Experience the thrill of wildlife with the chance to see bears, bald eagles, salmon, and seals! This open grassy field and creek, attracts a variety of wildlife to this location! Please note the diversity of wildlife will vary depending on time of season. Please note that wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed.
Capture stunning photos and videos of a beautiful waterfall just steps away from where you exit the van! Plus, step inside our lush rainforest for more spectacular views and vantage points of this waterfall!
Discover the diverse tide pools along the coastal inner passage, where you have the potential to spot purple and orange starfish, crabs, sea anemones, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and more! Potential to also see eagles in the trees, seals in the ocean. The variety of wildlife will change with the tide levels. When the season is right, you can also pick and enjoy the wild edible berries in this location! (rocky and sandy terrain)
Discover the charm of Herring Bay Village, home to the enchanting Native Totem Park and the masterful Bifrost Blacksmithing. Begin your journey at the Native Totem Park, where an engaging guide will unveil the rich stories behind these stunning works of art, illuminating their cultural significance and beauty. Next, witness the artistry at Bifrost Blacksmithing, where skilled blacksmiths Jake and Joron meticulously hand-forge their exquisite knives. Crafted in Ketchikan from recycled steel and elegantly complemented by handles made from the antlers of Sitka black-tailed deer, these knives are not just tools – they are unique pieces of art that embody craftsmanship and tradition. Don't miss the opportunity to experience this exceptional blend of artistry and heritage! Entry into this privately owned location, which includes the Totem Park and blacksmiths is $10 per person(ages 12 and under $5)upon arrival.
This was a highlight of our cruise. Our guide, Bianca, was so engaged and determined to make our day great right from the start. We got the viewpoint of a local and enjoyed the typical sights along with the inside scoop. Of all our cruise stops our time with Bianca on our Emerald Forest Tour left us longing to spend more time in Ketchikan.
We were a large family with a huge age range. 8-77 and everywhere in between. It was raining, and I don’t mean misting, I mean RAINING. We still had the most amazing experience thanks largely to Bianca!!! The entire family thoroughly enjoyed our tour. We saw bears, eagles, starfish, and much more! Book this tour and throw any worries you have about booking out the window. Easily the best thing we did and a huge value for a private tour. Amazing!
Our tour guide was Bianca, and she was absolutely fantastic—friendly, enthusiastic, energetic, and genuinely excited to share Ketchikan with us. We had such a memorable experience. During the tour, we saw a young eagle taking one of its first flights, starfish, fishermen fishing for salmon, bears, and some beautiful scenery. One of the highlights was a short but exciting trek through the forest around a waterfall, which made the experience feel like a real Alaskan adventure. The forest trek was a little challenging in places, but Bianca was wonderful, patiently helping everyone along the way and making sure we all felt comfortable and safe. She was incredibly kind and attentive to everyone in our group. The whole trip felt personal and authentic, and it gave us the opportunity to experience a side of Ketchikan that was a little more off the beaten path. It was truly one of the most memorable experiences of our trip. I highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to explore Ketchikan beyond the typical tourist stops—and if you get Bianca as your guide, you’re in for a treat!
We booked this as the last excursion of our cruise. Our group included 2 kids (1 and 4) and 4 adults ages 30s-60s. Bianca was AMAZING! She interacted so well with our 4 year old, even pulling him away from the boring (in his mind) blacksmith presentation to show him a banana slug she found. She showed us everything we wanted and more, we got to do everything we wanted without feeling rushed and made the most out of a short port day. She also took amazing photos and videos she airdropped to us at the end. Thanks Bianca!!
We did a private tour in Ketchikan with Leanne. She was wonderful, patient and answered all our questions. She also gave great local recommendations. I was originally worried on the meet up, but she made that process very seamless by texting me the day of. We also decided to opt out of the totem pole tour, so we took our time at all the other spots. We were able to see bears, seals, birds and eagles! We couldn’t have asked for a better tour with Leanne. Thanks, Leanne! Hope to meet again in the future.
Bianca was absolutely incredible, she tailored the tour to fit our groups desired experience and we saw such incredible scenery and wildlife! Because of Bianca and Emerald Forest Tours this experience was the highlight of our Alaska experience! We cannot thank you enough!!
