Lighthouse Excursions

14/10/2024

Our 2024 tour season is in the books! Today we spent our last day as a full crew winterizing the tour boats, and saying our goodbyes to all the folks who are packing their bags to head south on to their next adventure.

The end of the season is always bittersweet. During our summer months our business is open 7 days a week, and our working hours can be rigorous, with some of our tour days starting as early as 6:30 in the morning and ending as late as 7:00 at night. While we all truly love getting to show off Alaska to visitors from all over the world, by the time fall rolls around and the weather shifts, we all can feel that it’s time to button up operations and cozy up for winter.

Our many thanks goes to all the visitors who chose to come out with us this summer, giving us the opportunity to share our lives with them each day. Your support for our small, local business makes living in this wild environment, surrounded by achingly beautiful views and amazing wildlife, possible.

Cheers to 2024, and we hope to see you again next year!

13/10/2024

Meet Our Crew: Capt Kyle

Capt Kyle has been a Captain with us since 2018. While you’ll most commonly meet him at the helm of one of our boats as your tour captain, our captains help maintain our vessels “under the hood” both during the tour season and in the off-season, so he has a thorough working knowledge of our vessels that goes well beyond just the operations of the boat. A true Ketchikan local, he grew up exploring the waterways surrounding our island home, and brings all the perspective of many years living and working in Alaska to visitors of our community. We asked him some questions:

▪️Q: What is the best part about working at Lighthouse Excursions?
▪️A: You get to spend each day out on the water, seeing daily wildlife that some only get to experience once in a lifetime. 

▪️Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Southeast Alaska?
▪️A: The access to the remote wilderness. It’s something I didn’t appreciate when I was younger, but I now find great beauty in the fact a quick hike or boat ride can take you to some of the most breathtaking places you just don’t find anywhere else.

▪️Q: What is your best piece of advice for someone visiting Alaska for the first time?
▪️A: Be present. I encourage visitors to make sure they get their photos, but you never know when you might come back this way, so make sure you spend some time here while you’re actually here. 

When Capt Kyle isn’t showing his home to visitors from all over the world from the water, he loves performing around town in various bands and participating in productions with our local theater troupe, First City Players, with his girlfriend, Jillian. He and Jillian are also in the middle of rebuilding a classic yacht they purchased in Seattle and brought home through Alaska’s Inside Passage.

12/10/2024

Yesterday we ran our last official tour of the 2024 season. The weather was absolutely gorgeous - sunshine and flat calm waters - and the guests and crew were all in good spirits. We simply couldn’t have planned it better if we tried!

Photo Credit: Capt Jeff & Brandy

12/10/2024

Meet Our Crew: Capt Kelsey

Capt Kelsey has the longest history of any crew member with our company, dating back over a decade to when she first worked as a Dock Rep in 2012. From there, she went on to serve as a Deckhand and eventually accrued enough sea time to earn her Merchant Mariner Credential. She has now been a Captain with us since 2018. If you’ve ever been on one of her tours, you know it as well as we do: Capt Kelsey is an expert mariner, adept at navigating our wild coastline and providing a truly local experience for our guests! We asked her some questions:

▪️Q: What is the best part about working at Lighthouse Excursions?
▪️A: The crew! And being out on the water.

▪️Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Southeast Alaska?
▪️A: Close knit communities and easy access to remote wilderness.

▪️Q: What is your best piece of advice for someone visiting Alaska for the first time?
▪️A: Shop local!

When Capt Kelsey isn’t behind the helm of a tour boat, she dabbles in creative projects, home renovations, kayaking, and exploring the beaches at low tide. 

11/10/2024

Meet Our Crew: Brandy

While Brandy spends her off-seasons in Austin, Texas, she first joined our company last season as our Dockside Manager in our little dockside office, and quickly proved she has some real chops for the Alaska tourism industry. She’s now served as our Tour Operations Manager throughout the 2024 season, and will be returning again next year to continue her role with us. Metaphorically speaking, we think of Brandy as the glue that binds all of our daily tour operations together. Not only does she welcome guests and crew each day to our private dock, she’s also instrumental in ensuring all of our back-end operations are running smoothly, with everything from keeping a detailed eye on daily schedules and tour bookings to ordering supplies and restocking all of our back-up inventory multiple times a week. She also pinch hits as a Dock Rep, Van Driver, or Deckhand whenever it’s needed. We asked her some questions:

▪️Q: What is the best part about working at Lighthouse Excursions?
▪️A: I’ve really enjoyed getting to meet all the new crew. It’s also been fun getting to be out on the boats learning how to drive them! 

▪️Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Southeast Alaska?
▪️A: Getting to see all the amazing wildlife on a daily basis! I don’t know a lot of people who could say they see eagles in their grocery parking lot, or a moon jelly bloom or orcas right outside their office.

