On the north side of Ketchikan, not far from the cruise ship crowds, Ward Creek tumbles down through a glacial valley, headed for the Tongass Narrows. Gathering the outflow of several glacial lakes along the way, it eventually flows through Ward Lake before beginning its final stretch to the sea.
Surrounded by a rich Temperate Rainforest of western cedar and hemlock and hosting rustic shelters built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, Ward Lake is encircled by a pleasant, well-engineered trail. Educational plaques, spaced along the route, introduce visitors to the ecology of the valley and fine wooden bridges ford the creek and its tributaries. Though a campgrounds borders the lake, we encountered less than a dozen fellow hikers on our two-mile circuit.
In this land of spectacular scenery and untamed wilderness, relative solitude and tranquility are never far away. While those de-boarding the cruise ships head for craft shops, historic sites, tour buses and taverns, those of us interested in the landscape and wildlife have endless places to explore, often quite close to town.
Surrounded by a rich Temperate Rainforest of western cedar and hemlock and hosting rustic shelters built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, Ward Lake is encircled by a pleasant, well-engineered trail. Educational plaques, spaced along the route, introduce visitors to the ecology of the valley and fine wooden bridges ford the creek and its tributaries. Though a campgrounds borders the lake, we encountered less than a dozen fellow hikers on our two-mile circuit.
In this land of spectacular scenery and untamed wilderness, relative solitude and tranquility are never far away. While those de-boarding the cruise ships head for craft shops, historic sites, tour buses and taverns, those of us interested in the landscape and wildlife have endless places to explore, often quite close to town.
