KETCHIKAN, ALASKA

The state's fourth-largest city!

Ketchikan makes a great jumping-off point for some spectacular outdoor experiences, including a trip to Misty Fjords National Monument. As the state's fourth-largest city, Ketchikan is the transportation hub for the southern portion of Southeast Alaska. (The nickname "Gateway City" refers to its geographical location and transportation function.) Seaplanes based on docks along the waterfront are the taxis of the region, and a big inter-agency visitor center can get you started on your explorations of the area. Ketchikan is one of the wettest spots on earth, with rain measured in the hundreds of inches; quality rain gear is a requisite for any activity, in the wilds or on the streets of town.

Totem Bight State Historical Park 
The park presents poles and a clan house carved beginning in 1938 by Natives working with traditional tools to copy fragments of historic poles that had mostly rotted away. The project, funded by the New Deal's Civilian Conservation Corps, helped save a Tlingit and Haida culture that had been essentially outlawed until that time. The setting, purportedly the site of a traditional fishing camp, is a peaceful spot on the edge of Tongass Narrows, at the end of a short walk through the woods, so the experience is both aesthetic and educational. The park also stands out for its excellent interpretive signs, a printed guide, and an interpretive website. There's a small park bookstore.

Misty Fjords National Monument
Located in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. Remote and wild, Misty Fiords National Monument supports many nearly untouched coastal ecosystems and covers about 3,570 square miles. Several major rivers and hundreds of streams are fed by misty rain and snow each year, as well as by meltwater from glaciers that begin near the Canadian border. Mineral springs and volcanic lava flows add to the unique geological features.

Creek Street
A wooden street or board walk in the old "red light district" on which Ketchikan's famous Dolly's House is located. Creek Street today is a collection of museums, historic homes, and shops resting on pilings above Ketchikan Creek. From the board walk you can take a tram up the mountainside to a restaurant for lunch with a wonderful view of the city. The board walk starts at 203 Stedman Street, just upstream from the Thomas Basinboat harbor—another point of interest.