Totems, City & Wildlife by Cable Car Trolley

Ketchikan, USA

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Booked 5+ times last week!

2 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Explore the sights of Ketchikan aboard a San Francisco–style cable car trolley. Traveling on this open-air vehicle, you'll see attractions such as the Fish Ladder and the Native American totem poles of Saxman Native Village, plus look for wildlife such as bears, seals, salmon, and bald eagles at the Herring Cove viewing area. This is a fully narrated and guided tour.

Take a ride through Ketchikan on an open-air trolley
Discover a variety of sights, from totem poles to native animals
Learn about the area from a guide
Park admission fees included for a hassle-free experience

What's Included

All taxes, fees and handling charges

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.

Pickup point

Ketchikan Visitors Bureau
131 Front St, Ketchikan, AK 99901, USA

Pickup details

All of our tours leave and return from the downtown Cruise Ship dock, berths 1 thru 4. We can make arrangements to pick up and return guests to berths 3 & 4 if they have difficulty walking to the Ketchikan Visitor's Bureau at berth #2. All guests need to check-in at booth #17 inside the KVB at least 20 minutes prior to departure.

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Saxman Native Village

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Herring Cove

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Stroller accessible

Infants must sit on laps
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 34 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

3.9

based on 142 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Not worth what we paid

Andrew_N, Sep 2025

Our driver was very engaging, but accepted that it was late in the season. As a result there was very little wildlife to see in the creek he took us to approx 8 miles away. A stop at the totem pole park on the way back was OK, but he couldn't get us into the workshop (which took in other visitors) to see a new totem pole being crafted. Overall, very disappointed.

Be prepared for rain.

Willem_V, Sep 2025

It was an interesting and informative outing. The guide was personable and didn’t let the drenching rain dampen his mood or get in the way of taking us to the wildlife viewing spots. It was just difficult to get beyond the cold rain and being soaked, even with rain repellent clothing. Can’t control the weather.

This was good but trolley...

deborah_A, Sep 2025

This was good but trolley very crowded for sitting….guide was good and we lucked out with sunny day.

OK, but check out other options

Sylvia_C, Aug 2025

The tour itself was OK. They take you out to the totem pole park, which is a distance from downtown so it would be hard to get there otherwise. We could only look through the window at the woodcarver whereas I saw other groups going inside that building. I guess there’s a price difference on that. The main downside of this tour was the guide himself. I think he was just done for the season. He seemed to lack any enthusiasm for his job and only provided basic information. At the totem park, I could overhear other operators who spoke at length and enthusiastically while describing the totem poles. Stopped and saw an area where the salmon are spawning so that was interesting. We were running short on time to catch another tour so he was amenable to dropping us off quickly.

Did not leave on time....

Beverley_O, Aug 2025

Did not leave on time. Waited for late arrivals, so had to hurry through tour to get back to ship on time.

The meeting place wasn’t...

Terry_G, Aug 2025

The meeting place wasn’t specific. I thought I read that we were to meet at berth 2 when actually he was all the way on the other side of the visitor center past berth 1. After being 15 minutes late the tour guide called us. Other than that the tour was good.

Convenient tour

Mary_W, Aug 2025

Very convenient trip with the trolley at the NCL drop off in Ketchikan. Jeff the tour guide was very knowledgeable of local history and was very earnest in his desire for us to see a bear. We did see a small cub, eagles and seals. A great alternative to expensive shore excursions from NCL and you see the same things.

Great tour

nelle_n, Jul 2025

Great way to learn the history and customs of the area. Combination of walking and riding. Jeff was a fabulous guide.

Great tour! We saw lots...

Lisa_A, Jul 2025

Great tour! We saw lots of eagles and a black bear. The totem poles were interesting. The tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. The only issue is that it was difficult to hear the tour guide in the back of the trolley while we were moving with the road noise and wind.

Great experience

Ana_F, Jul 2025

Jeff and Alexander provided great information about bears, eagles and wildlife. Great to see the bears.

Totems and wildlife

Jodi_S, Jul 2025

This was a good trip but we went in the 4th of July. Our trip was shortened due to road closures. It was still a good trip and we had a great day

The trolley is not...

Kathryne_B, Jul 2025

The trolley is not enclosed, has open sides. It was raining and cold, minimal wildlife. Second stop was closed except for the gift shop.

