Tongass National Forest Tours & Attractions

Island Wings Air Service is owned and operated by Alaska veteran pilot Michelle Masden, who started flying in 1977 and began her business in Ketchikan in 1993. Island Wings takes the time and makes the effort to help you realize your Alaskan dreams. Share our love of flying through our vast Alaskan wilderness. Experience the freedom of flight over the wild grandeur of the mountains, the islands and the endless sea. In business since 1993, Island Wings takes the time and makes the effort to help you realize your Alaskan dreams. Our focus is the quality of your experience. From the handling of your reservation, to the equipment we operate, to the places we visit; we don't compromise and neither should you. The total time for this tour is 4.25 hours including: the flight, three hours onsite at Traitors Cove Bear Viewing Observatory, and fifteen minutes for the pick-up and drop-off.
Duration: 4 hours 15 minutes.

Experience our home in a comfortable, fun and safe family atmosphere! We created this customized tour for families and small party's up to 6. This is your experience and we can build our tours to meet our clients needs! We have something for all age groups from beaches, totem parks, hikes to local favorite Hole in the Wall. We will do our best! If you have a local store in mind that you want to visit then we will gladly make a stop!

Our guides are local citizens who call this wonderful place home. We offer exclusive opportunities to see and experience the local Native Cultures of Revillagigedo Island! We are always on the lookout for wildlife but we can make no promises just know we working hard! We build our tours to accommodate our guest and we have years of experience. This is your touring experience and we will do our best to accommodate your group!
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes.

If you’re thinking, “Zipline tour? Been there, done that,” maybe you just need to up the ante. This thrilling zipline tour in Tongass National Forest will have you flying through an Alaskan rainforest canopy at heights up to 135 feet (41 meters) above ground. Across several thousand feet of cables you’ll have unique vantage points to look for bears feeding on salmon and watch bald eagles soar through the sky. This exciting experience from Ketchikan is limited to nine people per group so you can enjoy personalized attention from your guides.
Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes.

This is a 20-minute tour that flies out to the legendary 1,500-ft. Mahoney Falls! Fly over Ketchikan, cruise ships, and the Tongass Narrows. Once at altitude, we fly over the Tongass National Forest (the largest National Forest in USA), Mountain Lakes, and the breathtaking Mahoney Falls waterfall. Eagles, mountain goats, and deer sightings are a possibility on this Ketchikan helicopter tour!
Duration: 50 minutes.

Are you looking for a fun, fast, and exhilarating excursion? Then you're in the right place! Get ready to wind through the Tongass national rainforest while soaring over glacially fed waterfalls. Did we mention that we have more lines than any other zipline course in Alaska?
Duration: 4 hours.

Go on an adventure as you explore the deep mysterious waters of island studded sea passages in search of wildlife aboard a rugged Zodiac expedition craft. Your experienced captain and expert naturalist will use their considerable local knowledge of the area to unlock the secrets of this biologically rich ecosystem. You will feel the ocean breeze on your face and taste the salty sea air as you skim across the waves. You will indulge your curiosity as you navigate narrow channels, next to rocky coast lines, emerald forested islands, and black sandy beaches. You will become an explorer, a mariner, an adventurer.
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes.

While in port in Ketchikan, take to the skies over stunning Misty Fjords National Monument on this 1-hour flighted tour. Board a floatplane and fly over the lakes, sheer cliffs and waterfalls of Misty Fjords, a part of Tongass National Forest covering more than 2 million acres of alpine wilderness. Keep an eye out for any wildlife including bears, eagles and other marine life. Tour duration includes a 1-hour flight, safety orientation, loading and unloading time and gift shop time.

• Fly on an incredible journey with breathtaking views of the Misty Fjords National Monument with Ketchikan’s premier flight seeing operator
• With 45 years in business and trusted legacy partnerships with all major cruise lines, we bring experience and knowledge that will make your trip unforgettable
• Window seat guaranteed
• Engaging narration that enhances your experience
• 100% Guarantee that you will NOT miss your cruise ship all-aboard
• Private van transportation including pickup and delivery
Duration: 2 hours.

Join this amazing 2-hour Eco Tour with an experienced local guide in a small group with maximum of 11 guests. Explore the Rainforest on a nature trail in the Tongass National Forest and stop at a beautiful waterfall viewing area. Admire the lush green rainforest with giant trees, cascading creek and moss blanketed forest floor. Journey to the Totem Park where you will hear stories behind the magnificent totem poles and learn about the fascinating Alaska Native Culture. We are local family owned business in Ketchikan and love to share our beautiful surroundings with you. Our rainforest walk and totem park tour allows you to visit 2 wonderful locations with knowledgeable guide.

Duration: 2 hours.

