The path along Ketchikan Creek celebrates the annual journey of salmon up the creek with signs, information, overlooks, and art.
Path along Ketchikan Creek
Salmon info
Soon we reach Creek Street, an antique boardwalk on wooden pilings over the creek, now home to restaurants, curio shops, a museum, and private dwellings. Creek Street was built over the water (as is much of Ketchikan) because it was too difficult to blast away the rock hills surrounding the creek. Originally known as Ketchikan's old red-light district, in the mid 1920's there were over 20 bawdy houses on the street. During prohibition, Creek Street featured bootleg whiskey smuggled in from Canada to supply the backroom saloons. Houses on the creek had hidden trap doors for bootleggers to row their boats under the houses at high tide and deliver the product straight up.
In current times, we wander through the more-modern shops, and museums.
Creek Street (view from the creek)
Funicular to the Cape Fox Lodge
Continued celebration of salmon
Local humor
Carved art on Creek Street
Celebration of the bawdy days
Looking back up the street
We leave Creek Street and head back into downtown Ketchikan, passing shops for the tourists, shops for the locals, and lots of beautiful view.
Views from town
Several cruise ships along the pier, we reach our ship, but continue further along the water to see what we can find.
Discovery Princess - 1083 feet (330m) long
Glimpses of the water from the docks
Views of the hills
Views from the ship
The ship is heading north toward Endicott Arm Fjord and the Dawes Glacier. We will enter the fjord around 4am and many of us will join the viewing several hours later as we proceed up toward the glacier.