The Landing Hotel: Making Exploring Ketchikan Easy and Convenient

While it may be tempting to book a place directly downtown off Creek Street when you plan your trip to Ketchikan, I’ll tell you what: the Landing Hotel is an awesome option away from the crowds and convenient to nature and even the airport ferry. There are many ways to plan a visit to Ketchikan, but if you’re lucky enough to get to spend a few days here you’ll want to stay somewhere that’s comfortable, quiet and convenient.

We’ve got the full scoop on staying at the Landing Hotel in Ketchikan and how to plan your time for the best trip through the Inside Passage. If you have any questions about the hotel or the town itself, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great trip to Alaska.

Why Choose the Landing Hotel

The Landing Hotel is one of those places that’s simply pleasant and comfortable. It’s not over-the-top, but it’s nice and well maintained. The lobby is cozy and there are plenty of books and a fireplace. There is a covered passage between the main hotel building and the second lodging structure, which is great because Ketchikan gets a lot of rain.

What I really enjoy about the Landing Hotel was the overall convenience of it all. A lot of Ketchikan can be enjoyed simply by getting downtown, as there are tons of things to do in the main area of the city, or you can get nearly every tour from the downtown area. The Landing Hotel provides a free shuttle between the property and downtown as well as the airport ferry terminal. This makes it easy to stay here and not need a vehicle while you’re in Ketchikan. There’s even a covered shuttle pickup spot downtown in front of the Tongass Historical Museum.

The other wonderfully convenient thing about the Landing is that it has two restaurants on property and they’re both really good (more on that below). I like that staying at the Landing Hotel with kids was easy and not stressful at any time. Even when it was time for us to leave something as basic as baggage storage and handling, which often feels like a burden to deal with, was very quick and easy. That’s the theme of the hotel: easy and stress-free.

Book the Landing Hotel in Ketchikan here!

Ketchikan’s Landing Hotel Amenities

The primary amenity that makes the Landing Hotel such a score is the free shuttle all around town. Now, they’re not going to take you all the way up to Totem Bight State Park or the Ward Cove Cruise Terminal, but anywhere around the downtown core to the ferries they’ll help you with. We leveraged the shuttle every single day (four days) and it was always fast and simple.

There are also standard hotel amenities for guests while you’re at the Landing Hotel. A nice fitness center is great to have, especially with cardio equipment so you don’t have to go running in the rain. There is a business center if you need to print anything or get sucked into something work related while you’re visiting, and there are meeting rooms too if you’re lucky enough to get to bring a group function to Ketchikan. Oh, and you can’t forget that there are also bathrobes in the room, which our kids are always into.

Dining at the Landing Hotel

I mentioned that there are two restaurants on property here at the Landing Hotel. The first is the Diner, which is open for breakfast and lunch. The Diner is just what you’d hope for in a vintage diner: checkered floors, chrome edged tables, hearty menu. If there’s one meal Alaskans are really good at it’s breakfast and the Diner does a great job, as can be seen by how busy it is with guests and locals alike. The other restaurant at the Landing Hotel is the Portside Pub & Grill upstairs. Freshly renovated and with a solid menu, the Portside is a great pick for lunch or dinner. They also have a beautiful lounge area and bar, as well as seating out on the deck for nice days.

Room Options at the Landing in Ketchikan

There are very standard options for rooms here at the Landing Hotel. You’ve got your standard one queen or one king, standard two queens and then your accessible rooms. There are also some different suite options that give you quite a bit more space and even a separate room, which is always great if you’re traveling with young kids.

My preferred room type in the mini-suite. These rooms don’t have a separate bedroom, but are much larger with large seating areas. When we’re traveling we stay very busy and at the end of the day we like to come back to our hotel room and unwind with a little TV time or just quiet and vegging into our own activities for a short while. The mini suites are ideal for being separate together, and they offer a variety of sleeping arrangements.

Location of the Landing Hotel

So where is the Landing Hotel if it’s not right in downtown Ketchikan? If you’re not familiar with the town, you may think there’s just the tourist core, but there’s more to it, including the industrial area where the shipping and ferry boats come in. I say industrial, but it’s not a gross warehouse district, just the area with the port services. The Landing Hotel is located here, very near the airport ferry terminal. This is NOT a bad place to be at all and actually is wonderfully convenient if you’re exploring Ketchikan beyond the famous downtown.

Parking is free when you’re staying at the Landing Hotel. Not a lot of guests have vehicles, so there is usually ample parking to choose from either next to the main lodge building or in the covered parking garage area. The parking garage actually has pretty good clearance, so unless you’re driving an oversized vehicle or you’ve got a rooftop carrier on your car, you should be fine.

More Things to Do in Ketchikan

Ketchikan is such a cool town and it’s a wonderful place to explore for several days. If you’re only able to stop in for a little bit from a cruise ship, that’s fine too, but you’re going to want to come back and explore on your own in the future. What makes Ketchikan such a great town to visit is the combination of Alaska Native culture and all the elements that come to mind when you think of Alaska: salmon, mining, timber, landscapes. Ketchikan can be a wonderfully active town to visit or you can arrive and spend a few days relaxing.

As you plan your time in Ketchikan, think about how you want to mix up your activities. You can plan tours on the water or to visit different parts of Ketchikan to learn about Tlingit culture or nature. There are some walking tours to dig into the food scene or you can enjoy the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. Do you need a car when you come to town? No, not necessarily and downtown is very walkable, even beyond Creek Street, and there is a bus system that goes to some further away spots. A car is nice though, as that open you up to hiking and traveling around the island freely.

Here are are recommendations for things to do in Ketchikan:

Where to Stay in Ketchikan

If you’re lucky enough to get to spend several days in Ketchikan, there are some fun options for hotels around down town. For visitors with their own cars, you can consider something outside of the immediate downtown area and not need to worry about parking. I will say, there are some cool places to stay just off Creek Street, which puts you right in one of the most iconic Alaskan neighborhoods. You can even stay at the Cape Fox Lodge overlooking downtown and then take the funicular down to the main area. Some hotels in Ketchikan offer shuttle service between the hotel and downtown or the airport ferry terminal, so if you want to enjoy a more quiet stay, you can still easily get about town without a car.