Deer Mountain Trail: Ketchikan's Steep Climb Above the Town

Deer Mountain is the big forested wall directly behind downtown Ketchikan, and the Deer Mountain National Recreation Trail is the path that climbs it. That is what separates this from every other entry on this site: it is not an attraction with a gate, a ticket or an operator. It is a Forest Service trail you start on foot from a residential street, and the only cost is your own legs.

The official numbers are blunt. The trail is 10.7 miles long overall, running all the way to Upper Silvis Lake. Within the first two miles it gains about 2,000 feet of elevation, which makes the opening stretch a sustained staircase-like grind rather than a warm-up. The tread is natural surface with boardwalk sections through muskeg near the start.

Two and a half miles up sits an A-frame shelter at 2,900 feet, a 16x16-foot structure rebuilt by the Forest Service in 2008-09 that sleeps up to eight and is free to use. Most day hikers turn around near the shelter or the open slopes above it, which is where the views over the Tongass Narrows open up.

One caveat belongs up front. The published elevation of the mountain does not agree with itself. The USFS trailhead page states a maximum elevation of 3,350 feet, while Wikidata and USGS GNIS give the summit as 3,001 feet. This guide does not resolve that conflict, it just tells you it exists.

For a structured day on the mountain without the full climb, Ketchikan Kayak Co. runs an e-bike and hike outing that pairs electric-assist cycling with a walk on foot, a four-hour option that suits cruise callers short on time.

You meet the trail in stages, and each stage looks different.

The walk in. From Ketchikan Lakes Road it is about 0.5 mile to the Nordstrom Drive junction, then a right turn into the trailhead parking area. You pass houses at first. The mountain is visible above you the whole way, which is useful because you can read the cloud layer before committing.

The lower forest. The trail starts in dense coastal rainforest. The surface is natural tread with boardwalk sections through muskeg near the start, so the first minutes alternate between soil and duckboard. Moss, devils club and standing water are the texture of this stretch. Expect to get your boots wet regardless of the forecast, because Ketchikan averages 149.54 inches of rain a year per the National Weather Service normals.

The climb. Roughly 2,000 feet of gain is packed into the first two miles. The path steepens into what amounts to a long, continuous ascent, with roots, rocks and occasional steps. There is no published list of switchbacks or viewpoint markers on the official page, so treat the route as one long uphill rather than a series of destinations.

The views. As you rise above the treeline zones, the view opens over the Tongass Narrows, the town below and the surrounding islands of the Tongass National Forest. On a clear day the reward is a full panorama of the waterways cruise ships thread through. On a fog day, which Ketchikan produces often, you may see cloud.

The shelter. At 2.5 miles and 2,900 feet sits the A-frame shelter, 16 by 16 feet, rebuilt by the Forest Service in 2008-09. It sleeps up to eight and is free to use first-come on the day. It is the natural turnaround for a day hike.

Beyond. Past Blue Lake the tread thins, and the Forest Service recommends hikers carry and know how to use a map, compass or GPS. The full 10.7-mile route to Upper Silvis Lake is a serious outing, not a cruise-day walk.

The Deer Mountain trail is open access in Tongass National Forest. The USFS trailhead page states no hours, and there is no gate to close. Hike it in daylight and you are within the only practical limit.

Cost: free. The Forest Service publishes no fee for the trail, and the A-frame shelter at 2,900 feet is also free to use. There is no reservation system stated for the shelter on the official USFS page. That makes this one of the few full-day activities near Ketchikan that costs nothing, against tours that routinely run $85 to $389 per person.

What is not published. The official page does not state a time needed for the hike, does not state trailhead hours, and lists no restrooms or potable water at the trailhead. A time estimate would be a guess, so this guide declines to make one. Plan your turnaround against your ship's all-aboard time, which appears in the City of Ketchikan's daily cruise schedule PDF rather than as a standalone rule.

Season. No official season dates are published for the trail itself. Ketchikan's visitor season runs roughly May through September, and the weather normals make the case for summer: June is the driest month at 7.02 inches of rain against October's 18.37 inches, and August is the warmest month at an average 59.0°F.

