Raptor Center and Bear preserve

well, due to our timing of the year, I think these places might be our best bet for a port excursion- which port sre these in,Ketchikan or Sitka? I am a little confused,as they are listed on both towns pages as thing to do.....

Ok... never mind (I think) it appears that in Sitka it walkable for most of it,including the Raptor center, but we will need a vehicle to get to the Bear Fortress- right? That's the proper port for seeing those 2 places.... I am pretty sure.

The Alaska Raptor Center and the Fortress of the Bear area both at Sitka. I went to both last year and thought they were both excellent. Something I noticed recently while watching an episode of "Living Alaska" on television - in the opening they are showing various scenes around Alaska. At one point they show this burly, bearded fellow with glasses and a camo ball cap and he says "Alaska isn't for sissies" - that is Les who runs Fortress of the Bear. A very nice guy.

:)

cool.... I am reading a pdf of wildlife times throughout the year.... says early May is prime bear time...what does that mean? Is hiking dangerous then? and it appears that it's too early to see puffins in Sitka then....

Ok... never mind (I think) it appears that in Sitka it walkable for most of it,including the Raptor center, but we will need a vehicle to get to the Bear Fortress- right? That's the proper port for seeing those 2 places.... I am pretty sure.

I haven't been to Sitka yet but we will there in late May and from everything I have seen the Fortress of the Bear is 5 miles out of town. For us the easiest way was to book a tour that included the Raptor center and the Fortress of the Bear along with one other stop.

I haven't been to Sitka yet but we will there in late May and from everything I have seen the Fortress of the Bear is 5 miles out of town. For us the easiest way was to book a tour that included the Raptor center and the Fortress of the Bear along with one other stop.

These are BOTH great places to see, and an easy DIY as well. We have done the tour provided thru the cruise ships and we have taken the free shuttle from the port to the drop off center and took a taxi that was there last time. There were four of us that went to the Fortress of the Bears and I think it was $20 a carload. We took our time looking around, watching the bears and listening to the great people who work there, and then had the cab come back, at a pre-arranged time...say hour or 90 minutes, and get us and then dropped off at Raptor Center. You CAN negotiate your rides, because the attractions are really not that far and it is easy money for the driver but better for you than being on the bus. If you like beer, you can walk to the Sitka Brewery which has super tasty beers and you can also walk back from the brewery or the Raptor center, as across the street near the Raptor center is an entrance for a nice and beautiful walk thru the "forest" directly back to the ship. Very nice day if you are able bodied to walking some. Don't forget to buy something at both of these places in their gift shops as they are relying on those donations :D Have an awesome cruise!!!!!!!!

We saw both in Sitka last year as a combined tour that we booked through the cruise line. We enjoyed both very much. You might enjoy seeing some of the pictures my wife took for her website at the link below.

Sitka Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bears

We saw a lot of Puffins on a ship sponsored tour in Homer called Best of the Bay. You might enjoy seeing pictures of that tour at the link below.

Best of the Bay

Alaska is amazing! Have a great cruise.

These are BOTH great places to see, and an easy DIY as well. We have done the tour provided thru the cruise ships and we have taken the free shuttle from the port to the drop off center and took a taxi that was there last time. There were four of us that went to the Fortress of the Bears and I think it was $20 a carload. We took our time looking around, watching the bears and listening to the great people who work there, and then had the cab come back, at a pre-arranged time...say hour or 90 minutes, and get us and then dropped off at Raptor Center. You CAN negotiate your rides, because the attractions are really not that far and it is easy money for the driver but better for you than being on the bus. If you like beer, you can walk to the Sitka Brewery which has super tasty beers and you can also walk back from the brewery or the Raptor center, as across the street near the Raptor center is an entrance for a nice and beautiful walk thru the "forest" directly back to the ship. Very nice day if you are able bodied to walking some. Don't forget to buy something at both of these places in their gift shops as they are relying on those donations :D Have an awesome cruise!!!!!!!!

