Best Totem Poles To Visit in Ketchikan

[sherryf]

I am always off the ship right after it clears, and there is ALWAYS way fewer people around,compared to hours later. Take advantage of the early hour, and people sleeping in and taking too long eating breakfast. :)

 

This is exactly why I question whether I should try to go to Totem Bight and Potlach Park with so little time in port... I am one of those people! :o

[Tenn4ever]

Sorry, but people are lined up deep, way more than a bus full at the library as well. The key for a visit is to haul your but off the ship- early, and get the first bus. I have personally also been on full buses, where they stopped loading more.

 

I am always off the ship right after it clears, and there is ALWAYS way fewer people around,compared to hours later. Take advantage of the early hour, and people sleeping in and taking too long eating breakfast. :)

 

This is good information to know - about the bus filling up. Even though I had done some research before on this I didn't realize there was only one bus that ran only once per hour and that it would fill up. We didn't get down to the docks until around 11:00 and that bus was completely filled - people standing. Plus, the driver told the group of us who couldn't board that he was running at least 15 minutes late.

 

We walked around town a little and then went to the library and waited about 45 minutes for him to return on his route. He was running very late by then. By the time we got to Totem Bight it was 1:00 and we returned on the 2:00 which ended up being a little late too. We had an hour to spare when we got back to town but that was cutting it close.

 

Another thing to remember is that when the bus comes back to Totem Bight there can be a lot of people waiting to get on to go back to town. Some people stay longer than an hour so at any given time there can be more than a bus load wanting to return and you may not be able to get on that bus and could have to wait another hour to return. That could be a problem depending on when you have to be back on your ship.

[Budget Queen]

This is exactly why I question whether I should try to go to Totem Bight and Potlach Park with so little time in port... I am one of those people! :o

 

IF you get off the ship early, what harm is it, for you to try and get on the early city bus?? Likely you will, I always have from the dock bus stop. I don't bother hoofing it back to the library, but, I certainly have seen the line ups, later in the day.

 

The return bus won't be any issue, will it?? The only people for the return would be the early ones who got there. :)

 

You have some hard decisions. I can tell you, if you get that early start, you can include Totem Bight and Potlatch. There is also plenty right accessable in town to also experience and enjoy.

[sherryf]

IF you get off the ship early, what harm is it, for you to try and get on the early city bus?? Likely you will, I always have from the dock bus stop. I don't bother hoofing it back to the library, but, I certainly have seen the line ups, later in the day.

 

That's the problem... getting off the ship early! I'm not a morning person, and since I have to get up at 5:30 AM every day for work, I like to sleep in on vacation. Maybe I will play it by ear. If I wake up early and can manage to get off the ship at 7, I'll try to go to Totem Bight. If I sleep in late and spend too much time eating breakfast, then I'll enjoy Creek Street and other things in town.

[Tenn4ever]

That's the problem... getting off the ship early! I'm not a morning person, and since I have to get up at 5:30 AM every day for work, I like to sleep in on vacation. Maybe I will play it by ear. If I wake up early and can manage to get off the ship at 7, I'll try to go to Totem Bight. If I sleep in late and spend too much time eating breakfast, then I'll enjoy Creek Street and other things in town.

 

Same here - we are not morning people and we wanted to enjoy our balcony and room service breakfast :). So we took a chance getting to the bus late - we did make it out to Totem Bight but not much time to spare. We did have a little time after we returned - I shopped for about an hour while DH went back to the ship.

 

If you are running late I would go to the library stop before the next bus is due because the driver told us he stops at the library before the dock stop so you have a better chance of getting on before the bus fills up.

[pdmlynek]

I suggest you figure out, what is of more interest, and forget, being on such a "schedule". Also, not sure why are you going up Deermont to Totem Heritage Museum, you get there by going up Park, unless you are looking for going all the way around the long way. Deermont is steep and stright up hill. Park isn't.

 

Thank you for your thoughts, BQ. Perhaps I should just relax and try to get away from schedules. :)

 

 

As far as Deermount vs Park: You are correct that for a lot of cruisers Deermount Street may be a challenge, and the twice longer walk from Park Street would be more their style, but for us (we are planning on walking up the 1000 meter Deer Mountain), the 50 meter incline over 400 meters (7° incline) from IGA to THM is a gentle stroll. ;)

[pdmlynek]

Sorry, but people are lined up deep, way more than a bus full at the library as well. The key for a visit is to haul your but off the ship- early, and get the first bus. I have personally also been on full buses, where they stopped loading more.

 

 

 

Thank you BQ! I was referring to the first bus. Yes, I know that people will line up midday at the library. That is not the issue. The issue is the first bus. I have no problem beating the rest of the passengers on my ship to the Library, I am worried about the Shopping Trolley passengers. I’ll just go to the Library and see what happens.

