Totem Bight State Historical Park to see 14 totem poles in Ketchikan! 🏔 Is Totem Bight a better place to see totem poles? Ketchikan cruise port + Saxman Native Village 🏔 Alaska cruise travel blog

Hi there!

There are a few ways you can get to Totem Bight State Historical Park.

You can do a cruise ship excursion to go to Totem Bight State Historical Park.

You can take the public bus in Ketchikan to Totem Bight State Park from the cruise port in downtown Ketchikan, which is where most cruise ships dock.

You can take a bus from Ward Cove too, which is where NCL cruise ships dock.

If you want to see totem poles in Ketchikan surrounded by nature with a casual walk through a forest, then you may like Totem Bight State Park better than Saxman Village.

👆 You can go to Totem Bight State Historical Park to see totem poles in Alaska on your own!

👆 Spot the totem pole! You will take a trail to see totem poles in Totem Bight State Historical Park.

👆 Welcome to Totem Bight State Historical Park! Your Totem Bight walk will take you to see totem poles and the clan house.

👆 You will see a bunch of totem poles during your walk through Totem Bight State Park!

👆 There is a clan house at Totem Bight State Historic Park. You can walk inside the clan house to see more totem poles!

👆 Totem Bight State Historic Park is on the list of National Register of Historic Places.

The best cruise ports to see totem poles in Alaska are Ketchikan and Sitka.

In Ketchikan, the best places to see totem poles are at Totem Bight State Historical Park and Saxman Park.

Both of these “totem parks” in Ketchikan are accessible by bus from the Ketchikan cruise port.

For my one day in Ketchikan, I went to Totem Bight State Park in the morning.

Then in the afternoon at 2pm I did an Alaska seaplane tour with a wilderness landing in Misty Fjords National Monument.

After the seaplane tour, I went to Creek Street.

Right near Creek Street, there is the Chief Johnson totem pole too.

See more about the best Ketchikan excursions. 

See more about what I did during my Alaska cruise from Vancouver to Anchorage!

How much time do you need at Totem Bight State Park?

One hour is enough time at Totem Bight State Park.

Of course, you can always spend longer if you want to take in your surroundings in more slowly.

But for most people, you won’t need more than 1 hour at Totem Bight State Park.

So for example, your schedule for Totem Bight State Park can be like this:

• 9:26am: bus from Ketchikan cruise port
• 9:50am: arrive at Totem Bight State Park
• Walk the trail to see totem poles at Totem Bight State Park
• 11:13am: bus from Totem Bight State Park
• 11:50am: arrive at Ketchikan cruise port bus stop

This is basically how I did it.

I was even able to make the 9:26am bus with a 9am cruise ship arrival into Ketchikan. It was quick to get off the ship. Of course, your experience may vary!

👆 There is a bus stop in Totem Bight State Historical Park. It’s a direct bus from the Ketchikan cruise port! There is also a parking lot at Totem Bight State Park if you want to drive there on your own.

Totem Bight State Park excursions

Princess also offers excursions to Totem Bight State Historical Park.

It will be a combination tour, so you will go to Totem Bight State Historical Park along with other places.

For example: Totem Bight State Park excursion with Ketchikan highlights

You can log into your account at princess.com to see more combination excursions that include Totem Bight State Park.

Or, you can take a look: Princess excursions in Ketchikan

Since I was on a Princess cruise, I know for sure that Princess offers Totem Bight excursions. I understand that other cruise lines do as well.

Totem Bight State Park on your own

You can also do Totem Bight State Park on your own.

The cheapest way to get to Totem Bight State Park is to take the Ketchikan bus.

See more about how to take the bus to Totem Bight State Park.

Is Totem Bight or Saxman Village better?

Both Totem Bight and Saxman Village will allow you to see totem poles.

You can do both on your own, and you can also do excursions to both.

Totem Bight is better than Saxman Village to do on your own, because you don’t need a tour guide to give you context about what you’re looking at.

At Saxman Park, there are no informational signs.

Surely it is cool to see the totem poles in Saxman Park, but you have no background information about what you’re looking at.