Price comparison with guided options. If you want structure instead of a self-guided climb, the E-Bike and Hike Tour from Ketchikan tours is $164 per person, rated 4.8 from 36 reviews, runs four hours, and requires riders to be at least 16. Its cancellation deadline is 7 days, far stricter than the 24 hours most Ketchikan tours allow, so book it only when your port day is certain.

The trailhead is unusual among Ketchikan attractions in that walking genuinely works.

On foot. From the downtown cruise berths, make your way to Ketchikan Lakes Road. The Forest Service directions are simple: go about 0.5 mile to the Nordstrom Drive junction, then turn right into the trailhead parking area. The total walk from a downtown berth is a warm-up, and it counts toward your day. No published distance from the berths exists on an official page, so budget by the map rather than a printed figure.

By bus. Ketchikan Gateway Borough Transit charges $2.00 per adult ride (ages 19-59), with youth and seniors at half that, and a $5.00 day pass if you want flexibility. Check whether a fixed route serves Ketchikan Lakes Road before relying on it. Inside downtown there is also a Free Downtown Shuttle Zone running roughly from Bryant Street to the Coast Guard Base through the summer season, which can shorten the walk to the start of your route.

By booked tour. You cannot book a shuttle to the trailhead as such, but Ketchikan Kayak Co. runs a four-hour e-bike and hike tour at $164 per person that removes the uphill approach problem entirely, rated 4.8 from 36 reviews.

What does not work. There is no parking-fee structure or shuttle described on the official USFS page, and no taxi or ride-share listing appears on any Borough page found during this check, so do not assume app-based rides exist in Ketchikan.

Before you leave town. There are no restrooms or potable water at the trailhead. Fill bottles and use facilities before you leave the waterfront.

One line from the official page, verbatim, because it is the kind of detail nobody else prints: No restrooms or potable water at the trailhead. Natural tread with boardwalk sections near the start; beyond Blue Lake the tread thins out and USFS recommends hikers be experienced with map, compass a

Three honest routings, sized to your day.

A short ship call. If you have four to five hours ashore and want mountain time, do not attempt the summit. Instead ride the E-Bike and Hike Tour, four hours at $164, minimum age 16, which pairs electric-assist cycling with a walk. It buys you forest and views on a fixed schedule. What it skips: the full 2,000-foot climb and the shelter. Note its 7-day cancellation deadline, the strictest among Ketchikan tours.

A full day in port. With six or more hours, walk to the trailhead via Ketchikan Lakes Road and Nordstrom Drive and climb toward the A-frame shelter at 2,900 feet, 2.5 miles up. The first two miles carry about 2,000 feet of gain, so the ascent is the whole outing. The shelter, free and sleeping eight, is the turnaround point for most day hikers. What this skips: Creek Street and the downtown totem stops, so save those for another call.

A second visit or a long independent stay. Hike past the shelter toward Blue Lake and beyond, where the tread thins and the Forest Service advises carrying and knowing how to use a map, compass or GPS. The full trail runs 10.7 miles to Upper Silvis Lake. This buys genuine wilderness and solitude and skips any chance of same-day downtown sightseeing.

Whatever the routing, work backward from your ship's last departure time, which the City publishes per ship in its daily schedule PDF. There is no standalone all-aboard rule on an official page, only that PDF. No official time estimate exists for the hike itself, so build in slack and turn around on the clock, not the summit.

- The published summit elevation conflicts across sources. The USFS trailhead page says the trail reaches a maximum of 3,350 feet, while Wikidata and USGS GNIS list the summit at 3,001 feet, and no official page reconciles the two. (USFS / USGS GNIS via Wikidata) - The A-frame shelter at 2,900 feet is free to use with no reservation system stated on the official page.

It is a 16x16-foot structure rebuilt by the Forest Service in 2008-09 that sleeps up to eight. (USFS shelter site page) - There are no restrooms and no potable water at the trailhead, so everything you need has to come up from town with you. (USFS trailhead page) - The trail is 10.7 miles long in total, running all the way to Upper Silvis Lake, far beyond the turnaround most day hikers imagine.

(USFS trailhead page) - Beyond Blue Lake the tread thins out and the Forest Service recommends hikers be experienced with a map, compass or GPS. Past that point this is a backcountry route, not a town hike. (USFS trailhead page)