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North Tongass Highway: Ketchikan to Settlers Cove, Revillagigedo Island, Alaska
Photo: MARELBU · CC BY 3.0 · cropped

Drives Alaska Juneau, Skagway and Southeast Alaska

North Tongass Highway: Ketchikan to Settlers Cove

Tongass Highway, North Tongass Highway, AK 7 · Ketchikan → Settlers Cove

Leisurely17 mi35 min1,400 ft climbHigh point ≈ 400 ftOne way
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The drive

North Tongass Highway, Alaska Route 7, runs 17 miles north from downtown Ketchikan to Settlers Cove State Recreation Site. The drive takes about 36 minutes and climbs 1,371 feet to a high point of 394 feet. It follows Tongass Narrows through forest, passes Ward Cove and ends at the road end.

Settlers Cove State Recreation Site sits at about mile 18 on Clover Passage. It has wooded campsites, picnic tables, a beach access trail and a public-use cabin, and winter road maintenance is not provided on the Settlers Cove Road.

Ketchikan gets heavy rain.

Along the way

  1. Ketchikan (Tongass Avenue)
  2. Settlers Cove
Elevation
1,400 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 400 ft
KetchikanSettlers Cove
Curves
Mostly gentle curves
KetchikanSettlers Cove
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • Bends are frequent.
  • Ketchikan gets heavy rain, so wet pavement is common.
  • Settlers Cove has an RV size limit of 35 feet.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check Alaska 511.

Questions about this drive

How long does North Tongass Highway take?

From downtown Ketchikan to Settlers Cove is 17 miles and takes about 36 minutes.

What is at the end of North Tongass Highway?

Settlers Cove State Recreation Site, with campsites, a beach trail and a public-use cabin.

Are RVs allowed at Settlers Cove?

The state parks page lists a 35-foot RV size limit.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
Preview it in 3DFly the whole drive over satellite and terrain before you go.
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Road conditionsAPEXWet or dry, ice, fog and wind along the road before you go.
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Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

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Map of North Tongass Highway: Ketchikan to Settlers Cove, from Ketchikan to Settlers Cove