Sitka: Alaska's Most Beautiful Seaside Town

Separated from the open waters of the Pacific Ocean by only a few blue tree-tufted islands, the city is surrounded by a dense coastal evergreen forest with a mountainous backdrop. The harbor itself is punctuated with the scenic beauty of Kruzof Island's Mt. Fuji look-alike, Mt. Edgecumbe.

Sitka is the most popular fishing destination in Southeast Alaska. Streams and rivers swarm with salmon from July to September, but halibut fishing reigns supreme in Sitka. Even the whales are much more plentiful here than in most Alaska towns. They converge in very large numbers in Silver Bay and Sitka Harbor in the late fall and early winter.

A tour of both St. Michael's Cathedral and The Russian Bishop's House gives one a very good sampling of Russian American culture. At its height, the Russian empire strongly influenced areas from California to the Aleutians. Sitka National Historic Park and the Sheldon Jackson Museum do equally as well, if not better, in representing Tlingit culture and history. Finally, both cultures are well represented by local dance troops.

It was called "The Paris of the Pacific" during the founding days of San Francisco. Well, "Paris of the Pacific" may be a bit of stretch, but both its age and origin are evident. Notice that the main downtown city streets converge on St. Michael's Cathedral instead of a county courthouse.

Quick Tips:

Must-see sights in Sitka would include: St. Michael's Cathedral, the Russian Bishops House, Sheldon Jackson Museum, and Sitka National Historic Park.

Best Way To Get Around:

The major sights in town are easily covered by foot. With two days, a car may be cost effective and worthwhile if you want to explore the outlying trails and natural areas on your own.

I agree with Frommer’s assessment that the Sitka Hotel is a good family owned budget hotel. It is decorated in a Victorian style that comes off as a friendly and old fashioned. There are sixty rooms in the hotel and none of them are large, but they certainly provided adequate rest for a one or two night stay. The hotel was clean and in good shape for its age (circa 1940). The room layout may vary a bit. The also have cheaper rooms with shared house bathrooms. Only the street facing and uppermost rooms would have a view. Our fairly typical double room did not, but it had a new television mounted in the corner, fairly new linens, steam heat, and a large and oddly shaped bathroom. Smoking and Non-smoking rooms are available.

Location is its greatest asset. It is perfect if you don't have a car, not that you necessarily need one to see most of Sitka. The Sitka hotel is not the Westmark Shee-Atika, but for $50-$60 less per night you will get a basic clean room and a location that is just as good.

The on-site Victoria's Restaurant offers excellent and hearty breakfast and lunches for a reasonable price. For an excellent full breakfast try the Victoria's Special.

Conveniences such as the laundry breakfast. Sitka has many excellent B&Bs all of which are nonsmoking, most of which are pricey. room, location, and a good restaurant add to it's value. It is not a bed and

The Channel Club is housed in a nice wooden building with sea-view windows out on Halibut Point Road. Moose antlers, trophy fish, nets, and shells line the walls of this very Alaskan place. Sitka's finest steak and lobster Restaurant is typically Alaskan: pricey, but good.

It is unusual in that every meal comes with the salad bar. This is not just any salad bar. The variety of salad both warm and cold is commendable. Consider it salad and an appetizer bar. While you are stewing over your salad selections along the back wall, the menu items are posted on separate signs above your head. The food is grilled and prepared in an open kitchen. The steaks were very tasty, the service excellent, and smoking is allowed only at the bar. The prices are a little steep. Menu items ranged from $12-42, but I noticed that many locals ordered hamburgers and sandwiches. Ask about the sandwich menu if you are interested.

It is a little over halfway to the ferry terminal and a shuttle will pick you up at downtown hotels and even take you to the ferry terminal afterwards. It's close enough to the ferry to enjoy dinner and drinks during a ferry stop.

After many seafood dinners, we could not suppress our craving for Mexican food while in Sitka. After asking directions, we walked from Sheldon Jackson Museum to Sitka National Historic Park. There we took the left entrance of the Totem Trail. (From the front of the visitor's center) We paused at Indian Creek Bridge to watch the salmon run, and continued our walk across the bridge to Sawmill Road. We walked another quarter mile to the right on Sawmill Road past a beautiful Russian Orthodox roadside memorial. The restaurant is on the left in an old blue gas station. It was well worth the long walk.

