Reaching Saxman Native Village from Ketchikan’s cruise port was easier than expected. We didn’t need an organized tour to experience this cultural gem. Ketchikan, often called Alaska’s Totem Capital, has an extensive collection of totem poles.
Potlatch Totem Park, Totem Bight State Historical Park, Totem Heritage Center, and Saxman Native Village feature the best examples. The latter, sometimes called the “Saxman Totem Village,” is 2.5 miles south of downtown.
Its impressive totem pole collection and Native Alaskan heritage make it well-known. If you take a tour, you’ll get more insight into the Tlingit culture and learn about the individual poles.
Reasons To Visit Without A Tour
Independent visits to Saxman Native Village give travelers more control over their experience. They can save money and fit their visit into their busy schedule while exploring other attractions in the “salmon capital of the world.”
Doesn’t Fit With Your Schedule
Most guided tours operate on fixed schedules that align with cruise ship arrivals. Sometimes, these tours happen in the middle of the day, making it challenging to explore other areas. Since I was traveling with my sister, who wanted to avoid tours, we spent our Ketchikan port day exploring on our own.
By visiting independently, we could explore other city areas and shops before heading to Saxman Village. By visiting later in the day, the crowds had disappeared, allowing us to savor the history and culture with fewer people.
Without following a tour guide, we could spend more time photographing specific totem poles and reading informational plaques. Once we toured the area, we revisited areas that interest us most.
It’s Bundled With Other Attractions
Tour packages often combine Saxman Native Village with other attractions like the Lumberjack Show or city tour. Since I’ve visited Ketchikan many times previously, we wanted to focus on seeing the totem poles. On a previous visit, we took a boat tour to Misty Fjords and saw Saxman Native Village from a distance en route.
Since time in a port is valuable, we didn’t want to spend time (or money) exploring areas that didn’t interest us. If seeing Ketchikan’s vast collection of totem poles interests you, plan to visit more than one area.
Downtown has lots of examples, from Chief Johnson and Chief Kyan to the Sun Raven and The Easter Totem Poles.
Save Money
Tour packages typically cost more than independent visits, typically around USD 85 pp. By traveling independently, the cost was minimal compared to organized tour prices.
Local bus services and taxis provide affordable alternatives to reach the village. You can spend the money you save at the village gift shop, on authentic Native crafts, or in other ports.
While some areas, like the carving center, required a tour, we could watch through large windows. We just couldn’t hear what was being said. We could also explore many parts of the village independently, including the totem pole park and cultural center.
Travel Options To Saxman Native Village
Visitors can reach Saxman Native Village by walking 2-3 miles along the oceanfront path, taking a public bus, or catching a quick taxi ride. The village welcomes independent travelers with a self-guided tour option for just USD 5 per person.
By Taxi
Taxis provide quick 5-minute rides from downtown Ketchikan to Saxman Native Village. The fare typically runs USD 10-15 one way, depending on traffic and the exact pickup location.
Most taxi companies in Ketchikan offer on-demand service throughout the day. We recommend calling ahead during peak cruise ship times to ensure availability.
By Transit
The public bus offers the most economical transportation option at just USD 2 per ride. Buses run on the Silver Line route between downtown Ketchikan and Saxman Village. When arriving by cruise ship, the bus stop is conveniently located near Berth 2 of the Ketchikan cruise ship docks.
Pickup time is 43 minutes past the hour, every hour. The journey takes about 10 minutes. When coming from Ward Cove, the buses pick up 13 minutes after the hour, and the route takes 40 minutes.
Note that the drop-off point for the village is on S. Tongass Hwy, at the bottom of Totem Row. After exiting the bus, we crossed the highway and walked uphill, where we saw the first of many totems. The bus stop to get back is in a different location.
Buses are equipped with ramps, making them wheelchair accessible. Payment is accepted in cash only – be sure to have the exact change ready.
Activities At Saxman Totem Village
Walking up Totem Row, the 11 totem poles on either side of the road don’t have informational signage. We were greeted by the first, the Sun Raven Totem Pole on the left, a memorial pole to the Tlingit people.
The frog at the bottom of this pole wasn’t something I’d seen before. It’s a symbol of how the Raven followed a frog into the ocean to get food for their people.