At Totem Bight State Park, you can get a better understanding of the totem poles even if you go on your own.

There are information signs posted throughout the park.

You can also get an info brochure at Totem Bight State Park, so you can follow along on the map to learn about the specific totem poles that you see.

You will want to be sure to look for this map since it’s easy to miss.

The Totem Bight State Park map is in a box next to the pay station.

Totem Bight State Historical Park is also in more of a natural setting, and as you walk from totem pole to totem pole, it will be a nice casual nature walk.

The Totem Bight trail is easy and not strenuous.

The Totem Bight trail starts off by going through a forest, and you will be doing a leisurely hike to the coast.

Totem Bight State Park map

Cost of Totem Bight State Park

The cost of the Totem Bight State Park entry fee is $5.

You will pay this at the self-pay station once you arrive. It is credit card only.

The total cost of doing Totem Bight State Historical Park on your own is $9 per person.

You will need $4 for the bus in cash ($2 each way), and $5 for the entry fee (credit card).

If you prepare ahead of time, you can also pay the bus fare through an app on your phone instead of through cash.

Then you can go cashless for your trip to Totem Bight State Park.

Once you get off the Totem Bight State Park bus stop, you will walk to the entry station!

👆 There is a bus stop in Totem Bight State Park. See more about how to take the bus to Totem Bight State Park.

👆 Once you get off the bus, it’s a short walk to the Totem Bight State Park totem trail!

More Alaska cruise ports on your own: In Juneau, you can take a bus to Mendenhall Glacier in Tongass National Forest on your own… as long as you don’t mind walking a little extra! In Sitka, you can see totem poles in Sitka National Historical Park on your own.

See below for totem poles to see in Totem Bight State Park!

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How many totem poles are in Totem Bight State Park?

There are 14 totem poles in Totem Bight State Park that you can see while walking the totem trail!

These are totem poles from the Native Alaskan groups of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian.

I went to Totem Bight State Historical Park in May 2023. Your experience may vary!

Totem poles are not forever, and they can be added and removed!

👆 Totem poles are carved with an understanding that few will stand longer than 75 years in the rainforest climate of Southeast Alaska, but their cycle continues. When they fall, tradition holds that they should not be lifted, but rather left where they lie to return to the earth. The fallen totem poles in Totem Bight State Historical Park are not where they would have fallen, but are still allowing the past to nourish the future… according to the people of Alaska State Parks!

It is easy to find the start of the Totem Bight trail once you are at Totem Bight State Historical Park!

👆 The start of the Totem Bight trail.

1. Thunderbird and Whale

👆 Haida totem pole, old village of Klinkwan, Princes of Wales Island.

2. Eagle Grave Marker

👆 Haida totem pole, old village of Howkan.

3. Man Wearing Bear Hat

👆 Tlingit totem pole.

4. Wandering Raven House Entrance pole

👆 Tlingit totem pole.

5. Pole on the Point

👆 Tlingit totem pole.

6. Blackfish Pole

👆 Tlingit totem pole, Tongass Island.

7. Land Otter pole

👆 Haida totem pole.

8. Master Carver pole

👆 Haida totem pole.

9. Sea Monster pole

👆 Haida totem pole, old village of Klinkwan.

10. Raven at the Head of Nass

👆 Tlingit totem pole, Tongass Island.

11. Kaats’ Bear Wife

👆 Tlingit totem pole, Tongass Island.

12. Kadjuk Bird pole

👆 Tlingit totem pole, Cat Island.

13. Halibut pole

👆 Tlingit totem pole.

14. Thunderers’ pole

👆 Tongass Island totem pole.

The thunderers’ pole was in the totem pole restoration building when I went.

Totem Bight clan house

While you are walking around, you will also see a clan house.

This is where totem pole #4 is.

You can walk inside the Totem Bight clan house to see more totem poles.

👆 Back of the clan house.

👆 Front of the clan house.

👇 Inside the Totem Bight clan house.

And that’s a bit about hiking at Totem Bight State Park to see totem poles!

HAPPY HIKING THE TOTEM TRAIL AT TOTEM BIGHT STATE PARK!