The restaurant itself is in a funky old gas station, though inside it was pleasant enough. The food was as authentic and quite tasty. We also had Mexican while in Juneau and this little joint cost less and had better food. Of course it came with free chips and tasty homemade salsa, and a local Mexican family in the kitchen. I highly recommend the chile relleno, enchilada, tamale combination.

This is a nice little store front bistro is located on Katlain Street where all the fisherman and packing houses are located. I can't say that we ate here, but this appeared to be a very nice place and it was packed when we walked by the window. Being within walking distance and near the Pioneer Bar, this would be a good alternative to the shuttle out to The Channel Club for a seafood or steak dinner. The prices were more reasonable and the food looked very good. Next time in Sitka this will be one of the first places we try. Rustic Mediterranean fare specializing in Alaskan seafood -- fresh -- and hand-crafted specialty foods and baked bread. Reservations recommended. Cocktails served. Credit cards accepted handicap accessible.

Summer hours: Tuesday through Friday lunch 12-3pm, Tuesday through Saturday 5-10pm dinner. Winter hours: Tuesday through Saturday 5-10pm.

Off the lobby of the Sitka Hotel, Victoria's is a fine choice for breakfast or lunch. They had a fairly extensive breakfast menu. The portions were large and the prices reasonable. The lunch menu also looked decent. During the summer they also feature a full dinner menu. Favorite dish is Victoria's Special Breakfast: sliced grilled steak with onions and peppers served with eggs and cheese. This one sticks to the ribs. The portions are large and the food is tasty.

The servers were lighthearted and very nice.

An Alaska Maritime theme is found in the thousands of framed pictures placed throughout the bar. This is a bar that is sure to have a local contingent. It is down on Katlain Street past the Pioneer's Home and near the packing houses and commercial harbor. It is a more seedy part of town full of broken down buildings, canneries and the docks full of small boats and fishermen. The place was crammed with crusty guys in colorful fishing-rubbers. They were downing shots of whiskey and marinating their whiskers in pints of ale. There is also a large bell. Supposedly whoever rings it must buy a drink for everyone present! It is just down the street from Ludwig's if you want a nice meal with your walk. The bar serves hot dogs, sub sandwiches, chips, and nuts.

The Sitka National Historic Park is located in a beautiful coastal rainforest that remains much as it did in the time of the Battle of Sitka. The Tlingit Indians were defeated brutally by the Russians when they retook the Indian town site to make it their own.

The reason most people visit the site is for the Trail of the Totems. This is one of the best collections of totems in Alaska and they are surrounded by forest and coastal views. Many of the totems were original to Prince of Wales Island and were brought here after being shown in the Louisiana Exposition. Some were reproduced by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1940s, and some were made much more recently at the Native Arts Center. (The life of a totem is about 80 years.) The Indian Creek trail bridge is perfect location to watch the salmon run.

The visitor center contains ethnographic exhibits and houses the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center, where visitors can watch Native artists at work.

The Russian Bishop's House is the best surviving example of Russian architecture in North America. Imperial Russia was the dominant power in the North Pacific for over 125 years. Sitka (known as New Archangel at the time) was the Russian colonial capital. The Bishop's House was completed in 1842 and was the center of Russian Orthodox church authority in a diocese that stretched from California to Siberian Kamchatka.

After years of decay, the national park service spent sixteen years completely restoring the building. It was donated by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1969. Occasional services are services are held in the chapel to keep it consecrated. You will learn about smart-house building techniques in the 1840s that largely reflect very modern trends. Even a small part of the foundation is on display to demonstrate the quality of this early construction. The solid wood house was built extremely well for harsh winters, but not so well for a very wet climate. The fine furnishings are original to the house. The small chapel is also quite beautiful and complete with icons and candles.

Constructed between 1844 and 1848, the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel is the principal representative of Russian cultural influence in the 19th century in North America. From 1840 to 1872, Sitka was the Seat of the Russian Orthodox Diocese which governed all of North America, and thereafter it continued as the Seat of the Diocese of Alaska. This outstanding example of Russian church architecture was by far the largest and most imposing religious edifice in Alaska until well into the 20th century. The present cathedral is an exact reconstruction of the original building which burned to the ground in January 1966.