Here is another thought, which may be useful for people trying to board the buses mid-day: instead of catching the northbound Blue Bus, how about catching the Blue bus going SOUTH at either Water Street or Front&Eagle? They’d go to the Library stop, wont get off, thus beating the people at the Library?

I feel so devious. :o

[donaldsc]

Thank you for the links. I appreciate them.

 

I agree with you on a proper use of time. It would be a shame to see just one and not both. :( But the problem is that there is more stuff to see in downtown Ketchikan as well. So we have this bitter-sweet dilemma, well known to most travelers, that there is way more stuff for us to do then there is time.

 

Here is what I am thinking of doing, and I’ll throw this out for the group to evaluate.

 

We are on HAL’s Statendam scheduled to arrive in Berth 2 at 7:00. We’d like to catch the first Blue Route bus at 7:46, get to the end to visit TBSP, catch the 9:15 back, arrive at Front & Eagle at 9:38, walk up Deer Mountain by 12:30, and be back on board by 14:30 for a 15:00 sail. (If it is raining too heavily to make the hike up Deer Mountain uncomfortable, we’ll do the Totem Heritage Center instead of Deer Mountain.) If we were to come back to Front & Eagle at 10:38 instead, we wont have time to do Deer Mountain in order to get back aboard by 14:30. I doubt that we could run up and back in 3 hrs 52 minutes, even if take the Salmon Run bus.

 

I suppose that in the 8 hrs that we have in Ketchikan that we should concentrate on stuff that is available in Ketchikan more than anywhere else in the world: totem. I am thinking that we could Totem Bight, Potlatch Totem Park, Totem Heritage Center, and Totem Park in Saxman.

 

Here is my plan C for Ketchikan

7:00 arrive in Ketchikan

7:45-8:10 catch the Blue bus at the library.

8:10 - 9:00 see Totem Bight

9:00 - 10:00 see Potlatch

10:15-10:25 Blue bus to Shoreline Drive, close to WalMart, which is the northern terminus of the Red Bus; snack in WalMart or Narrows Inn. The reason for killing 47 minutes around WalMart, besides getting a snack, is because we want to catch the Red Bus here, where we are sure to get on board, instead of downtown Ketchikan, where we would likely not be able to get onboard due to 4000 cruise ship pax in town.

11:12-11:33 Red bus to Saxman City Hall

11:35 - 12:45 see Saxman Totem Park

12:50-12:57 catch the Red Bus at Killer Whale drive to Tatsuda's IGA; walk up Deermount Street to Totem Heritage Center.

13:10 - 14:00 see Totem Heritage Center

14:10 - 14:15 catch the Salmon Run Bus to Mission Street

14:30 back on board.

 

Thoughts?

 

Anyone who plans at this level of detail has serious anal problems. I notice that you did not plan for any bathroom breaks - what happens to the schedule if you have touse the toilet during the day>. Also, you are in Ketchikan and you are planning to eat at Walmart??

 

At some time you have to allow time to smell the roses.

 

DON

[Tenn4ever]

All said and done, we loved Totem Bight and the experience and the edge of even knowing if we would make it back to the ship on time. :D DH was more worried than I was. There's only one thing for sure in life and that's death and taxes. I certainly was not going worry if I made it back to the ship on time. I told DH - if we do than we do and that's great. If we don't than we don't. I certainly was not going to worry about. We met some really neat families, the bus driver, people at the library and learned a lot about totems and clan houses. That's the kind of thing we like about doing things on our own instead of a tour. Tours are not for us. We have had such great adventures and memories by doing things this way. :) Sometimes things work out and sometimes they are a nightmare but that's okay:D That's the kind of thing that makes memories.

 

Get advice but in the end follow your heart and do things where that leads.

[Assateague Island Princes]

I like and share your spirit, Tenn4ever! We're definitely go with the flow type folks, and adventurous enough to try new things and new experiences that take us a bit out of our comfort zone. Thanks for your post, and I'm glad it all worked out for you. Amazing Alaska, eh?;)

[Tenn4ever]

Amazing Alaska --YES. The scenery only got better the farther north we went ending in spectacular Seward. The weather was more than we could have ever hoped for - sunny most days, exhilerating 50s and NO rain at all. The Celebrity Millennium was beautiful.

[pdmlynek]

Anyone who plans at this level of detail has serious anal problems. I notice that you did not plan for any bathroom breaks - what happens to the schedule if you have touse the toilet during the day>. Also, you are in Ketchikan and you are planning to eat at Walmart??

 

At some time you have to allow time to smell the roses.

 

DON

 

 

:D:D

 

Thanks Donald, I appreciate your comment.

Anal retentive people don't really need bathroom breaks, do they? In any case, just exactly how long does it take to go to bathroom? 90 seconds even with handwashing?

