Travel Stories, Tips & Inspiration

Ketchikan, Alaska: Alaska's First City Awaits You

If Alaska had a greeting card, it would look a lot like Ketchikan. This little city packed onto a steep hillside welcomes you with totem poles, colorful houses built on stilts, eagles circling overhead, and the smell of fresh saltwater. It's the first port of call on most Inside Passage Alaska cruises, and for good reason. It sets the tone for everything Alaska is supposed to be.

Collette Baker

Apr 22, 2026

5 min read