▪️Q: What is your best piece of advice for someone visiting Alaska for the first time?
▪️A: Besides carrying layers in case it rains, I’ve learned to always carry a good pair of binoculars. Wildlife is everywhere and carrying around some binoculars ensures you have a good chance at seeing any wildlife that may appear.

When Brandy isn’t keeping all of us in line at the dock, she loves to go tide pooling and enjoys the amazing sunsets that southeast Alaska has to offer. If the sun’s out you’ll probably find her out on the beach tide pooling or sunbathing!

11/10/2024

It’s the last official tour day for our 2024 season and the nostalgia is already starting to rush in! Just 6 months ago we brought together a crew of both seasoned (returning) staff and newbies ready to experience their first tour season in Alaska.

By the time it’s the end of the season, tour operations could occur almost through muscle memory, with all members of our team fully skilled for the last several months at facilitating their part of the experience we provide to the visitors to our community. It’s also the time of year we get to reflect on both all the successes and opportunities for growth that each season brings. Because if there’s one thing we can say about operating a small business, it’s that it’s never exactly the same each year… or even each day!

10/10/2024

Meet Our Crew: Carl

Carl has been on our crew since 2018, when he first joined us from his home state of Montana as a relief deckhand in our fall shoulder season. He has since occupied the role of our company Van / Shuttle Driver during the early spring and late fall for the last several years. We appreciate the attention Carl gives both of our vans, keeping them meticulously clean for guests joining our tour, and his commitment to providing high-quality narration to guests during their time with him. We asked him some questions:

▪️Q: What is the best part about working at Lighthouse Excursions?
▪️A: I love the delightful and hard-working fellow crew members. I also enjoy interacting with guests, who are full of surprises, and giving narrations about Ketchikan, its history, culture, and points of interest. Best employer I’ve ever had!

▪️Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Southeast Alaska?
▪️A: There are many such things: its incredible natural beauty; living close to the water and in the heart of vast wilderness; best fishing and sunny days (when and if they happen) in the world; all the wildlife (bears, whales, eagles, orcas, etc.); the presence of Native culture; and Ketchikan’s history, sense of place and community feel.

▪️Q: What is your best piece of advice for someone visiting Alaska for the first time?
▪️A: If I learned one thing when I was a Boy Scout for two weeks that was: Be prepared! Be prepared for the weather with high-quality rain gear and for rapid changes in the weather, know that the wilderness is alluring but can be dangerous, know how to behave around bears and other wildlife. Finally, get out on the water or the hiking trails every chance you get.

When Carl is not transiting guests to or from our private dock, he likes to hike, fish, sit on the beach watching the tides and enjoying the view, write, read, listen to music or podcasts, converse, exercise, meditate, watch Netflix or sports, and grouse about the Minnesota Twins.

30/09/2024

Meet Our Crew: Rilla

Rilla has been traveling from her home state of Montana to work with us in Ketchikan during our shoulder seasons since 2018. While she first started out as a relief deckhand, she has occupied the role of full-time Lead Dock Rep in the early spring and late fall for the last several years. She is often the first friendly face our guests meet on the cruise ship pier, connecting guests with our tour transportation and providing them with an introduction to our small, locally owned and operated tour company. We especially appreciate Rilla’s attention to detail and her ability to think quickly on her feet. We asked her some questions:

▪️Q: What is the best part about working at Lighthouse Excursions?
▪️A: Working with a great crew and outstanding employers, meeting very interesting people every single day, and being outdoors.

▪️Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Southeast Alaska?
▪️A: Living in a close-knit, multi-generational community and being able to watch marine wildlife, especially the humpbacks and orcas that pass through the area.

▪️Q: What is your best piece of advice for someone visiting Alaska for the first time?
▪️A: Invest in good quality raingear so you can enjoy being outside, even on the rainiest of days.

When Rilla is not on the pier welcoming guests to our community, she likes to hike, bike, garden, knit, crochet, read, write, listen and dance to live music, and sit by rivers, streams, lakes, or the ocean—taking in the peace of wild places.

23/09/2024

Meet Our Crew: Ty

Ty joined us this year for his first season in Alaska as a Deckhand on board our tour boats. Ty brings with him a genuine sense of adventure and a curiosity for the wild environment around him, diving headfirst into the Alaska lifestyle from the start. If you’ve had a chance to connect with him on our tour, we’re sure he’s been able to share with you what it’s like to take full advantage of living on a remote island in Alaska, because he hasn’t stopped getting out there since his arrival this April. We asked him some questions:

▪️Q: What is the best part about working at Lighthouse Excursions?
▪️A: Being provided the opportunity to live in Alaska! LEX has made this an incredible introduction to this great state. 

▪️Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Southeast Alaska?
▪️A: Having access to the largest temperate rainforest forest in the world! The Tongass has so much to offer.

▪️Q: What is your best piece of advice for someone visiting Alaska for the first time?
▪️A: Embrace the outdoors.

When Ty isn’t donning his deckhand hat with us here at Lighthouse Excursions, he loves to explore. From kayaking our coast to mountain summits, he says there’s always something new to discover.

