Totem Bight State Historical Park
Alaska State Historical Park · Ketchikan, Alaska
A small state park about 10 miles north of downtown Ketchikan, where a rainforest path leads to a clearing of totem poles and a Tlingit-style clan house on a point above Tongass Narrows. It began in 1938 as a Civilian Conservation Corps project: older poles abandoned in former villages were decaying, so Tlingit and Haida carvers were hired to repair or recarve them, keeping the traditional designs and stories. Signs explain each pole's crests and figures, and the clan house shows the large carved house posts and painted front of a traditional community dwelling. Ketchikan also has Saxman Totem Park south of town and the Totem Heritage Center, which holds original 19th-century poles. In 2026 entry was $5 per person from 1 May to 30 September and free the rest of the year, and trail rehabilitation limited access in May and June.
9883 North Tongass Highway, Ketchikan, Alaska, 99901, United States
Open year-round, 7 AM-6 PM (2026). $5 per person from 1 May to 30 September; free the rest of the year. Trail work limited access in May and June 2026 (check dnr.alaska.gov/parks).
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