Best Time to Visit Ketchikan, Alaska: Which Month to Come

If you made us pick one month, it is June. The 1991-2020 NOAA climate normals give June 7.02 inches (178 mm) of rain, the lowest monthly figure of the year, against an annual normal of 149.54 inches. July is close behind at 7.33 inches. June's average temperature is 55.3°F (12.9°C), and daylight runs to about 17 hours 27 minutes at the summer solstice. You still need rain gear. The same normals record measurable precipitation on roughly 16.4 days in an average June, and 232.6 days across the year.

If you want fish instead of dry skies, pick August. It is the warmest month at 59.0°F (15.0°C) average, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game describes spawning Chinook and coho filling Ketchikan Creek each July and August, viewable from the Creek Street bridges and on the Forest Service's underwater camera.

If you want the opposite of peak season, come in the winter months. January is the coldest month at 35.6°F (2.0°C), October the wettest at 18.37 inches of rain. The town is quiet, some attractions cut hours, and the combined sales tax drops to 5.5%. The full month-by-month figures sit on the Ketchikan weather page.

Ketchikan's cruise season runs roughly May through September. The peak months are June, July and August, when up to five ships can be in port on the same day. Trade reporting for the coming season counts 58 scheduled cruise calls, up from 48 the previous season, with the city projecting more than 1.6 million cruise passengers. The City of Ketchikan publishes the day-by-day schedule with passenger capacities as a PDF, and the Visitors Bureau keeps its own cruise calendar, so you can check exactly which days hit five ships before you fix your dates.

The shape of the season matters more than the total. On a five-ship day, the four downtown berths fill and the atmosphere on Front Street and Creek Street changes with each gangway. Berths I through IV run south to north along the downtown waterfront, and a second dock at Ward Cove, about 7 miles north, adds Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings ships with a free 20-minute shuttle into town.

Outside the peak, the town is different in both directions. Early May brings the first calls and a town shaking off winter hours. Late September thins out fast, and tour operators wind down with the ships. If you want Ketchikan with elbow room, the first and last two weeks of the season are the window. The cruise port page covers the berths, the shuttle and the daily schedule in detail.

These are the two strongest months, and they win for different reasons. June takes the rain contest outright: 7.02 inches (178 mm), the year's lowest monthly normal. August gives back 11.30 inches (287 mm), nearly double, and September climbs again to 14.30 inches. Measurable precipitation falls on about 16.4 days in June and 16.8 days in August, so August does not rain many more days, it rains harder when it does.

August takes the temperature contest. Its 59.0°F (15.0°C) average edges July's 58.8°F and beats June's 55.3°F. Four degrees sounds small, but on a dry afternoon it is the difference between a jacket and none.

The salmon decide the rest. ADFG's Ketchikan Creek viewing page names Chinook and coho as the species in the creek and gives May through September as the general viewing window, peaking in July and August. Anglers chase those same runs, and the saltwater fishing around Ketchikan is in full swing by August. The fishing page covers seasons and charters.

Our verdict: choose June if your plans are built on flightseeing, hiking or any activity where low clouds and heavy rain cost you the day. Choose August if seeing salmon, bears at the weir or catching fish is the point of the trip, and you accept wetter days as the price. Full normals are on the Ketchikan weather page.

May and September are the smart traveler's months. May averages 8.68 inches of rain, drier than every month except June and July, with an average of 50.1°F. September runs 14.30 inches and 53.6°F. Both sit at the edges of the cruise season, so the waterfront is busy but not packed, and tour availability is easier than at the July peak.

Money favors the shoulder and winter too. Alaska has no state sales tax, and the City of Ketchikan's combined city plus borough rate runs 8.0% from April 1 through September 30, dropping to 5.5% from October 1 through March 31. On meals, gear and souvenirs, the off-season rate is measurably cheaper. More figures are on the Ketchikan costs page.

Winter is quiet but not shut. The Totem Heritage Center drops to afternoons on weekdays from October through April, while it opens 8am to 5pm daily from May through September. The Southeast Alaska Discovery Center goes free from October through April after charging $5 in season. Creek Street stays walkable year round as a free public boardwalk, and Totem Bight State Historical Park opens 7am to 6pm all year for a $5 day-use fee. The things to do in Ketchikan page lists what runs in each season, and what does not.

In peak season, book the small-seat activities early. The Misty Fjords floatplane carries just six passengers per departure, and similar limits apply across Ketchikan tours. Bear viewing, flightseeing and the smallest-group tours are the first to sell out on multi-ship days. Most tours in the catalogue carry a 24-hour cancellation deadline, so a booking made weeks ahead is not a big risk if your ship's schedule holds.

Book later or not at all for the big-seat items. Coach and trolley city tours with dozens of seats routinely have space, and the free attractions need no booking at all. Creek Street is a public boardwalk, Married Man's Trail is a public trail, and Totem Bight's $5 day-use fee is paid at the park, open 7am to 6pm year round.

In May, early September and winter, booking pressure drops across the board. The shoulder months trade a bit of choice for walk-up availability. Where a page in this guide says a price or schedule is not published by the operator, that is worth taking seriously. Check current availability on the tour catalogue before you travel.