Feedback on Tour Experience – July 4th

Mayura_K, Jul 2025

Unfortunately, our experience with the tour on July 4th was disappointing. Due to the holiday, the trolley was unavailable, and instead, we were overbooked into a single van shared by three large families. This resulted in children having to sit on adults’ laps despite everyone having paid full price—an issue both of safety and fairness. While I understand that road closures may have required changes, it’s reasonable to expect the tour company to anticipate these challenges and adjust the schedule accordingly, perhaps by starting earlier to stay on track. Additionally, the wildlife tour portion was a letdown. Since it is not salmon season, there were no bears to be seen, making this segment feel like a waste of time. If bear sightings are not feasible at this time of year, this tour should not be offered—or at the very least, this should be clearly communicated to guests in advance. That said, I would like to highlight that our tour guide was excellent—knowledgeable, engaging, and professional throughout the experience. It’s unfortunate that the logistics and planning did not match the quality of the guide. We were looking forward to a well-organized and enjoyable experience, but unfortunately, this did not meet expectations.

Eagles galore.

Robert_L, Jul 2025

Lots of eagles everywhere. Salmon running upstream at the last wildlife stop. Come at low tide for best viewing.

We had the best guide!...

Cassandra_C, Jun 2025

We had the best guide! During the trip we saw more bald eagles than we ever have before and the totem park was beautiful.

Our tour was very in...

Cristina_P, Jun 2025

Our tour was very in Cable Car Trolley an unique experience, the driver explained everything about our tour been fun and playing trivia with all the information giving to us. 100% recommendable and also for the cold weather he has blanket to used

Very nice tour

irvin_m, May 2025

Employees are very friendly and knowledgeable. Denise,Jeff and Taylor were great. Would recommend this tour.

Tour of Ketchikan (for people with no mobility issues)

Yvonne_P, May 2025

Very disappointed with this tour. People with very limited mobility should not book. If you are without mobility issues - it’s a nice tour. FYI: If weather is rainy - your tour will be via shuttle bus not cable trolley. My booking Ref #: 1177409937 (on 5/20/25) I tried calling (907) 247-8889 several times - I will try again to speak to somebody. ***I just spoke to Diane @ Northern Tours and she advised me to contact Viator (company I initially booked this tour with); she said Jeff had already mentioned to her what happened on 5/20/25 and she will ok me to get a Full refund. Much appreciated and thank you Diane.

No trolly car

PaulH_S, May 2025

The cable car trollywas broken. Already for a year… In this time of year (may) no wildlife Totempark consist no more then 10 poles Tourists trap

Great tour!!

Alicia_M, Sep 2024

Bruce gave my husband and I an amazing tour. He had tons of facts about the different things we saw on our tour. Would definitely recommend taking the tour with him!!

Needs better start-point directions

Debra_P, Aug 2024

The driver was fun, with a great narration. However, they assumed everyone knows where the Visitor Center is and is in the ship at that specific berth. I wasn’t, so nearly missed the trip since my berth was nowhere near the center. Need better start point directions!

Best of Ketchikan

Debbie_H, Aug 2024

Guide was very Informative. He knew a lot about the totems. The timing at each stop was perfect. Would recommend this tour!

Great Trolley ride.

Mark_W, Aug 2024

Jeff explained a lot about Ketchikan. Amazing what a story the Totem poles tell. Beautiful area. Fun riding on the trolley car even though it was cold , blankets were available.

Great excursion

marsha_a, Aug 2024

Our group of 9 really enjoyed this excursion. Great views and driver. Saw bears which was something we were hoping for.

Awesome service!

Joaquin_G, Aug 2024

Awesome service, we had a problem with the departure time and they were super flexible and gave us different options to take different tours. Very very pleased with their service. And the tour was just gorgeous, we saw bears, wildlife and the whole town. Don’t miss it.

Great experience !

misty_c, Aug 2024

Saw bears and eagles. Trip showed us the area with interesting facts and history. Great time and would do it again.

Almost bear- less! 😆

Steven_A, Jul 2024

Was a wonderful drive out of town. Saw a bear in the distance in the blink of an eye it was gone before I could capture a picture. Sad for not seeing more but that’s the way it is.

Awesome guide and had a lot of fun.

Jennifer_C, Jul 2024

All of the tour was great. Guide was knowledgeable of the area history. Just enough time to see everything.

Fun excursion!

Hisham_A, Jul 2024

The Guide was great! Saw some bears and a lot of eagles. Learned about Alaska too through trivia. Overall fun experience.

Waste of money!

maris_l, Jun 2024

First of all, we were not told that there would be a 20 minute ride on a bus to the town to get on the trolley. Although the tour guide tried his best, this is dirty working fishing village and there is nothing to see here. No bears, no fish and a few totem poles. A total waste of money!