For a small donation you can tour the church and get the "rest of the story" from the local priest. The talks are quite informative. The church icons, golden alter doors, and a huge chandelier were saved from the fire by the townspeople who formed a chain. One man performed superhuman feet of lifting the chandelier which weighed four hundred pounds off its chain to be rescued form the encroaching fire. The icon's themselves are somewhat of a miracle. The priest told the story that they were lost at sea when the ship that transported them sunk in the Pacific Ocean. The icons were later recovered from the beach by church members on the outer shore of Sitka. The Sitka Madonna is the symbol of the city and is thought to have miraculous powers. The church was rebuilt with exacting original detail including the sail cloth which covered the dome and walls. Unlike many larger cathedrals it is built on a human scale.

This small but interesting octagonal museum was built in 1895. The museum is Alaska's oldest concrete building. It definitely ranks in the top three or four sites in Sitka. The core of the museum's collection comes from the Rev. Dr. Sheldon Jackson, a Presbyterian missionary who served as General Agent for Education in Alaska in the 1890s. In that capacity he made annual trips to Alaska, traveling extensively throughout the region. Dr. Jackson took collecting seriously, acquiring nearly 5,000 items during his travels.

The collection of Alaskan Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut artifacts is one of the most important in the world. From the top of the cases and walls are different types of boats and sleds used by natives. The Aleut and Eskimo exhibits contain items you are not likely to find in any other museum. Most of the Aleut and Eskimo items are to the left as you enter the building. These exhibits include: waterproof clothing made out of walrus intestine and the finger mask that women used for dancing. In the center are the oldest totem poles left in Alaska. To the right are extensive Tlingit and Haida exhibits. Items you will see in this section include: the winning entry of that Alaska state flag contest and why it won, Chilkat blankets, and the Raven's head helmet that was worn by Sitka Cheif Katlean during the battle with the Russians. Oral histories and craft demonstrations often take place in the front of the museum. The oral histories are utterly fascinating. They usually feature locals Sitkan's who went to school at Sheldon Jackson and grew up in the area.

Summer hours, from mid-May through mid-September: 9am to 5pm daily. Closed holidays.

Winter hours are 10am to 4pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Closed holidays.

Admission is $4 summer, $3 winter. Free for those 18 and under and members of either Friends of the Sheldon Jackson Museum or Friends of the Alaska State Museum.

The New Archangel Dancers preserve Russian heritage through the art of dance. The group began in 1969 when a group of Sitka women who had an interest in folk dancing also recognized Sitka's growing tourist industry. They saw a need for entertainment and decided to fill that need. Performances are scheduled to coincide with cruise-ship arrivals. Check the dance board schedule (which is updated daily) at Harrigan Centennial Hall, downtown. You can also purchase tickets for Sheet'ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi Dance troop at Centennial Hall. Though it is held at the tribal house near the Pioneer Home on Lincoln Street.

The dancers explode onto the stage in a burst of energy and color. Fire and life best describe the dancers as they race to the rhythm of the Russian music. They skip, both individually and in circles; clap their hands; shout; and use many acrobatic movements that sometimes end in unbelievable leaps, while interpreting Russian and Ukrainian folk dances. The dancers sometimes tell a story; sometimes they seem to dance for the pure joy of it. Vibrant Russian floral prints and Ukrainian ribbons and plaids add color and authenticity to the costumes. Clothing colors light up the stage; radiant reds, bright blues, and verdant greens. A lot of black offsets the brighter colors.

This performance is educational and entertaining, leaving those who attend a lasting impression of the Tlingit people. The performance is held in a building designed after a traditional style Tlingit Clanhouse. The tribal house is adjacent to the Sitka Pioneer's Home. The large structural beams, center fire pit and tiered seating provide the perfect ambience for the performance to come. The performance starts with the smell of burning cedar that is lit during the introduction of the first story. The deep sound of the box drum fills the room as the Tlingit dancers enter with beautiful regalia and the sounds of ancient songs handed down for generations. The narrator interprets the Tlingit songs and explains all that is to be seen and heard. The performance consists of one story and three traditional songs.

It is possible to see both dance troupes in the same afternoon if you walk fast. Buy tickets at Centennial Hall.

The city itself provides one the best walking tours in Southeast Alaska. Sitka has a great variety of trails ranging from easy to brutal. I won't attempt to cover them all, just one favorite. Click the links below if you want information on all the trails.

