Ketchikan / Tongass National Forest, Alaska · salmon run
Ketchikan / Tongass National Forest, Alaska salmon run
Around Ketchikan, the Tongass — the country's largest national forest — fills its streams with pink, chum and coho each late summer, and black bears and bald eagles come to the feast. Settlers Cove on the Ketchikan road system gives the rig a coastal base, with salmon streams and forest trails close by.
Typical run window
Pink + chum August–September; coho August–October
Species
Pink salmon, Chum salmon, Coho salmon
Where
Tongass National Forest salmon streams + fishpasses (USFS) — black bears + bald eagles
Nearest RV base
Settlers Cove State Recreation Site, near Ketchikan (35-ft RV limit)
Plan it honestly
Run timing varies yearly. Note some prime fishpasses (like Prince of Wales Island) are a ferry or boat ride from Ketchikan — Settlers Cove is the road-accessible RV base on the Ketchikan side. Always give feeding bears wide room.
Confirm the run window with the managing agency: USFS — Tongass National Forest .