Lee Anne was a wonderful tour guide and I enjoyed our tour. She adjusted our pick up time so that we could get the full tour in and get to the ship earlier. I highly recommend her.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We had an absolutely fantastic experience with Bianca from Emerald Tours in Ketchikan! From the very beginning, Bianca was incredibly attentive, patient, and genuinely committed to making our three-hour private tour memorable. She is completely bilingual in English and Spanish, which was a huge plus for us and made the experience even more enjoyable. Bianca knew exactly where to take us to maximize our chances of seeing local wildlife. Thanks to her knowledge of the area, we had the opportunity to spot bald eagles, black bears, salmon, and other local wildlife, while also learning about Ketchikan and its beautiful surroundings. What made the experience even more special was Bianca herself. She was warm, friendly, knowledgeable, and never made us feel rushed. She also took the time to take photos and videos of us throughout the tour and later surprised us by sharing them with us—a wonderful and very thoughtful touch! The three hours absolutely flew by. It felt like spending the afternoon exploring Ketchikan with a knowledgeable local friend rather than simply being on a tour. If you are visiting Ketchikan and booking with Emerald Tours, we highly recommend asking for Bianca. She truly went above and beyond and made our visit to Ketchikan one of the highlights of our trip. Thank you, Bianca, for such a wonderful and unforgettable experience!
It was an interesting tour where we have seen a lot of animals like crabs, bald eagles, dear and Steller's jay blue bird. And of course a lot of salmon in the stream. Unfortunately, our main interest was in bears, but we were unlucky to spot them. Our guide drove us twice to the bear's spotting place and other tourists have mentioned that the bear was there just 10 minutes ago. Well, it was somewhat disappointing but expected - you can't count on the wildlife to come on schedule (luckily for us we have seen the bears just few days ago near mount Rainier). Nevertheless the tour was very interesting for adults, teenagers and kid. We were shown to a few places outside of the main touristic routes where we could privately enjoy Alaskan nature. Our guide has even took us on the short hike through the wild forest up to the waterfall top. If anything, those 3 hours flew by too fast. And the price for the whole family is comparable to what we would have paid per person for the standard less entertaining tour. So overall, we have enjoyed the experience and thank you to our guide.
What an awesome tour! Bianca is one of the very best guides you could ever have! Her love and passion for Ketchikan made the experience perfect! Even though we were just missing seeing bears earlier in the tour, up until the end of the tour, she was on the watch to make sure we saw them! A mother and 2 cubs! And the mom catching salmon for her cubs! We even saw a whale breach several times at one stop and enjoyed our time at the old saw mill, the waterfall, and purchasing local smoked salmon. She kindly took pictures with care to get the best shots of us and the wildlife. We take a lot of tours during our travels and she made this tour one of the best! Her personality, friendliness, and true desire to make your memories great shined through. Thank you, Bianca!
Bianca and Leanne did an amazing job showing us around Alaska. My family had priceless memories and we are grateful for the time we had with our tour guides. These two pair each other and did such an amazing job teaching our kids. Thank you so much and for all the many photos you took. You made a trip even more memorable!
We had an amazing tour while on our short port day in Ketchikan with Emerald Forest Tours. Bianca was so knowledgeable and kind and we can tell she loves Ketchikan. Our number one priority was to see bears, and it happened! We saw bears catching salmon from herring cove and even a cub. Bianca knew just where to take us and showed us tracks as well, she took some amazing videos of wildlife that she shared with us at the end of the tour, and the photos she took of our whole family are some of our favorites from our whole trip. We also passed by her friend’s house where we sampled foraged berries and fresh smoked salmon. We ended our tour at the salmon ladder after getting lots of bear watching time. The van was very clean and comfortable, and they even provided booster seats and car seats for our kids. Would not hesitate to book this tour again, we all loved it!
Absolutely amazing. Best tour we did. Guide was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. She made the tour fun, exciting and amazing Five star plus!!
I had a blast in Ketchikan with Bianca! The waterfall hike was amazing! I loved searching the tide pools as well! Thanks for hosting a private tour for our small group!!
Hans was an excellent and informative driver and guide. We were able to tailor our tour to what we were interested in seeing and doing. We recommend this tour and Hans.
Hans was an amazing guide. Not only did we have spectacular sightings of whales, waterfalls, bears and salmon, he was very attentive to everyone's needs, from our 91 year old matriarch to the 10 year old youngest who had lots of questions and excitement. Highly recommend!
Bianca was fabulous. She made us feel at home. She was extremely knowledgeable and very informative. She made sure we were all comfortable and got to see everything we could. Loved her!
Bianca, our tour guide was GREAT. She was very knowledgable about Ketchikan. She took us several places to see wildlife.We were fortunate to see several bears lots of starfish and many other types of water life. Bianca was very kind and worked hard to get us to see what we wanted to see. We recommend if you can to request her.We made a friend for life! Thanks again.
Bianca was an amazing guide (and human!). She was able to find things that my 80 year old dad was interested in as well as my 11 year old son. That’s no easy feat! We saw bald eagles, two black bears, and she even took my son up a waterfall. What an adventure. I’d highly recommend Bianca and this tour.
Bianca was a wonderful guide and driver who showed our group of 10 the best of Ketchikan. She allowed us the freedom to choose what we wanted to see. Gave great advice and information. I would do it again.
