Ketchikan Cruise Port Guide
The four downtown berths and Ward Cove, the free shuttle, visitor centers and restrooms, busy days and getting back on board.
By Greg Peters, editor · Updated October 2026
Ketchikan's four city cruise berths run along the downtown waterfront, numbered 1 to 4 from south to north, so on most ship days you step off the gangway and you're already in town. The one call that changes the plan is a berth at The Mill at Ward Cove, a private dock about eight miles north, where you'll need a bus or boat to reach downtown.
The berths
Your ship's daily program names the berth. In Port Today will show it once the 2027 schedule is published.
| Berth | Where it is | Getting into town |
|---|---|---|
| Berth 1 | The southern end of the downtown waterfront, with the Daly Float on its inboard side | You're downtown already: a short, level walk to the shops, the visitor centers and Creek Street. |
| Berth 2 | By Front and Mission streets, with the Ryus Float at its north end | The middle of downtown. The main visitor center is alongside, and the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center is about 590 feet away. |
| Berth 3 | North of Berth 2 | A short walk. A second visitor center opens here when ships are in during summer. |
| Berth 4 | The northern end, toward the Newtown neighborhood on Tongass Avenue | The longest walk of the four. The waterfront promenade begins on Tongass Avenue near this berth. |
| The Mill at Ward Cove | A private two-berth dock at 7559 North Tongass Highway, on the old pulp mill site | Not walkable. Tour buses and borough buses run downtown, and Allen Marine sells a one-way water shuttle that takes about an hour (no price shown). |
The city berths are deep-water berths, with 40 to 100 feet of water at low tide. When a ship anchors offshore instead, passengers come ashore by tender at the floats at Berths 3 and 4.
Getting around
- Free downtown shuttle: from May to September the borough runs a free loop between the cruise berths and Deermount Street, stopping at the Discovery Center, near the library and at the Totem Heritage Center. In early 2025 it came about every 15 minutes.
- Borough buses: the Green Line loops through town and the Silver Lines run north and south along the Tongass Highway, past Saxman, Totem Bight and Ward Cove. Adults paid $2 a ride in early 2025, and a higher cash fare was proposed, so confirm the 2026 fare. Every bus is wheelchair accessible.
- Taxis: mostly minivans. Local companies include Sourdough Cab (907-225-5544) and Yellow Taxi (907-225-5555). We couldn't confirm current fares.
- Flying out? The airport is across Tongass Narrows on Gravina Island, reached by a borough ferry that takes about five minutes. Visit Ketchikan lists departures from the town side at a quarter past and a quarter to the hour, and a fare of $6 per adult. During the airport's terminal construction the borough warns of longer waits for the ferry.
Visitor centers and restrooms
The Ketchikan Visitors Bureau has two centers on the docks: at Berth 2, open all year with shorter winter hours, and at Berth 3, open when ships are in during summer. Both have free maps, local advice, tour meeting points and public restrooms. Phone (907) 225-6166.
Next to the Berth 2 center you'll find the Liquid Sunshine Gauge, a giant rain gauge, and the “Welcome to Ketchikan, The Salmon Capital of the World” sign. Several tours use them as meeting points, and they make the obvious first photo.
Plan restroom stops before you head to Creek Street: as of spring 2026 it had no public restroom, and one under discussion wasn't expected to be ready that summer. We couldn't confirm free Wi-Fi at the docks for 2026.
Busy days
Ketchikan expected a record of more than 1.6 million cruise passengers in 2026 (the Visitors Bureau estimated 1,642,619 on 58 ships), after a record 1,523,796 in 2025. We found no daily passenger limit like Juneau's, and some calls that Juneau's limits turned away went to Ward Cove instead.
Accessibility
Berths 1 to 3 are a flat walk from downtown, and every borough bus is wheelchair accessible. Married Man’s Trail above Creek Street is a stairway and isn't accessible. Outside town, Totem Bight's trails, restrooms and main features are listed as ADA accessible.
Back to the ship
Go by the all-aboard time in your ship's program, not the departure time. From Ward Cove, allow for the bus or shuttle back. If you're flying out, add time for the airport ferry, which has occasionally been knocked out by wind.
Sources
- Ketchikan Marine Industry Council: cruise ship berths
- Ketchikan Visitors Bureau: visitor centers
- The Milepost: Ketchikan
- Princess Cruises: Ketchikan cruise port
- alaska.org: Ketchikan bus services
- Ketchikan Daily News: borough transit route and fare proposal
- Frommers: getting around Ketchikan
- Visit Ketchikan: getting here by air
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough: airport
- Allen Marine: Ward Cove shuttle
- KRBD: record cruise season expected (Mar 2026)
- Juneau Independent: Ketchikan set to pass Juneau
- Alaska State Parks: Totem Bight
- Ketchikan Daily News: airport ferry outage
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