Alaska Wildlife Waterfall Tours
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Ketchikan, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
·
Overview
Venture to three nature spots around Ketchikan in just a couple hours to search for wildlife with a local guide and small group. Leave all the driving to someone else as you visit local gems Herring Cove, a local waterfall, and Rotary Beach tide pools. Wildlife sightings are possible but not guaranteed. At each beautiful destination you’ll look for animals ranging from bears to eagles to salmon.
- Visit three nature locales around Ketchikan with a small group
- Spot Alaskan wildlife with your local guide
- Snacks and water are included for your convenience
- Enjoy roundtrip transport with pickup and multiple stops
What's Included
- SnacksWater Bottle, Pretzel pack, and small candy available
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
Type to search
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Herring Cove
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Ketchikan
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Ketchikan
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Rotary Beach
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 27 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 211 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Carol_B, Aug 2026
Wonderful tour with Kaitlin. She is very knowledgeable and enjoyed her insights on Ketchikan. We did not see any bears but not for the lack of trying. They were shy that day. Went to a local beach , saw the salmon run and beautiful waterfalls. Highly recommend
Boriana_I, Aug 2026
Drove around in a van in one neighbor of this small town looking for wildlife in people’s yards. Way too much money for what it was. I assumed the guide would take us outside of the town. Also they had a wrong location as a meeting point listed. I ended up getting a taxi that costed me 70$ to take me to the listed location. There was nothing there, so we came back and started texting the contact person and figured it out. I called the operator of Viator and they also told me the wrong location. It was a total waist of time and money. The lady that drove us around town was very nice, but it wasn’t really a tour. I have traveled around the world and have been on many tours and this was just weird. Definitely not worth it and the title is very deceiving
Gary_S, Aug 2026
Pam was our guide and was amazing! We would recommend this tour to everyone. We saw several bears, which was the highlight of our day.
tina_k, Aug 2026
I was disappointed because the description leads you to believe that it was a waterfall tour. There is only 1 waterfall on the island that is accessible by vehicle. There is no hiking. We did search for bear. The tour guide was very friendly.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
This tour is made for all mobility. The description does say one waterfall on the side of the road. We also do not advertise as a hiking tour.
Katrin_L, Aug 2026
We Loved having a native born tour guide. Pam was so awesome and found us a few bear sightings plus an up close visit. She had great stories about growing up here she had vast knowledge of all the wildlife. Love Aunt Pam!
Riley_D, Aug 2026
Our tour was absolutely amazing! Our tour guide was fantastic and made the entire experience so much fun. We saw so many beautiful eagles, a gorgeous waterfall, and incredible scenery throughout the day.
Our guide tried so hard to help us find a bear! She went above and beyond and even stayed with us an extra hour for free to keep searching. Unfortunately, the bears just didn’t get the memo that we were coming! 😂🐻
Overall, we would totally recommend this tour. The guide was knowledgeable, friendly, and truly went above and beyond to make sure we had the best experience possible. We had an unforgettable day—just wish the bears knew we were coming! 🦅💦🐻
Francisco_C, Aug 2026
We had such a great experience with Average Alaskan Tours! We were picked up right on time at Ward Cove, which made everything super easy coming from our cruise ship.
One of our favorite parts was how small and personal the tour was — it was just us and one other couple! It was so much nicer than being packed into a large tour bus.
We were incredibly lucky and got to see a mama bear with her two cubs, which was definitely one of the highlights of our entire Alaska trip! 🐻 We also visited a beautiful waterfall and a peaceful beach with gorgeous scenery.
The whole experience felt relaxed and never rushed, and we got to really enjoy the beauty and wildlife of Alaska. If you’re coming into Ketchikan on a cruise and want something more personal than one of the big cruise excursions, we highly recommend Average Alaskan Tours!
Kay_M, Aug 2026
Had a great time with Jody. She was very knowledgeable about the area and the best places to go. Beautiful scenery.
Katherine_G, Aug 2026
Tour guide was great, but each location we stopped was super crowded. Seemed like every tour was hitting the exact same spots. We saw some pretty waterfalls but didn’t see much wild life; a whale from a distance, a few bald eagles and a star fish. Not our favorite tour but tour guide was super nice.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Ketchikan is a small island when there are 6-8 ships intown everywhere does get crowded. we have no control over how crowded the stops may be. We are taking people to the most popular stops for wildlife.
Vivian_N, Aug 2026
The tour was disappointing.
We thought we were going hiking and find wildlife in the mountains. All of us in the tour put our hiking shoes on and some even brought their hiking sticks. But no, we were just sitting in the minivan to go from one stop to another around the Salmon bridge. Driving distance was like 1 min per stop and we just end up parking there to wait for a bear. But tbh, the spot was so crowded. You won’t expect to see a bear coming.
Needless to say, we didn’t end up seeing any bears, only some blue birds and Salmon. It wasn’t worth the money. The Lady did try her very best to find a bear which resulted in an overrunning 3.5-hour tour. We didn’t get any time to go downtown and walk around. That’s sad….
The only good part of the tour is that the tour guide never gave up on finding bears and has a good heart. But I still wish I never joined this tour and just called myself an uber.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
We appreciate the feedback. We don't offer hiking tours because we are for all ages and mobility.
Maria_W, Aug 2026
What a wonderful experience! Pam was so knowledgeable about the area and was able to take us directly to where the wildlife should be. Obviously, there are no guarantees on any of these excursions that we will see wildlife. We ended up with the most incredible encounters. She was accommodating to my husbands needs due to Parkinson’s, she was patient and kind. She picked us up and dropped us off in the most convenient areas as well.
