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Settlers Cove State Recreation Site
4.8 ★★★★★ 127 Google reviews · Beachfront wedding venue in Ketchikan, Alaska · 0.3 mi to the sand
Mossy forested beach locale featuring picnic tables and fire pits, in addition to camping and trails.
Plan your tour
- Setting beachfront venue, 0.3 mi to the sand — verified by its distance to a real shoreline
- Lodging on-site rooms come up in reviews and the venue's own info — a built-in room block for a destination beach wedding; ask what's included
- Phone (907) 247-8574
- Website dnr.alaska.gov — most venues book tours right on their site
On the property
What couples highlight
“A very nice place for hikers to visit, or just folks who like to stretch their legs out, while enjoy some beautiful scenery.”
“At $15/night this is a great place to camp right on the ocean, with great sunsets, and if you bring your paddleboard theres a nice beach area to launch.”
From the reviews
We were in Ketchikan port for the day and rented a car. We lucked out with a beautiful day. Ketchikan is known to be one of the wettest areas in Alaska. We wanted to go as far away from the crowds and this was at the end of the main road.
This is a great place to explore and get both the forest and beach experience. A very nice place for hikers to visit, or just folks who like to stretch their legs out, while enjoy some beautiful scenery.
Settlers Cove is one of our favorite spots on the Ketchikan road system. It’s easily accessible and offers a variety of hiking options. During low tide, you can walk along the beach and spot sea stars and other marine life we also saw Black Bear tracks in the mud.
It's a beautiful, amazing forest with all kinds of little and big animals like bears and stoats. The camp hosts are very helpful and do a great job at keeping the place nice and clean. The little beaches were beautiful with the sun reflecting off the ocean and the foggy tree line surrounding you.
Getting married at Settlers Cove State Recreation Site
Settlers Cove State Recreation Site is a public beach or park, so a ceremony here almost always needs a permit from the managing city, county, or state parks office — and the rules matter: many public beaches cap your guest count, set ceremony windows, and restrict what you can set up (some ban chairs, arches, and amplified sound entirely). There's no on-site coordinator, catering, or weather backup, so you'll bring your own vendors and a rain plan. The payoff is a stunning setting at a fraction of a private venue's cost. Start with our public-beach permit guide, then call the local office to confirm this season's rules.