Leann was an excellent guide around the island. We really enjoyed getting away from the cruise port and learning about the area including: the people, animals, and the land itself. Logistics were very easy as well. We were able to message with Leann easily prior to the excursion and she picked us up right at the top of the pier. She also worked to accommodate our group. It was an excellent experience.
It was a greater 3 hours. Super convenient - get picked up at the port. Comfortable van. Flexible schedule - catered to kids.
Bianca was the most engaging, knowledgeable and charming hostess. She knew all the little secrets of the town and was absolutely accommodating to each of us. This was the best excursion on this trip! I highly recommend Emerald Forest Tours.
We had an incredible time in Ketchikan on this tour. Our tour guide was Hans and he was exceptional! The trip was interactive and he took the time to allow us to see everything at our pace. He was knowledgeable and kept my 9 and 7 year old grandkids engaged in the experience. I would 100% would recommend this tour to everyone! Thanks Hans for making our trip so enjoyable!
This was a memorable experience! Our guide, Bianca, was incredible!! She was very knowledgeable and her enthusiasm and energy were so engaging!! We had the best day with her. We even saw Bears!! We all agreed that this trip was more than what we expected!
This was an amazing experience for my family. Hans and his wife are so kind and knowledgeable about the area. If your group is up to it, you can even hike up the waterfall. I love how since it was a private tour out could be adjusted to our needs. Spending our time on this tour was the highlight of our trip in Ketchican. Highly recommend!!!
Hans was a great tour guide. The family had a blast and created a memorable experience. We saw a lot of wildlife including bear and eagles. The waterfall hike was amazing.
Our tour with Leanne from Emerald Forest Tours was incredible!! We saw over 10 bald eagles up close. We saw a bear walk all along a river bed. We stopped at a beach and saw cool rocks and barnacles on sticks and learned the geography and history of the area. We saw an amazing waterfall and climbed down to the pool at the base. Leanne was very knowledgeable and fun to chat with. We also got smoked salmon and fudge from a local vendor. The communication was perfect. I highly recommend this tour, especially with Leanne.
Leann was a great tour guide for our excursion in Ketchikan, and took us right to all the good places. We saw lots of eagles, a bear, salmon, the totem poles, and lots of beautiful countryside including a waterfall. The tour was in a large comfortable van, and she had a microphone so everyone could hear. Leann picked us up promptly at the ship, and the tour was comfortably paced. Would recommend!
Take this tour. You’ll see parts of Ketchikan that you don’t know exist unless Hans points them out to you. He asked us to prioritize what we wanted to see and we chose nature. Boy did we get it. If you’re physically able to to hike, make sure you take the 30 min to hike up to the top of the waterfall. Beautiful! Hans is a great communicator, very friendly and knowledgeable. Would recommend this tour to someone who wants to understand the localities of Ketchikan, but isn’t interested in doing an excursion through the cruise line.
This tour was totally worth it & so much more than we were expecting! From visiting different beaches, the waterfall, seeing a bear, totem poles & listening to a local tell us amazing stories, it really couldn’t have been better. Dennen was the best! Thank you!!
We had a great three hour tour with Dennen. He was very knowledgeable and easy going. We were fortunate to see a bear and many bald eagles. This was my daughter’s favorite excursion of the vacation. She especially loved the stop for homemade fudge and jams. Thank you Dennen!
We had an absolutely wonderful time on our tour! Bianca and Leanne were fabulous! We had a big family group with mixed ages, abilities, and interests, and the experience made everyone happy. They were very communicative, and it was very easy to connect with them. They catered to our expressed interests -- I asked for animals and native culture, and they totally delivered. We explored tide pools full of starfish, had eagles circle overhead, learned about totem poles (including talking to an artist making one), and saw both a humpback whale and a bear. They were very accommodating for the little ones in our group and also made sure to get us back into town on time for our next excursion. This tour was worth every penny (especially for a big group)! There is a lot to do in Ketchikan, but this should be high on the list.
We booked the Wildlife, Watefalls and Totem Poles tour and we could not have been more pleased! The excursion was a bit pricey, but just having a private tour with just myself, wife and the guide was just perfect. Our guide was Leanne and she was just awesome. She tried to find us some bears, but they were not accommodating. She took us to a spot where there were at least 25-28 eagles in a tree! This was a great photo op for seeing eagles as they just perched in the tree and waited for fish to be tossed on the beach, then we watched as they flew down in hopes of getting fish. Along the way we saw otters and a black tailed dear. A stop to The Herring Bay Totem Park, where saw some Totem Poles and listening to Leanne tell the stories behind them was great. We also saw a Totem Pole that was in the carving process and was able to talk to Totem carver and ask questions about it. She took us to a waterfall for a few pictures, then we had to start heading back. As we were going back to town we got an added extra bonus as we were able to pull over in time to see a humpback whale do a bubble net feed!! So cool! We were truly blessed, our guide Leanne and this excursion was priceless!