09/09/2024

Meet Our Crew: Beaux

Beaux joined us this year for his first tour season in Alaska as one of our deckhands, and he’s been an absolute delight to have on our crew. While he grew up in Illinois, he’s more recently lived in Georgia, California, and Washington state, so he’s had the advantage of seeing several different corners of the U.S. (We also have it on good authority he officially caught the Ketchikan bug, and will be making himself a local this winter!) Beaux always brings a positive attitude and a genuine curiosity for learning new things to each day at work, which he shares with both his coworkers and our guests. We asked him some questions:

▪️Q: What is the best part about working at Lighthouse Excursions?
▪️A: I adore getting to see the eaglets and baby seals grow each day! But I think the most spectacular thing I’ve seen are watching the humpbacks bubble feed. 

▪️Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Southeast Alaska?
▪️A: Everyone in Ketchikan is friendly and welcoming, so willing to share and teach what they know. I’ve especially loved the creative community that is so vibrant here. The tide pools here are incredible as well, I’ve seen more nudibranchs, sea stars, chitons and anemones here than any other beach I’ve been to!

▪️Q: What is your best piece of advice for someone visiting Alaska for the first time?
▪️A: Bring clothes for every type of weather - especially wet weather! Also check out the beaches at low tides there are some really neat creatures to find. 

When Beaux isn’t showing guests from all over the world our beautiful rainforest home, he loves hiking, kayaking, and camping. Drawing, printmaking and wood burning are also some of his favorite hobbies.

06/09/2024

Came into work to see one of the best sunrises of the season. The sky was so full of color! 🌄

📷 Credit:

02/09/2024

We invite you to share in this absolutely heartwarming reunion of two of our community members with their dogs, who were still missing after a full week since the landslide that has rocked Ketchikan to the core. Bring out the tissues, because this one is a tear-jerker!

We continue to be so incredibly proud to live alongside the amazing team of first responders who work on behalf of all of us each and every day, and all the many members of our community who are rallying together so we can all get back on our feet. Even amidst great tragedy we are continually reminded Ketchikan is truly a special place, and we are so grateful to call it home.

27/08/2024

We suspended operations from downtown again today to continue in helping relieve some of the traffic congestion through the affected landslide area. With our crew standing by these last few days, we decided it was well worth taking advantage of the beautiful weather today to give our tour vessels some extra TLC and bring us all together again.

Our hearts are still with the many community members and first responders directly impacted by Sunday’s disaster. We have been so heartened to see all the many Ketchikanites continuing to rally during a time of great need.

Also many thanks to our amazing crew, who have all been so supportive and understanding of our decision these past two days.

27/08/2024

Are you looking for a way to aid our community, especially those directly
impacted by the devastating landslide? Local bank First Bank has set up two different donation accounts you can contribute to. Any amount will help! See details below:

For 100 years, First Bank has been proudly providing financial services to Southeast Alaska.

26/08/2024

Ketchikan experienced a devastating landslide late this afternoon, which has affected roadways, downed power lines, and destroyed homes. We have elected to cancel all of our tour operations tomorrow that require transport to and from our dock in Ward Cove and the downtown area. While we are a small company, we hope a handful fewer busses on the road will help alleviate some of the congestion while crews continue to clean up the affected area.

Our hearts are with all of our many community members and the response teams impacted by this terrible natural disaster. Stay safe out there, Ketchikan!

25/08/2024

Meet Our Crew: Nick

Nick joined us this year from Minnesota, trading life in the Midwest for a summer in Southeast Alaska. You’ll most commonly meet Nick on board one of our tour boats, where he works as one of our Deckhands. He also quickly embraced the maritime culture of his new home, taking every opportunity on his days off to explore the waters around Ketchikan, whether by kayak or small boat, so he already has many stories of Southeast Alaskan adventures to share!

▪️Q: What is the best part about working at Lighthouse Excursions?
▪️A: Being out on the water. It is exciting to go to work knowing that I will see amazing wildlife!

▪️Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Southeast Alaska?
▪️A: Breathing the fresh Alaskan air.

▪️Q: What is your best piece of advice for someone visiting Alaska for the first time?
▪️A: Follow your interests. There is something in Alaska for everyone. If you do the research and bring your passion, Alaskans are more than willing to share their knowledge and experience with you.

When Nick isn’t slinging hot chocolate, he likes to fish in the ocean, fresh water lakes, and streams around Ketchikan. Guests have even gotten to watch him pull in a halibut from a skiff as one of our tour boats passed by him out fishing on a day off… He seems to go out fishing any chance he can get!

24/08/2024

At Lighthouse Excursions, we and our crew this morning had a truly authentic misty Southeast Alaskan day to practice their skills.

Safety is always our top priority, so all crew run regular drills on board our different vessels each month, ensuring we are well prepared for any emergency scenario while out on the water.

📷 Captain