No, I don't know what we'll do in Ketchikan. I just do the planing, knowing full well that something unexpected will happen. There have been many times when we were on a train and we talk to someone who recommended something so we get off the train at the next town instead of at our destination, or we get into a discussion with a pilot at an airport and he convinces to fly us into a jungle dirt strip from which we could hitch a ride to an archeological site, or we end up spending a week in a city that we originally planned on spending only 1 night at because we liked the city so much. As has been said by many famous generals: "A plan is nothing; planning is everything." I am convinced that very little will go according to plan, but it does not matter, because I am prepared in any case. So I do smell the roses.

My point was that it is possible to do a lot in Ketchikan (or anywhere else) in a relatively short amount of time. In my Plan C, I have shown that it is possible to visit all four totem parks for those who would be interested.

As far as eating in Walmart: I am in Ketchikan to see that which Ketchikan is famous for, i.e., totems. Not for eating fine cuisine; I'll do that the whole week on the ship. :)

[geoherb]

Our ship doesn't dock in Ketchikan until 10 a.m., which means the first bus we could take would be the 10:45. There are three other ships in port with us: the Golden Princess, Westerdam, and Zuiderdam. The first two ships will have been there for three hours before we get there and will leave at 12:30 and 1 p.m. So I'm assuming none of their passengers will be heading out to Totem Bight that late. The Zuiderdam is there the same time period we are, which is until 6 p.m. Until today, I did not realize that the bus sometimes fills up. I'm hoping we get lucky and don't have that happen.

[Headhoncho]

Thank you for the links. I appreciate them.

 

I agree with you on a proper use of time. It would be a shame to see just one and not both. :( But the problem is that there is more stuff to see in downtown Ketchikan as well. So we have this bitter-sweet dilemma, well known to most travelers, that there is way more stuff for us to do then there is time.

 

Here is what I am thinking of doing, and I’ll throw this out for the group to evaluate.

 

We are on HAL’s Statendam scheduled to arrive in Berth 2 at 7:00. We’d like to catch the first Blue Route bus at 7:46, get to the end to visit TBSP, catch the 9:15 back, arrive at Front & Eagle at 9:38, walk up Deer Mountain by 12:30, and be back on board by 14:30 for a 15:00 sail. (If it is raining too heavily to make the hike up Deer Mountain uncomfortable, we’ll do the Totem Heritage Center instead of Deer Mountain.) If we were to come back to Front & Eagle at 10:38 instead, we wont have time to do Deer Mountain in order to get back aboard by 14:30. I doubt that we could run up and back in 3 hrs 52 minutes, even if take the Salmon Run bus.

 

I suppose that in the 8 hrs that we have in Ketchikan that we should concentrate on stuff that is available in Ketchikan more than anywhere else in the world: totem. I am thinking that we could Totem Bight, Potlatch Totem Park, Totem Heritage Center, and Totem Park in Saxman.

 

Here is my plan C for Ketchikan

7:00 arrive in Ketchikan

7:45-8:10 catch the Blue bus at the library.

8:10 - 9:00 see Totem Bight

9:00 - 10:00 see Potlatch

10:15-10:25 Blue bus to Shoreline Drive, close to WalMart, which is the northern terminus of the Red Bus; snack in WalMart or Narrows Inn. The reason for killing 47 minutes around WalMart, besides getting a snack, is because we want to catch the Red Bus here, where we are sure to get on board, instead of downtown Ketchikan, where we would likely not be able to get onboard due to 4000 cruise ship pax in town.

11:12-11:33 Red bus to Saxman City Hall

11:35 - 12:45 see Saxman Totem Park

12:50-12:57 catch the Red Bus at Killer Whale drive to Tatsuda's IGA; walk up Deermount Street to Totem Heritage Center.

13:10 - 14:00 see Totem Heritage Center

14:10 - 14:15 catch the Salmon Run Bus to Mission Street

14:30 back on board.

 

Thoughts?

 

I LIKE your plan. A wise man once said, "It's better to have a plan than not have a plan".

Keep in mind, that you might see something more interesting to see and do as you proceed with your day. Allow for flexibility. Ketchikan was my favorite port to visit (just last Thursday). One of our best stops was the Fish Hatchery tour (right next to Totem Heritage Center).

P.S. It's OK to eat at Walmart.

[Tenn4ever]

Our ship doesn't dock in Ketchikan until 10 a.m., which means the first bus we could take would be the 10:45. There are three other ships in port with us: the Golden Princess, Westerdam, and Zuiderdam. The first two ships will have been there for three hours before we get there and will leave at 12:30 and 1 p.m. So I'm assuming none of their passengers will be heading out to Totem Bight that late. The Zuiderdam is there the same time period we are, which is until 6 p.m. Until today, I did not realize that the bus sometimes fills up. I'm hoping we get lucky and don't have that happen.