Outstanding tour. Our guide, Hans, called onsite to meet, was super friendly and had extensive knowledge of the area having lived there for 15 yrs. Our journey took us to everything advertised - eagles, bear, bonus deer sighting, totems, sawmill and blacksmith shop and a trip to the shore to see some marine life. Highlight was the waterfall. Our group of 6 all have some level of hiking experience from moderate to very skilled. Since we were all wearing the appropriate gear Hans guided us up to get some beautiful photos and then safely back down. Highly recommemd!
Bianca is just an amazing human! The visit to the tidal pool was such a simple pleasure with Bianca pointing out treasures I would have missed. Two eagles put on a spectacular performance that Bianca was able to capture on video. The hike was short but wonderful! Would definitely recommend!
Leanne was an amazing guide with Emerald Forest Tours! She was knowledgeable, kind, and incredibly adaptable throughout our tour. She even took us through a part of the forest she doesn't normally visit, which made the experience feel unique and memorable. Along the way, she taught us so much about the forest and the local ecosystem, and it was clear how much she loves sharing her knowledge. What made the tour truly special was Leanne herself. She was warm, relatable, and connected with everyone in our group, regardless of age. Her enthusiasm and genuine kindness made the experience both fun and educational. She went above and beyond to make sure we had a great time, and our tour ended up being one of the highlights of our trip to Ketchikan. I highly recommend Emerald Forest Tours, and if you get Leanne as your guide, you're in for a fantastic experience!
Our tour with Bianca was wonderful. We have a 3 year old and a six year old, and Bianca did a great job tailoring our tour to their interest levels. We would highly recommend Bianca and the 3 hour private tour
We had a private tour of Ketchikan for our family of 9. It was a great experience and we had beautiful weather. Our guide Bianca was great she was able to show us many different wildlife and give us a lot of cool information about this beautiful city. We saw eagles, whales, bears and seals and even caught some berries. We had plenty of time to do everything and had the option to be dropped off in downtown to see more things before our cruise left. Highly recommend and hope to come back again to explore more.
Bianca was outstanding! She made our trip. She never gave up on us finding a bear and she did not disappoint. We actually named him Bruin to represent Boston. We loved all her knowledge and highly recommend!!! You will not be disappointed.
We had such a wonderful time with our guide, Bianca! She was informative and so much fun. Thanks to her knowledge, we learned all about Ketchikan's history and thanks to her persistence we saw TWO BEAR CUBS!! We will definitely be calling her anytime we can return.
Fabulous tour with Hans! He was so informative and a fun guide. We enjoyed the sawmill & totem park, and LOVED the short waterfall hike. We all enjoyed our time exploring and would absolutely take a tour with him again. Thank you!
Bianca was a great tour guide. She made the tour a great experience and made us feel welcomed. The tour was simple but was well worth our time. Also being a private tour allowed us to make changes and reallocate our time to things we wanted to see.
We had an incredible experience on this tour with our guide Bianca. She was experienced, friendly, and made the whole adventure fun and memorable for our group of 9. The rainforest waterfall hike was amazing. Bianca guided us safely through the trail and even helped us reach the top of the waterfall, where we enjoyed beautiful views and took unforgettable photos. She was very knowledgeable and patient, making sure everyone in our group was comfortable. We also visited Pebble Beach and Ward Cove, where we had the chance to see Alaska’s wildlife in nature. Seeing wild animals, including a bear, was such a special experience. Bianca also took amazing family pictures for our group of 9 — we really appreciated her effort in capturing those memories. This tour was the perfect combination of adventure, nature, wildlife, and local scenery. We highly recommend Bianca as a guide — she truly made our Alaska experience even more special!
Such a fantastic time in a beautiful place. Dennen was an AMAZING guide. He was wonderful with our 3 young boys and got them all super involved in our day. He tailored our trip to fit our needs and we had such a wonderful time!!
Leanne was very knowledgeable about the area. We enjoyed this tour very much. Would recommend this tour to anyone wanting a private tour.
Bianca was absolutely the perfect guide. So knowledgeable and engaging. We saw bears and eagles. The totem poles were fascinating. We would do this tour again if we could travel with Bianca!!
It was an amazing tour!!! Bianca was incredible and super energetic. She took us to see everything we wanted and more!!!!
Bianca is the BEST tour guide!! She was friendly and very knowledgeable and accommodating! She gave us ALOT of info about Ketchikan!! We will definitely use this service again!! Thank you🥰
Dennen met our group of 9 and was such a great host. He took pictures throughout and air-dropped them to us (no extra charge). He was very passionate about his hometown of Ketchikan and we all thoroughly enjoyed seeing waterfalls, bald eagles and sea life! Excellent tour with an excellent ambassador!
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