Harbor Mountain Trail
The road which makes its way up Harbor Mountain from Halibut Point Road. (It is the only road access to the subalpine in Southeast Alaska.) The only time you have to walk up the road is winter (unless you know someone with an ATV or snowmobile who is willing to give you a ride.) From the end of the road at the bottom of a large subalpine bowl there is a boardwalk trail which makes its way up to the ridge above the bowl. From here you can go to the first little peak for excellent views of Sitka and the Sound, or you can follow the main trail around this peak and along the ridge back towards the main peaks of Harbor Mountain. Where the trail gets to the base of the first rocky peak, there is a fork. Take the right fork to go south of the peaks and stay on the trail, which eventually gets to Gavan Hill, or continue straight to go up to the rocky peaks. There is a step or two of pretty significant exposure involved in getting to the top of the highest peak, but it does not seem too bad going up. (Going down, on the other hand...).

Directions:
Drive four miles northwest of Sitka along Halibut Point Road.

Websites with maps:


TRAILS NEAR DOWNTOWN
TRAILS IN OUTLYING AREAS

With all that Sitka has going for it you might ask why Sitka has not become the center of tourism and commerce for the entire region. After all, it had a 100 year head start. At over 8000 citizens, it is a substantial small town. The answer in two words would be: rain and location. Sitka averages 7 and 1/2 feet of rain per year. Fierce storms can pound Baranof Island's Pacific coast from September through December. Our late evening arrival in Sitka was met with pouring rain. By the next morning it was just cloudy, by afternoon we had a little sunshine, by the evening we were again surrounded by swirling clouds of mist. This is fairly typical weather day in the late summer in Sitka, if you are also lucky. Bring a waterproof top layer.

Sitka is the only city on the "outside" passage. For this reason Sitka enjoys a form of splendid isolation. Sitka is an eight to nine hour ferry ride from Juneau. It is a thirteen to seventeen hour overnight ferry ride to the nearest mainland road. Both ferry segments work nicely if you are planning a point to point trip on the ferry of the northern inside passage. These facts will soon change when Alaska Marine Highway rolls out the first "fast ferry" for the Sitka to Juneau route. Alaska Airlines does have daily flights to Sitka on the Juneau to Seattle route. It is also a stop for the major cruise lines, though they certainly don't call here on every sailing. It is 95 miles southwest of Juneau (the one stop that seems to obligatory for all Alaskan cruises). Sitka seems to make a little over half the cruise itineraries.

Sitka is wonderfully walkable. Pick up a map at Centennial Hall. This walking tour will lead to all of the major attractions and many that you may not have heard about. Don't miss the view from Castle Hill, Russian Block House, Princess Mousouktof's grave, the Pioneers Home, shopping for Russian items, and a walk down to the Pioneer Bar on the salty and seedy Katlain Avenue.

The Alaska Marine Highway is the only highway that connects all Southeastern Alaska towns. It's fairly easy to design your own customized point to point itinerary, but be mindful of departure and arrival times. First, decide how long you want to stay in each place. Then, check out all the options on the ferry schedule. Book your ferry before your flight.

RESERVATIONS
If you need to reserve a cabin or you are traveling with a car, it is important reserve ahead. Either will add significantly to the fare, with staterooms generally being the less expensive of the two. This can easily be done at the AMH web site, but make sure you reserve everything you need on each segment.

CABINS
For longer trips they also offer cabins which rent by the room and not by the person. Most have private bathrooms. Rooms with three berths or larger are likely to be arranged with beds side by side instead of bunk style. The Kennicott has many very inexpensive roomettes which provide a private booth/bunk bed setup using public bathrooms.

THE SITKA ROUTE
You get a real bonus with a ferry trip to Sitka from Juneau. You will pass through not one but three narrows. Peril Straight is the most famous and narrow. Olga and Nevis Straights follow. You can often feel the Pacific swell between each of the three straights. These are great wildlife viewing opportunities. We saw killer whales and bald eagles on this route. Look closely at the mouths of creeks for brown bear. Bring binoculars!

Ferry service to Sitka is very regular in the summer, but arrival times are all over the clock. At least one sailing a week from Juneau will arrive and depart at a reasonable hour. We found that the best strategy in Sitka was to arrive on an afternoon or evening ferry, spend the night, and depart on the northbound the following evening. This gave us 24 hours in Sitka, and Peril Straight during the day and the night. These trips on the main line ferries are 8-9 hours from Juneau. The northbound ferries will continue on to Haines and Skagway.

