shed is compared to looking in, and if I should see the native dance? I'm leaning toward Sourdough Tours because I can see both Totem Bight and Saxman on the same tour and have plenty of time left for other things. I just wanted to post this info so everyone could decide for themselves.

[mzoom]

My husband and I are going on the Catamaran trip to Misty Fijord in the morning, and then planning a nice walk to the Saxman Totem park in the afternoon, most likely going back into town via taxi. I spoke to a tour guide on the phone and he said that there is a nice trail that runs along the water that goes right to the park...walking distance, 2.5 miles or so. We, most likely, won't have a guide when we get there, but will do the best we can do with the short time that we have. If we can get in on a tour, we may, but just wanted to answer your question, that yes, you CAN do it on your own...we are gonna!

mzoom

[ute_fan]

We used Sourdough Tours last summer for the combined Saxman Village/Totem Bight tour. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My family didn't care about seeing the native dancers, so for us it worked fine. My young adult age kids aren't into that kind of thing, anyway.

 

I personally enjoyed the narration of the tour guide and wouldn't have wanted to do this one on my own. He was a native of Ketchikan, and very informative about things like the native Alaskan culture, the meanings of the totem poles, and the surrounding area. He pointed our a salmon berry bush, which I never would have noticed, and found us ripe salmon berries for us to try. I don't think we would have gotten nearly as much enjoyment out of this tour if we'd tried to go on our own.

[Boobaby]

We are going to the Saxmon Native Village on our own because I duobt that there is a tour when we need one (7:00am). Is there a book that would give us the same information that we'd get from a tour guide? We want to see the totem poles and this will be the only way we can do it, time-wise.

[GloriaF]

Boobaby, the sourdough tour starts at 9 AM to noon, if that would work for you. At least on May 26th there is only one tour and it is then. I think they arrange their schedule to accomodate the ships, so you might want to email them directly to check on a time for the day you are there.

[Budget Queen]

We are going to the Saxmon Native Village on our own because I duobt that there is a tour when we need one (7:00am). Is there a book that would give us the same information that we'd get from a tour guide? We want to see the totem poles and this will be the only way we can do it, time-wise.

 

 

 

Yes there will be tours available from the dock leaving about that early. If you just want to see totems, the downtown area is loaded with them. And just going out the Fox Westmark will offer you views of several, take the funicular up from Creek St.

[estebofarr]

Could you provide more info on the catamaran tour? Price, hours, etc. Thanks.