At the top of Totem Way, a gift shop sells USD 5 tickets to explore the grounds. The shop has a nice collection of cultural souvenirs and reading material to enhance your visit.
Totem Poles
The village features one of the world’s largest collections of standing totem poles. These are all reproductions of originals. Since Ketchikan received over 160 inches of annual rainfall, it’s not unusual to see weather-beaten poles.
Each pole tells unique stories through intricate carvings and vibrant colors. In addition to the 11 on the Totem Way, there are 14 more near the clan house. Of the 25, the Eagle Beaver Pole is repeated three times, and there are four Totem Guards on either side of the steps.
Totems are often carved from a single cedar log because they’re more resilient to weather, longer lasting, and easier to carve. Each item on a pole represents a living object, although sometimes, I found it hard to distinguish what it was.
Some poles are very tall, and we could only view the top by standing back. Some standout poles for me were the Kats & Bear Wife Pole, Owl Pole, and Seward Pole.
The Kats & Bear Wife Pole at the corner of Totem Way and Eagle Street is unusual in that it has a large cutout. This pole would have welcomed visitors to a clan house. The carved symbols on this pole represent Kat, his wife, and children.
To the left of the clan house, the Owl Pole has an owl at the top but a weasel at the base. This memorial pole honors a Tlingit Shaman, a healer who trained for over 15 years. The owl atop represents the Shaman’s clan crest, while the weasel symbolizes the Shaman’s spirit guide.
Lastly, the Seward Pole is a Ridicule Pole. It’s a unique totem used to shame or mock an individual or clan for wrongdoing, unpaid debts, or dishonorable behavior. Who knew there was such a thing?
Unlike other totem poles that honor ancestors or tell legends, Ridicule Poles hold people accountable within the community. In this instance, the target of the ridicule is William H. Seward, who served as Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln.
Another unusual carving is the Tired Wolf House Post, and there were two of them on either side of the road. This one was mostly painted and made to be movable. They attached it to the corners of a tribal house and relocated it when needed.
The following Saxman Native Village map shows the position of the totem poles.
Carving Shed
The carving shed offers glimpses into traditional totem pole creation techniques. Native artisans sometimes work on new poles or restore existing ones. Poles can take a few months to several years to carve, depending on the complexity of the design, wood type, and number of carvers.
A carved cedar pole can last 50 to 100 years. Periodic restoration and treatment can help preserve a pole’s life in Alaska’s wet climate.
We met Gordon Greenwald at the Yaakw Kahidi Cultural Center on a previous visit to Hoonah. He’s a master carver who demonstrated how poles are carved without the use of power tools.
Visitors on organized tours could enter the carving center to see the traditional tools used. Without an excursion, we could observe through the large windows.
Cultural Performances
Traditional Tlingit dance performances take place in the clan house during peak tourist season. Dancers wear ceremonial regalia while performing ancestral songs and movements that tell stories of their heritage. These performances are generally reserved for tours.
However, independent visitors can ask at the gift shop if they join a tour group to watch a performance.
Getting Back Downtown
Since we arrived by bus, we returned to downtown the same way. We asked our bus driver what time the bus came back and where to catch it.
The bus stops at a small wooden hut across from the gift shop at Killer Whale Avenue and Halibut Street. It stops there 15 minutes after the hour.
Since drop off was 9 minutes before the hour, we had approximately 25 minutes or 1 hour and 25 minutes to explore.
During peak cruise ship season, buses may run on modified schedules. We suggest checking the visitors’ bureau for the current schedule. Remember to bring small bills for the bus as it only accepts the exact change.
Conclusion
Getting to Saxman Native Village independently was easy and budget-friendly. Determine how much time you need to explore to see if you need to catch the next bus back or wait for another.
During our visit, it began to rain. So, we quickened our pace to make the next bus before we got caught in a downpour. Being adaptable to Alaska’s unpredictable weather is always a good idea. We spent USD 9 to visit, a bargain over the cost of a tour.
If docked in Ward Cove, you can take the city bus downtown and transfer to the complimentary shuttle. Since the shuttle doesn’t stop at any other places, it may minimize travel time if there’s no wait.
Beyond the colorful totems of the city, Ketchikan has a lot to offer. If you’re looking for an unforgettable tour, check out the Bering Sea Crab Excursion. It demonstrates the perils of king crab fishing in the Bering Sea.