Lighthouse Excursions is a locally owned & operated Ketchikan tour company, and we pride ourselves on providing guests with an experience of Southeast Alaska through local eyes. Our Lighthouse, Totems & Eagles Excursion is a grab-bag of some of Ketchikan's top attractions, with a little something for everyone. Whether you're a lighthouse enthusiast, a history and culture buff, or love seeing wildlife in their natural environment, this tour is for you! We're passionate about where we live, and we love showing it off to guests from all over the world.
Duration: 3 hours.

Come join us on a lovely 3.6-mile roundtrip hike through an Alaska State Park into the Tongass National Forest. Enjoy a small group of up to 7 guests! First relax on the 40-minute scenic drive to the end of the road. Then hike an improved gravel trail alongside a river with glimpses of waterfalls. Walk through a magical old-growth rainforest displaying impressive specimens of Sitka spruce and western red cedar fencing in the trail.

Besides some stairs at the beginning of the hike, the trail flattens out and winds along the river valley below a ridge. 1 mile down the trail, our destination is a stone bench beside a serene bow in the river, where we can pause and enjoy one another and the peace and quiet.

This tour is led by owner and operator, Tongass Teague. Enjoy connecting with him, each other, and the wilderness of Southeast Alaska. Ask about practicing mindfulness! Ask about our endangered old-growth forests and how to protect them!

Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes.

This tour is off the beaten path and leaves the pavement and tourists behind for the more rugged mountain dirt roads in the backcountry of the Tongass National Forest, a local favorite drive. The tour is very rural and gains some scenic elevated views depending on weather conditions. We drive through some former logging sites as we explore the need for further conservation of our old-growth forests if we want to continue to breath clean air and if we want to fight climate change and protect one of the United States largest carbon sinks--the Tongass.

Duration: 2 hours.

This 45-minute tour is a combination of two of our best, Mahoney Falls and Top of the World. You will fly out to a 1500 foot waterfall, with the possibility of seeing mountain goats. Then fly along the George Inlet and up to our exclusive helipad on an 2000 foot mountain with views of the Canadian Rockies and Prince of Wales Island. You will stay on the helipad for 10 - 20 minutes to take pictures and enjoy your surroundings. The remainder of the 30-minute flight flies over the Tongass Narrows, Ketchikan, and the cruise ships.

*Please note, despite misconception, Ketchikan does not have glaciers*

TWO-PERSON MINIMUM.
SOLO RIDERS PLEASE CALL FOR BOOKING INFORMATION.
Duration: 1 hour.

Spend your time in port in Ketchikan paddling through the waters of the Pacific Ocean and discovering Alaska's Eagle Island. On this shore excursion, you'll have the opportunity to glimpse a vast array of wildlife, such as Alaskan starfish, bald eagles, humpback whales and orca whales. A perfect opportunity to explore Ketchikan's beautiful scenery awaits!
Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes.

Come join us on a stunning 4-mile roundtrip hike in a small group of up to no more than 7 guests! This tour is led by owner and operator, Tongass Teague. Enjoy connecting with him, each other, and the wilderness of Southeast Alaska.

Hike an improved gravel trail alongside a forested lake below a mountain. Plenty of spots for picture taking. From there, the second mile’s more natural tread is mixed with gravel, large rocks, and roots as you ascend through an old-growth rainforest displaying large specimens of Sitka spruce.

Learn about some of our flora and fauna and hear about our complicated logging history and what it means for our future. Learn how to protect our endangered old-growth forests!

At 1100 feet of elevation, arrive at the bottom of an avalanche chute (devoid of snow in the summer), our destination. Be one of only two tours a day allowed on this cherished trail.
Duration: 3 hours.

This 30-minute helicopter tour from Ketchikan gives passengers a view of the pristine Tongass National Forest of Southeast Alaska. This temperate rainforest provides opportunities for mountain goat and black bear sightings. The flight rounds five gorgeous lakes that are only accessible via hiking. So if you are only visiting for a short while and want to see the stunning nature areas of Alaska, this helicopter tour is for you.

Optional Exclusive Landing, additional $75 per person: Add a 20-minute landing on a remote ocean beach or lake on Alaskan Native land giving you the opportunity to take photos and enjoy the peace and beauty of the forest surrounding Ketchikan.

TWO-PERSON MINIMUM.
SOLO RIDERS PLEASE CALL FOR BOOKING INFORMATION.
Duration: 50 minutes.

This extended tour is one of the only guided mountain hikes in Ketchikan. And though we are not permitted to go the very top of the mountain, we do gain about 1100 feet in elevation to a high point of 1600 feet at the end of the improved trail, which pops out into the alpine with 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains and the lake and Tongass Narrows below. This tour is only allowed once a day.
Duration: 4 hours.