Ketchikan Private Mountain Lake Trek Extended Tour

5.0

3 reviews

Excursion Overview

An opportunity to see a small portion of Alaska's vast untouched wilderness!

Get ready for a stunning 5.5-mile roundtrip hike! This small group tour of 7 guests or less provides the perfect opportunity to connect with the beautiful wilderness of Southeast Alaska.

You'll hike on an improved gravel trail to begin your journey, alongside a picturesque subalpine lake. Be sure to have your camera ready for photo ops along the way!

Be prepared for conditions to get a bit more rugged as you ascend higher. The trail becomes a more natural tread, mixed with gravel and interspersed with large rocks and roots. Many of the old-growth forests surrounding Ketchikan have been allowed to remain undeveloped, allowing for a peaceful experience with nature on this tour.

Learn from your passionate local guide about how we can preserve Alaska's forests, which are incredibly vital to our local ecosystems. Your guide can also teach you about practicing mindfulness in your daily life, drawing inspiration from the beauty surrounding you.

You'll come to an avalanche chute, which is a large crevice running down the mountain created by huge masses of snow, ice, and rock tumbling downward. This spot provides an excellent view of the top of the mountain.

Your final destination is an alpine overlook at 1650 feet of elevation. You'll be rewarded for your hiking efforts by 360 degree-views of the mountains, the lake, and Tongass Narrows down below.

Don't miss the chance to be one of only two tours a day allowed on this trail!

This tour can be made private for small groups of 1-5 people. If you would like a private tour for your small group, please select the appropriate "Private Group" pricing option.

Note: For a shorter version of this hike, please check out the Ketchikan Mountain Lake Trek to Avalanche Chute

Important notes: If you are booking earlier in the cruise season (April/May) or late October, occasionally tours need to be canceled due to snowpack on this trail from winter. If this happens, you will be refunded in full.

Things You Need to Know

Inclusions:

Roundtrip transportation from the cruise ship terminal
Bottled water
Trekking poles, backpacks, and rain ponchos if needed

Requirements:

No minimum age. For children 8-years-old or younger, child car seats are required by law. Please let us know at checkout if you intend to bring a younger child. Currently 2 child car seats are available, rear or front facing.
Maximum guest weight is 240 lbs to account for the SUV's maximum payload of 1300 lbs.
Signed liability waiver
Guests must be comfortable hiking for 4-5 hours over uneven terrain, gaining 1650 feet of elevation. This tour is not suitable for guests with major health issues or injuries and is considered moderately strenuous to strenuous.
Leave no trace: no littering or items left behind.
No tobacco, drugs, or alcohol.

Duration: 4 hours (Roundtrip from cruise terminal. )

15 minutes - drive to the trailhead
1 hour - hike up to avalanche chute
15 minutes - enjoy the views!
30 minutes - hike to alpine overlook
15 minutes - enjoy the overlook
1.5 hours - hike back down to vehicle
15 minutes - drive back to the cruise terminal

Meeting Instructions:

This tour meets on the cruise ship dock - Berth 3. Fully detailed instructions are included on your finalized ticket vouchers.

ADA Accessibility of Tour:

This tour is not wheelchair or limited mobility accessible. Guests should be relatively active in their daily life and comfortable hiking for over 4 hours. Please be prepared to safely navigate across small creeks, waterfalls, downed trees, roots, and uneven boulder steps.

Refund Policy:

You may cancel for any reason up to seven (7) days prior to the date of the tour for a full refund.
Please see our Refund Policy Page for complete details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Transportation is provided from Berth 3 of the cruise terminal. Guests docking at Ward Cove can take the shuttle to the main terminal to catch this tour. Pick-up at Ward Cove may be provided upon request, and further details are included on your ticket voucher.

Guests arriving by air/ferry, locals, and all other non-cruise guests can arrange an alternative pick-up location with the tour operator. Further details are included on your ticket voucher.

If needed, backpacks and trekking poles are available to use. Depending on availability, we have ponchos for those without rain gear, bottled water, and one pair of binoculars to share. Please bring your own rain gear if possible.

No. You will be walking on a trail the whole way. The route may include boulders, roots, and other obstacles to navigate around.

This trail is not high-traffic for wildlife, so large animals are not often spotted. We have seen a deer on the trail once, and occasionally black bear scat can be found. In late summer, mountain goats are sometimes spotted on the ridges above us. Ravens, eagles, and loons are more common sights. This is not a designated wildlife tour.

No. Because the tour takes place in an Alaskan temperate rainforest, rain is likely and can be a beautiful part of the experience.

Backpacks, small bags, and purses are allowed on this tour. Water bottles are provided, but you are welcome and encouraged to bring your own. Please be aware that this is a Leave No Trace excursion. If no trash facility is available on the trail you will need to carry any/all trash with you.

We recommend a warm outerwear layer (sweatshirt/jacket/sweater), rain gear, and hat/gloves as needed. Ketchikan is very rainy and you should anticipate getting wet. Please wear sufficient hiking boots/shoes.

Yes, your guide will have bear spray. You are unlikely to see a bear, but it is an important precaution anywhere in the Alaskan wilderness.

Unfortunately no. There are a limited amount of trails that allow commercial tours in the Ketchikan area. Deer Mountain and Dude Mountain are regulated by the Tongass National Forest, and commercially guided hikes on these trails are not allowed.

With your guide, you will be one of only a few tour groups permitted on the trail for this Mountain Lake Extended Tour.

Guest Reviews

5.0

3 total

James G

On Sep 2024

What can I say. Teague is a great wealth of information and a fabulous guide! The hike was amazing. We did the private version, so it was just my wife and I along with Teague. Gorgeous views, and a moderately tough hike (depending on your fitness level). But the end is worth the wait. Would book again without a second thought. Thanks for the great memories.

Gilberto D

On Aug 2024

It was a beautiful experience with awesome scenery, Teague was a great guide and knowledgeable about the area and nature. The hiking was rigorous but Teague made it all easy for everyone, you can't miss the lake on top of the mountain, truly breathtaking. Highly recommended!

Kathryn S

On Jun 2023

This was my favorite excursion of the entire trip. The hike was spectacular, and Teague was amazing--genuine, welcoming, and fascinating. I can't praise him or the hike enough. We've already recommended him to our friends who are planning to travel to Alaska next year.

$570.00

Best Price Guarantee!

$570.00

Duration: 4 hours

Best Price Guarantee!

Duration: 4 hours

Select Date & Time *

Number of Passengers *

Flat rate per group size

Private (1 guest): $570.00

Flat rate per group size

Private (2 guests): $855.00

Flat rate per group size

Private (3 guests): $1,026.00

Flat rate per group size

Private (4 guests): $1,254.00

Flat rate per group size

Private (5 guests): $1,368.00

Flat rate per group size

Private (6 guests): $1,482.00

Flat rate per group size

Private (7 guests): $1,596.00

Ketchikan Private Mountain Lake Trek Extended Tour

Excursion Overview

An opportunity to see a small portion of Alaska's vast untouched wilderness!