Sitka Guide: Best Things to Do Beyond the Basics
Move Past the Cathedral and Totem Trail
If you've read anything about Sitka, you know about St. Michael's Cathedral, Sitka National Historical Park, and the Alaska Raptor Center. Those are genuinely worth doing — but Sitka has enough texture to fill three or four days if you're willing to go a little further. Here's what most guides skip.
Kayak Around the Outer Islands
Sitka Sound is one of the best sea kayaking environments in Southeast Alaska, and it's directly accessible from town. Baidarka Boats rents single and double kayaks by the hour or day from the small boat harbor. The cluster of small islands just offshore — including Japonski Island (connected to town by bridge), Alice Island, and the outer reef network — provide protected paddling with near-guaranteed sea otter sightings. For something more structured, half-day guided trips push out toward the kelp beds where humpbacks feed in summer. You don't need experience, but winds pick up by early afternoon, so morning departures are better.
Whale Watching on Your Own Terms
The guided whale-watching boats are good, but if you want more flexibility, the ferry dock at the end of Lake Street offers a free vantage point over Sitka Sound where humpbacks are regularly spotted on calm days. The Sitka Sound Science Center on Lincoln Street has a small aquarium with touch tanks (free or donation) and staff who can tell you where sightings have been reported that week. It's a genuine research station, not a tourist attraction, and the staff actually know what's in the water.
Herring Cove and Whale Park
Whale Park is a free overlook off Sawmill Creek Road, about 4 miles from downtown. The platform faces a stretch of Sitka Sound where humpbacks come to feed on herring. Bring binoculars. This isn't guaranteed — it's wildlife — but in July and August, there are days when you can watch from dry land for free what a boat tour charges $100 to show you.
Old Sitka State Historical Site
About 7 miles north of downtown on Halibut Point Road, Old Sitka State Historical Site marks the location of the original 1799 Russian settlement — the one the Tlingit destroyed in 1802, two years before the final battle at the current townsite. There's an interpretive trail through a quiet forest with views over Starrigavan Bay. Almost no tourists come here. The trail connects to the Starrigavan Recreation Area, where the USFS campground sits at the head of the estuary — good birding and the best free camping close to Sitka.
Fortress of the Bear
On Sawmill Creek Road near the blue lake, the Fortress of the Bear is a rescue facility for brown bears that can't be returned to the wild, typically orphaned cubs. Admission is around $20. It's not a zoo — the bears live in large natural enclosures and are well cared for — and the proximity is remarkable. Best to call ahead to confirm hours, which shift seasonally.
Eat Like a Local
- Ludvig's Bistro on Barracks Street — Sitka's best dinner spot, Mediterranean-influenced, heavy on local seafood. Reservations essential. Not cheap but genuinely excellent.
- Sitka Sound Seafoods — Buy fresh or frozen local halibut, salmon, and black cod directly from a commercial processor. The real thing, not tourist-packaged.
- Backdoor Café — Coffee and light food, hidden behind Old Harbor Books on Lincoln Street. Local favorite, no signage from the street.
The Mount Edgecumbe Climb
The dormant volcano visible across Sitka Sound is on Kruzof Island, reachable by water taxi or kayak. The summit trail is about 6.7 miles one-way with 3,200 feet of elevation gain — a serious day hike that rewards with views across the outer coast. You need a way across the sound (water taxi from the small boat harbor, roughly $60-80 round trip) and enough experience for backcountry travel. The USFS Kruzof Island cabin at Fred's Creek is bookable via recreation.gov and makes an overnight possible. This is Sitka's best adventure for anyone who wants more than a town day.
Sitka Guide: Best Things to Do Beyond the Basics
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