The smaller M/V Leconte takes the scenic route through many of the smaller villages of this region. This is the only way to see places like Tenakee Springs. The M/V Leconte takes 16 hours to make the trip. You will also have to sleep on deck or in the lounge since the M/V Leconte does not have cabins. The heated solarium on the top deck makes provides the best view. Pack your sleeping bag or a blanket. You are sure to meet many locals on this ship.

You can hop off at any of these smaller villages on this northern feeder route and pick up the next ferry. Please note that the schedule is sparse. Two to three days at Tenakee Hot Springs may leave you a little shriveled and bored. Many of these villages are very tiny. If you stop over arrange your lodging ahead of time. Many people just settle for brief ferry stops on the smaller villages in route between Juneau and more major stops such as Sitka or Petersburg.

The M/V LeConte will typically operates on the following weekly sailing pattern during summer months: Sitka - Angoon - Tenakee - Hoonah - Juneau - Hoonah - Tenakee - Angoon - Sitka - Kake - Petersburg - Kake- Sitka - Angoon - Hoonah - Juneau - Hoonah - Angoon - Kake - Petersburg - Kake - Angoon - Tenakee - Hoonah - Juneau - Hoonah - Tenakee - Angoon - Sitka.

In addition, every other week the pattern includes a round trip between Juneau and Pelican. The trip to Pelican is an excellent day trip from Juneau, and you are almost certain to see whales. This is the least expensive whale watching excursion in Alaska.

The bus will be waiting when you arrive by ferry in Sitka SITKA FERRY SHUTTLE provides transportation to the downtown area or to accommodations May-Sept., $5 one way, $7 round-trip. For information, call Sitka Tours at (907) 747-8443. For information, call Sitka Tours at (907) 747-8443. Tours are often offered that will give you a good overview while the ferry is in port. There are longer tours if you will be staying overnight.

SITKA TRIBAL TOURS provides a variety of bus tours. 1-888-270-8687. Sitka Tribal Tours
1 HOUR BUS TOUR: On large ship port-of-calls, a narrative drive of Sitka's historic sites and includes photo stops at scenic locations. PRICE: $10/person.
2 1/2 HOUR TOUR: Learn Sitka's local facts, Russian and Tlingit history and culture during narrative tour, with stops at S.E. AK Cultural Center, Sitka Nat'l. Historical Park, Sheldon Jackson Museum, Tlingit Native dance performance at the Tribal Community House (includes all entry fees) PRICE: $42/adults $32/child.
3 1/2 HOUR TOUR: Includes all of 2 1/2 hr. Tour plus a stop at the Alaska Raptor Center $55/adult $45/child.
COMBINED TOUR: 2 1/2 hr: Hiking and Coach Tour (Starrigavan Trail) Scenic drive to Old Historic Sitka and walk through old growth forest, muskeg, and natural bird watching estuary. PRICE: $50/person.
Email: ttours@ptialaska.net

The Tlingits survived undisturbed on this west coast of Chicagof Island until 1799 when the Russians arrived. Alexander Baranof, president of the Russian American Company, built a fort just north of the current ferry terminal. The Tlingits grew immediately hostile at the prospect of becoming slave labor to the fur trade company. The Tlingits attacked the outpost and killed nearly all the Russians and their Aleut slaves. Two years later Baranof retaliated. For six days the Tlingit village was bombarded with guns and cannons and brutally defeated. This battle took place near the present town site and at the current site of Sitka National Historical Park.

Sitka became known as New Archangel under Russian rule. For almost fifty years the Russian American Company was the most profitable fur trader in the world. During this period Sitka was the European cultural center of the Pacific. It had a cultured and a vodka-devoted population, leaving some vistors to remark that it was difficult to survive Russian hospitality. It had the first shipyard and built the first steam vessel in the Pacific. New Archangel became known as the "Paris of the Pacific" when San Francisco was just being founded. By the mid 1800s fortunes declined with the sea otter numbers.

The Russians sold Alaska to the United States for 7.2 million dollars on October 8, 1867. This cermony took place on top of Castle Hill. Until 1906, when the territorial capitol moved to Juneau, Sitka continued to be the the seat of government for all of Alaska.