 

We didn't get on the bus until around 12:15 to 12:30 at the library. He was running very late due to all the stops and people asking him questions at the door of the bus before getting on. We were at Totem Bight by 1:00 and there for the hour until he returned a little after 2:00. Ask him what time he is going to return to Totem Bight because he told us to make sure we were in line. We were back in town a little after 2:30pm. Our ship left port at 4:00 so you do have time even getting on a later bus.

 

When he dropped us off at 1:00 there was an enormous line of people waiting to get back on the bus into town. They did all manage to get on but were probably standing. You can see how this could happen up in the day because the driver would have already dropped off a few loads of people. Some people who come out early in the day will stay longer than an hour so there could be more people waiting to get back on the bus for the return ride than the number who had gotten off on any one load. There were three ships in port the day we were there.

[Pittypatbr]

Wow, I found another good reason for going early in the season! There were only two ships in Ketchikan, and we had no problem with crowding. Keep in mind the bus takes about half an hour just getting TO Totem Bight from town one way or back to town, and maybe longer if he has a lot of passengers getting on and off. It isn't just cruise ship passengers who take the bus - the locals use it too.

[mfloser]

My wife and I had a floatplane tour scheduled in the afternoon at Ketchikan so we figured we would do some walking in the morning. The lady at the visitor's information building said Saxman was a 2.5 mile walk and there was a walk/bike trail right to it, so we headed out. Turns out 2.5 miles is a bit short, and the walk/bike trail starts down Stedman St quite a ways from town, so we spent the first part of the walk staying as far off the road as possible. The walk itself is totally flat though, and very easy. Once we got to Saxman we weren't sure we were at our destination because it was so minimal, but it turns out we were. We walked between the totem poles and went into the shop (a typical souvenir shop with everything from locally produced items to total junk). We attempted to get into the building but were denied--it is for bus tours only. The carving area was not manned when we were there. I suspect they only do it when tours arrive.

At that point we had to return, and while city buses run to and from Saxman, the next one wasn't due very soon, and a tour bus driver said they were often late, so we hoofed it back the 2.5 (nearly 3, according to my measurements) to town. Not worth the hike for sure, especially since totem poles aren't my thing. And without some context it was a letdown.

When I got back to the visitor's center I told the lady it was a letdown and her comment was "we hear that a lot". Still, it might be much better on a tour.

[pdmlynek]

...

Once we got to Saxman we weren't sure we were at our destination because it was so minimal, but it turns out we were. We walked between the totem poles and went into the shop (a typical souvenir shop with everything from locally produced items to total junk). We attempted to get into the building but were denied--it is for bus tours only. The carving area was not manned when we were there. I suspect they only do it when tours arrive.

...

 

Well, that's pretty much what I'd expect. Pitty that it is just for a tourist show, and not for advancing the local culture. But I guess that is, unfortunately, not too surprising.

[drivers ed]

What is the cost for Totem Bight State Park to enter, and what is the cost of the bus?

[Budget Queen]

What is the cost for Totem Bight State Park to enter, and what is the cost of the bus?

 

Totem Bight is free, and so is Potlatch Park. Bus is $1 each way.

 

Your only additional "cost" I recommend is to print out and take the totem guide with you. http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/totembgh.htm

[Eppiela]

I am always off the ship right after it clears, and there is ALWAYS way fewer people around,compared to hours later. Take advantage of the early hour, and people sleeping in and taking too long eating breakfast. :)

 

Budget Queen, just double-checking. On our day in Ketchikan, there are THREE other ships arriving at 6:30 and 7 AM. Ours comes in at 9 AM. So even if I hopped off quickly, it would probably be just around the time the other ships' folks are getting around to sightseeing. And consequently, the bus lines would be long.

 

We have booked excursions for 2 PM, AND want to look around the town before that time as well, so I assume trying to get to Totem Bight and back would take too much time, eh?

[nonnacous]

I'm curious. As a newbie here, how do you find out how many and what other ships are going to be where you are, what time they dock, and how long they're there?!:confused:

[Eppiela]

I'm curious. As a newbie here, how do you find out how many and what other ships are going to be where you are, what time they dock, and how long they're there?!:confused:

 

Gleaning from other posters' suggestions, one place is cruisetimetables.com

 

Sometimes they're not all accurate, but here are others:

http://www.cruisett.com

http://www.cruisetimetables.com

http://www.cruisereport.com/portsofcallList.aspx

http://portfocus.com

[kathylynnt]

Thanks-I was wondering how people found out which other ships were in port, also. :)

[nonnacous]

Gleaning from other posters' suggestions, one place is cruisetimetables.com

 

Sometimes they're not all accurate, but here are others:

www.cruisett.com

www.cruisetimetables.com

www.cruisereport.com/portsofcallList.aspx

http://portfocus.com

 

 

WoW, there are 6 ships docking in Ketchican the same day we're there!:eek: