Saxman Native Village Ketchikan Highlights & Lumberjack Show
Overview
Available languages
4 hours 25 minutes
Mobile ticket
Immerse yourself in living history by visiting Saxman Native Village for a look at the rich native culture of Southeast Alaska combined with the action-packed head-to-head lumberjack competition. At the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, you will celebrate a bygone era as you see the logging history come to life with thrilling displays of strength and agility.
At Saxman Native Village, your Tour Host will welcome you and take you to the Beaver Clan House for a traditional performance by the Cape Fox Dancers. After the show, you will visit the Carving Center to watch totem pole carving and paint making. Finally, explore the totem pole park to learn about the figures carved on each pole and their cultural significance.
This tour also includes a scenic drive throughout Downtown Ketchikan. Your Driver will point out significant landmarks and share the rich history of this fishing town. Routes may vary depending on which meeting point you are picked up from.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Travel time is included on the total tour duration
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Saxman Tribal House
Enjoy a guided tour of Saxman Native Village with multiple components like the totem pole park, carving center, clan house, and native dance performance.
Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
1-hour rowdy and action packed show with two teams of athletes competing in a variety of timber sports. Doors open 15-minutes before show starts.
What‘s Included
Private transportation
1-hour Lumberjack Show
Air-conditioned vehicle
Gratuities
Options
Saxman Native Village Ketchikan Highlights & Lumberjack Show
Reviews
102 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Could be better
Helie R,Sep 28, 2025
- Review from Viator
3.00A few communication mixups, poor weather, and possibly end-of-season burnout made this less than an optimal experience for us. However, the lumberjack show is always fun, and the Tlingits at the Saxman Village seemed genuine and welcoming.
Extremely friendly and knowledgeable
Nomad59132230388,Sep 12, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Renice our driver was super friendly and very informative, we really enjoyed this tour . The Saxman village and native dancers were a special part of the tour. The lumberjack show was a great and funny experience
Entertaining!
ELISA D,Sep 7, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Between the lumberjack show and the Alaskan native american dancing and totem pole village, we did not get bored. Very interesting and fun. Enjoyed some silliness but also learning about the culture.
Short but sweet
HankFL,Sep 4, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00We started at 8:45am by walking from the cruise dock to the lumberjack show which was fun and entertaining. Next we were bussed to Saxman Village. To begin we sat in the Beaver Clan house where some rather bored young people put on a show. At the end, they invited us to participate on stage but few did. As one of the few, a dancer gave me her cape to wear. Very friendly feeling! We were supposed to see totem pole carving but no carvers showed up which was disappointing. Instead, our guide gave us a helpful and informative lecture about the totem poles. Then we walked around some poles and got a very interesting explanation of their meanings. The bus took us back the cruise port in downtown Ketchikan, arriving about 11am. In summary, we liked the lumberjack show the best even though it was a bit hokey.
Totem Stories
Melanie L,Aug 26, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00A Nice introduction to the ways of the native peoples of Alaska, the story their totem poles tell. Nice Tour
Great shows.
judiannc2019,Aug 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The Lumberjack Show is spectacular! Alaskans know how to use every resource, make a fun adventure out of it and get the tourists involved in the show. This is a MUST SEE. Saxman Village is a chance to learn the local culture and how the tribes adjusted to changes in the land and environment while keeping their culture intact. Rain was promised and poured down on us. Wish I had backed some heavy duty trash bags to go over my winter coat as we really didn't know what 'bring rain gear' meant. Some heavy plastic bags or parkas for sale would have helped.
The dancing was loud. But...
Linda P,Aug 13, 2025
- Review from Viator
1.00The dancing was loud. But it was their heritage. Guide was not very informative. Gotto meetMr Douglas. Very very low key
Meh.
Voyage02957277053,Aug 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00Went on this tour because it was reasonably priced for what we thought we were getting. With the exception of our informative tourguide, the village dancers looked absolutely bored and unmotivated. The show only lasted about 20 minutes. The entire tour, an hour. The lumberjack show was campy and cheesy but still kind of fun. But all in all I wish I had saved my money for something else.
Hostage in Ketchikan
Robert M,Aug 6, 2025
- Review from Viator
1.00We did not have the opportunity to leave the tour van in Ketchikan town. We were taken back to Ward Cove, and had to take another bus 30 minutes back to town where our time to shop, dine, and browse was cut down to 45 minutes. Terrible experience!
Avoid this company!
albertmY414OE,Jul 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00It was a horrible day and company to deal with. I booked five of us to the tune of £438.55 and was good to go. Or so I thought. Our ship was leaving earlier than planned, and when the cruise company emailed me, I checked Tripadvisor to double check the duration of this tour and figured it would work within the timeframe we had. Unknown to me, as it didn't come into my email inbox, the tour company changed the meetup time by 45 minutes 16 days before the tour. Yet a week before, I received two emails from TripAdvisor telling us we were good to go and to print our tickets and the time on the email/tickets was the original time of 12:45 pm! Fast forward to the day. We arrived at our meetup place, and nobody was there. I went into the tourist information centre, and the woman behind the desk confirmed that we were in the right place. I went back out. More waiting. I went back in, and another person behind the front desk sent me to the back of the building where the tour companies operate from. I spoke to someone who stated that they may have lost track of time. another offered that they hadn't seen anyone from Capefox Tours that whole day. There was a sign in their booth saying they'd be back at 3:15 pm. I then went back out to wait some more. After an age I went back in and spoke to someone else at the back who told me they likely had got stuck in a parade but that the person at the information desk at the front would have an emergency number. I went back to her and she said she didn't. I told her I had a number on my ticket, but we didn't have a phone network as we were travelling from the UK, and could she phone it? She said she couldn't. I asked if she knew if there was a payphone anywhere in town, and she said she didn't. Unbelievable! Tourist information Ketchikan. And so we waited for another couple of hours. I contacted the tour operator, Capefox Tours, to see if they would refund the cost of the Saxman Village. Not even a partial refund! I contacted Viator and was cut off from a live chat. Ketchikan was our last stop. The cruise company - Royal Caribbean had already cancelled Tracy Arm Fjord and glacier one day and Icy Strait Point, another, due to 'technical failures'. I messaged Alisa and got a couple of messages back, one in which she called me Carolyn, which is not my name, and stated they would not be refunding. I explained the above and our disappointment and have received nothing back. I complained. I have a message beside the booking to say that it has been escalated to customer service for a refund but not a peep from Tripadvisor and it is nigh impossible to contact them. I can only say avoid. They are very quick to take your money, but couldn't care less about people. This was a trip of a lifetime for us, one we cannot repeat. How they treat customers speaks volumes.
From US$129.00
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Operated by Cape Fox Tours