Is Ketchikan getting crowded?

Ketchikan Was Packed This Time around

I've been to Ketchikan, Alaska, plenty of times over the years working on cruise ships, but on this trip, one thing really stood out:

There were people everywhere.

Ketchikan has always been a popular cruise port, especially in the summer, but this time it felt like somebody had opened the floodgates.

And apparently, I wasn't imagining it.

Ketchikan is expecting more than 1.6 million cruise passengers during the 2026 season, which would be a new record. In July alone, there are 154 scheduled cruise ship calls representing roughly 462,000 passengers at full capacity.

On an average July day, that can mean thousands and thousands of cruise passengers hitting a relatively small downtown at the same time.

And it feels like it.

You get off the ship and suddenly you're part of this giant migration of people moving toward Creek Street, souvenir shops, tour buses, lumberjack shows and anywhere selling salmon.

At certain points, downtown Ketchikan felt less like a small Alaskan town and more like Disney World with bald eagles.

That's not necessarily a complaint. There's something pretty amazing about seeing this little corner of Alaska suddenly become one of the busiest places on Earth for a few hours. The ships arrive, thousands of people pour into town, everybody explores, eats, shops and takes approximately 400 pictures of the same bald eagle.

Then the ships leave.

And Ketchikan becomes Ketchikan again.

I've visited Alaska many times, but this trip gave me a new appreciation for just how much the cruise industry changes these small towns during the summer.

Beautiful scenery, great people, incredible wildlife—and apparently half the population of North America standing on Creek Street with me.

Still one of my favorite stops in Alaska.

I just may need to start making dinner reservations before the ship leaves San Fransico

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