Mel_M, Aug 2026
Great tour. We're shown the highlights of Ketchikan and also received insider recommendations for dining.
We were taken to several locations for wildlife viewing. Got to see eagles close by and several bears along a stream, including a mom & her cubs. Jody was an excellent guide. She was happy to share her knowledge and answer all our questions.
Michael_S, Aug 2026
Jody was great and created a more custom tour due to time frame as tide was in and too early for bears to generally be out.
donna_e, Aug 2026
The trip was a nice experience for Ketchikan. The guide was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about the area. We saw lots of eagles!
Margaret_D, Jul 2026
This was well worth the money! We had the best time. Kaitlyn went out of the way to make sure we saw the wildlife we wanted to see. We got lucky and saw a bear! So cool! Thank you!!
Anna_C, Jul 2026
Katie is very knowledgeable and made every attempt to find wildlife for us to see. Waterfalls were spectacular
Kenneth_L, Jul 2026
They stated in the description we would see bears, eagles & other wildlife along with waterfalls. We never saw one bear & the eagles were extremely far away. Never saw any other wildlife & we stopped at one waterfall. So basically we spent over $200 to see one waterfall period!! The worst excursion we’ve ever been on. I know you cant count on seeing wildlife, BUT then don’t say we would definitely see them!! Don’t waste your money or time on this tour!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
No tours can guarantee wildlife at the bottom of our description it does say wildlife is not guaranteed.
Doreen_K, Jul 2026
The sites which were chosen to view bears were people’s properties. The van parked outside the houses in the hope a bear would appear. It was not a pleasant viewing
area. We did not see any bears
Herring cove is tiny. It is not picturesque, ( once there the idea was that someone threw herring onto the sand to encourage eagles to appear).
I cannot recommend this trip. We were very disappointed.
Beth_R, Jul 2026
Really enjoyed this tour. Pam was amazing. Very knowledgable. She took time to show us more than we expected. We were happy to see bear, eagles, and seals. The waterfall stop was nice. Thanks for a great tour! Would recommend.
Arlene_L, Jul 2026
The tour guide shared stories and worked hard to give us close experiences with nature and wildlife.
Robin_B, Jul 2026
Pam is AMAZING! Genuinely care about her clients and was very knowledgeable. We saw lots of eagles, a deer and a bear but it was brief re the bear. Highly recommend Pam.
JohnPaul_S, Jul 2026
Didn't unfortunately see any bears. There are a lot of tours following the same trail so can get very crowded. Our host was very friendly and knowledgeable. Tried her hardest to locate some.
Karen_F, Jul 2026
We did not see a bear until last 5
minutes of tour. Very crowded in Ketchikan that day. Thought we’d see more waterfalls too, but guide said it’s been very dry. Our guide Pam was great- she was so entertaining and knowledgeable and tried every spot she knew to find a bear and she found one for us.
slicolo24, Jul 2026
Jody was fantastic!
We were disappointed when we pulled into a new pier 12 miles from Ketchikan. We thought we would have to take a long, packed shuttle into town.
And then everything changed! I had booked this tour through Viator. It turned out to be a private tour! Even better, Jody, our local guide, had a permit to pick us up at the pier. We walked out of the terminal and there she was.
She asked us what we wanted to do. I said we had been to Alaska 7 times and never saw a bear. She knew some out of the way spots and touristy spots. So we kept driving to them multiple times. Her tenacity and dedication was amazing. In the meantime, we stopped at a waterfall and local spot to see eagles - and see eagles we did! The owner walked out on the beach with fresh fish. He would throw it in the air and about 10 eagles swooped in to grab it. I mean right above our heads! Was spectacular.
When we pulled into the tourist spot the second time, we had just about given up hope of seeing a bear. In fact, she and my husband stayed in the car and I got out to look for bear. There were none. I scoffed when I heard a guide say to his group “we can hang out here as long as you want, and if you are patient, you will probably see a bear.” Five minutes later, a juvenile black bear appeared. Turns out, like most everything in life, good timing, a pinch of luck, and patience is the key.🙏🏻🥰
Karin_K, Jul 2026
Only plan on seeing eagles. No bears and one very small waterfall.
Tour director knowledgeable about area.
Lynne_R, Jul 2026
It was an incredible tour! We went to the beach & saw an incredible Eagle Show, saw a beautiful waterfall & went on a bear hunt & for the grand finale had an incredible bear encounter! Our tour guide, Katlyn, kept us safe & made it fun!
Theresa_K, Jul 2026
Our tour leader was very determined to ensure that we would see a bear or bears, and did not give up. Her persistence paid off when one walked up out of the trees and walked down the road toward our van!
Rosemary_M, Jul 2026
We just had a private tour with Jody and I cannot say enough good things about her ! She was so knowledgeable about the area and was able to show us things that were unique . We got to see eagles feeding and also other beautiful scenery. We bought some wonderful smoked salmon and jam from the locals! Highly recommend a tour with Jody!
CindyandvSteve_B, Jul 2026
We had a wonderful time with Jody our guide. She took us to bear spots, a beautiful waterfall, and a popular spot for eagles. She is very knowledgeable having lived in Alaska for many years. She went over and above to make our experience wonderful. We would highly recommend her and this tour.
Scott_H, Jul 2026
Pam was awesome! She knew the area well as she lived there her whole life. We found out interesting facts about the city and got to see a bunch of wildlife, including whales and bears.
The waterfall was a bit of a disappointment as it is a very popular spot and you had to rush to get your picture made there and to see it and could not really spend much time enjoying it.
From $117.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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