Fishing & Outdoor Activities in Ketchikan, Alaska

Why Do Guests Choose Almost Home Vacation Rentals?

That’s a great question! The first thing that comes to mind is my husband, Darrell, and I enjoy sharing the beauty and wonders of Alaska with people visiting our area. We moved to Alaska in September, 1975, from Imperial Valley, California, where the temperature was 118 degrees on the day we left. We were on a true adventure when we sold everything and packed our 4×4 truck and 23’ Prowler travel trailer and headed to parts unknown. After catching the ferry in Prince Rupert, B.C. Canada, we visited cities throughout the Inside Passage arriving in Anchorage, Alaska, in late September. Four months later, Darrell was offered a job on Annette Island Indian Reservation just south of Ketchikan by GTE Telephone Company. So we retraced our tracks and wound up on Annette Island. We lived there for about five years when we decided it was time to move our family to Ketchikan.

In 1986, we decided to outfit one of our apartments to house fishermen, thus began a new and exciting occupation. We chose the name Almost Home as we want our guests to feel at home in our properties with the amenities they need to be comfortable and have what they need to enjoy their visit. We started with one apartment which we expanded to a 3-bedroom, 2-bath apartment and added a second apartment which is a 2-bedroom, 1-bath unit. We call this property Totem Bight Inn and it is on D1 Loop Road across from Totem Bight State Park. In 2019, we passed this property to our son and his wife to manage.

In 1992, we purchased property on Knudson Cove Road that overlooks Knudson Cove Marina. We remodeled the house and turned it into a duplex with a 3-bedroom, 2-bath downstairs and a 1-bedroom, 1-bath upstairs. This property is called Knudson Cove Retreat.

In 2006, we subdivided the Knudson Cove property into 3 lots. Since we had several large groups of ten men coming, we decided to build a 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom vacation rental to house them in one unit with two men to a room. We named this unit Knudson Cove Lodge. Some of our groups have been coming over 20 years!

Our properties are outfitted and furnished with just about everything you need to feel “almost home”! The kitchens are well-appointed and stocked with staples and condiments, gas barbecue grills, HE washer and dryers, HDTV with movie channels (some with TiVo) and more. Please see the listings for the individual properties for more details.

In December, 2017, we completed the construction of our new home on the third lot and moved in. Waking up each morning and looking out on the water and horizon is something we cherish. We invite you to come stay with us and enjoy the things we enjoy.

– Wanda & Darrell Vandergriff