When the salmon fill the creek, the bears come down to fish them, and the whales work the Narrows — a month-by-month guide with the free spots to watch from shore.
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From Town Tools. For the current version, visit https://www.towntools.org/ketchikan-alaska-us/wildlife-seasons
Ketchikan's wild year, month by month — when the salmon fill Ketchikan Creek, when the black bears come down to fish them, when the humpbacks are working the Narrows, and where you can watch from shore without a boat. This is the usual seasonal pattern from past years, not a forecast: wildlife is wild, and timing shifts with the weather and the run.
Give wildlife room — bears especially
Keep well back from bears and never come between a sow and her cubs. Don't feed any wild animal, secure garbage and food, and pack out what you bring. A fed bear is a dead bear, and it puts the neighborhood at risk. Report a nuisance or in-town bear to the Ketchikan Gateway Borough (907-228-6660, after hours 907-204-0502) or Alaska Wildlife Troopers (1-800-478-3377); call 911 for an immediate threat.
What you’re likely to see in October
Peak
Sitka black-tailed deer — In the forest all year; easiest to see in the fall and winter.
Good
Bald eagle — Here all year; thick wherever the fish are.
A chance
Pacific salmon (the summer runs) — Five runs fill the creeks from late spring into fall.
(2 months ago)
A chance
Black bear — Down at the creeks once the salmon are running.
A chance
Humpback whale — Feeding in the Narrows and outer waters through summer.
A chance
Orca (killer whale) — Passing through — more likely, never guaranteed.
Month by month
Peak
Good
A chance
Unlikely
Pacific salmon (the summer runs)
Best: Jul–Aug
Five runs fill the creeks from late spring into fall.
J
F
M
Watching from the shore
You don't need a boat to see a lot of this. The best free viewing in and around town:
Creek Street footbridge, Ketchikan Creek — Salmon stacking below the falls from July into the fall, with eagles overhead — right downtown.
Herring Cove (about 8 miles south) — The reliable black-bear spot when the salmon are running, July–September. Watch from a distance and keep your food secured.
Settlers Cove State Recreation Site — A beach and salmon stream north of town — eagles, spawning salmon in season, and the occasional whale offshore.
Ward Lake Recreation Area — An easy loop for forest birds, deer, and waterfowl, with bears possible when fish are in the creek.
The waterfront and harbors — Eagles, harbor seals, and sea lions year-round along Tongass Narrows.
A pattern, not a promise
These are seasonal patterns from past years, not a forecast — wild animals keep their own schedule. A good month means a good chance, never a guarantee.
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Kings (Chinook) build from mid-May and peak late June into early July; sockeye run through July; pinks (humpies) arrive late June and peak late July into early August — strongest in odd-numbered years; chum come in August; coho (silvers) build through late August and September and taper into October. Watch them stack up below the falls from the Creek Street footbridge over Ketchikan Creek.
Black bear
Best: Aug
Down at the creeks once the salmon are running.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
Bald eagle
Best: Jul–Sep
Here all year; thick wherever the fish are.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
Humpback whale
Best: Jun–Aug
Feeding in the Narrows and outer waters through summer.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
Orca (killer whale)
Best: May–Sep
Passing through — more likely, never guaranteed.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
Sitka black-tailed deer
Best: Oct–Nov
In the forest all year; easiest to see in the fall and winter.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
Sitka black-tailed deer
Peak season right now · also Bald eagle, Pacific salmon (the summer runs)
S
O
N
D
Bears den through winter, emerge in May for berries, and move to the salmon streams from July through September. Herring Cove, about 8 miles south of town, is the reliable spot when the fish are in. Give them room, never feed them, and keep food and coolers secured — a bear that finds a meal in town becomes a problem for everyone.
S
O
N
D
Bald eagles are year-round residents in the Tongass. They gather in numbers over the summer and fall salmon runs and along the waterfront — look over Ketchikan Creek, the harbors, and Tongass Narrows any month of the year.
S
O
N
D
Humpbacks return to Southeast Alaska in spring to feed and are most active June through August, thinning out by late fall before they migrate south for winter. Most sightings are from the water — the airport ferry, a tour boat, or an AMHS sailing — but they occasionally surface within sight of Settlers Cove and the outer shore.
S
O
N
D
Both resident (fish-eating) and transient (marine-mammal-hunting) pods move through these waters, most often spring through early fall. Sightings are a matter of luck and being on the water at the right moment.
S
O
N
D
Deer are here year-round but spread into the high country in summer. They are most visible in the fall rut (October–November) and in winter, when snow pushes them down to the roadsides and beaches. Watch for them at dawn and dusk along Brown Mountain Road and the Deer Mountain trail, and drive carefully after dark.