Seeing Misty Fjords from Ketchikan

By Greg Peters, editor · Updated October 2026

Misty Fjords National Monument is a wilderness of granite cliffs, waterfalls and lakes that you reach from Ketchikan by floatplane or by boat. A flight takes an hour or two; the boat takes most of a day. That choice shapes your whole port call.

Plane or boat

Prices and ratings are as listed on October 18, 2026, and the booking page is final. Both seaplane tours and the boat showed as unavailable on Tripadvisor that day, which is most likely the end of the season, so check again when 2027 dates open.

Flightseeing

SeaWind Aviation flies about an hour over the monument in a floatplane listed as a de Havilland Beaver. The listing doesn't promise a landing, but several reviewers describe setting down on a lake. If a landing matters to you, SeaWind also sells a 1.5-hour flight with a 20-minute stop on the water, rated 4.9 stars from 54 Viator reviews. Bookings are non-refundable except when weather cancels the flight.

Misty Fjords Air & Outfitting picks you up at Berth 2 and flies a six- or ten-seat plane in which every passenger gets a window. Its route includes a water touchdown. No price showed on either listing when we checked, and Viator allowed free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

On a short port call, a flight is the practical choice, and both operators rate 4.9 across hundreds of reviews.

By boat

True Alaskan Tours runs a fast catamaran with a heated cabin, large windows and an outside deck. It spends roughly 75 minutes among the cliffs and makes a short stop at New Eddystone Rock, a volcanic pillar standing alone in the channel. Coffee, tea and snacks are included but not a meal. It needs most of a day, and its ratings are good rather than glowing (4.2 on Viator, from fewer than 50 reviews). It was the only Misty Fjords boat cruise we found with public ratings.

Choose the boat if small planes aren't for you or you want time on deck. Choose a flight if your ship leaves early afternoon.

Weather and booking

Flights depend on the weather, and operators cancel when it's unsafe to fly, so book a flightseeing trip early and keep your afternoon flexible. Read each operator's cancellation terms before paying: the SeaWind flight is non-refundable except for weather. See all top-rated Ketchikan excursions.

Sources

• Viator: SeaWind Misty Fjords flightseeing
• Tripadvisor: Misty Fjords Flightseeing (1 hour)
• Viator: Misty Fjords Air seaplane tour
• Tripadvisor: Misty Fjords Exclusive Seaplane Tour
• Viator: Misty Fjords and Wilderness Explorer
• Tripadvisor: Misty Fjords and Wilderness Explorer