Hi guys, will be on the Radiance Ots, one of the stops is in Sitka on May 20th from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., an have never been to Sitka, was wonderin what tours to take?, Am also thinkin about wanderin around town to take in all the sights. You guys are givin good info about what to do. Keep it up. Sure can't wait to go, only 91 more days to go!!:D Sure will be a lonnnnnng wait!!

Virginia

Hi guys, will be on the Radiance Ots, one of the stops is in Sitka on May 20th from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., an have never been to Sitka, was wonderin what tours to take?, Am also thinkin about wanderin around town to take in all the sights. You guys are givin good info about what to do. Keep it up. Sure can't wait to go, only 91 more days to go!!:D Sure will be a lonnnnnng wait!!

 

Virginia

Last year when we docked at Sitka (at the old Sitka dock a few miles north of downtown) we jumped in a cab as soon as we got off the ship and headed to the airport - ~10 minute ride - and rented a car for the day. That way we were free to do exactly what we wanted. We pretty much went directly to The Fortress of the Bear (except for a short stop at the post office on the way) and stayed an hour or so - it's not very big and you can see all the enclosures from one large viewing platform. A very cool thing are the many bald eagles hanging around there - I was able to take several pictures of one of them from less than 3 feet away. We then stopped at The Raptor Center for another hour or so - it's on the way back to the center of town. Aside from the obvious birds on display they have a cool nature walk (probably 1/4 mile long or so) through a good example of their local forests. We then parked at a free lot right next to the docks downtown and spent a few hours walking around, having lunch and shopping. It was a very short walk over to the Russian Bishop's House for a tour. We had an excellent lunch at a food truck parked a block or two from St. Michael's Cathedral on Lincoln St. - I've recommended them (Ashmo's) several times. Lastly was a little bit of riding around town just exploring, stopped at the large grocery store and had the car back to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Another cab ride back to the ship was around $20. This was one of our (my!) favorite stops on the cruise. Good luck and have fun!

I am absolutely captivated by what I've read about the Fortress of the Bear, and am planning to make a bee-line (bear-line?) straight for it when we dock in Sitka. Hoping to catch the shuttle at least one way, but expect I will want to stay longer than the allotted 60-90 minutes. Does anyone know if it will work to come out on the shuttle's RT but go back on the second?

Thanks for the reminder about buying the items at their gift shops. We found a tour not through the ship that gave us a great price. Should be a great cruise hard to beat a 14 night cruise. Thanks

Hi swmichigan, do you remember the name of the tour that gave a good price an were they vendors on the dock?

Virginia

Hi swmichigan, do you remember the name of the tour that gave a good price an were they vendors on the dock?

 

 

Virginia

Just so you know we have not done this tour yet we will be doing it in May. But the name of the tour is Birds, Bears and Barnacles. The website for them is sitkatoursalaska.com and that tour is described there. They have been great at getting back with us. Sometimes the ships book them so they are not always available for individuals. Bob

Hi thanks. Been lookin at one tour the ship has to offer, its Alaska Raptor Center and Cultural Discovery. The highlights are, seaside scenic views, the raptor center, Sitka National Park, St Michael Catherdral and the dancers. The tour is 4 hrs long, might need binoculars, so...

Virginia

We saw both in Sitka last year as a combined tour that we booked through the cruise line. We enjoyed both very much. You might enjoy seeing some of the pictures my wife took for her website at the link below.

 

Sitka Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bears

 

We saw a lot of Puffins on a ship sponsored tour in Homer called Best of the Bay. You might enjoy seeing pictures of that tour at the link below.

 

Best of the Bay

 

Alaska is amazing! Have a great cruise.

Thanks for sharing! You guys have the most awesome pics!

We also will be on the Radiance Ots, and in Sitka on May 20th. We plan on a DIY tour of Sitka since most points of interest to us are very walkable. However, the Fortress of the Bear and Whale Park are further out and would require transportation. From what I read, there is usually a shuttle/bus that runs to the FOB and to Whale Park on the way but it's schedule is only Monday-Friday. Does anyone know about any shuttle/bus that would run out there on the weekend? I've tried called the local bus but no help. Cab may be our only option on a Saturday, but would prefer a shuttle/bus if available. Just seems like the FOB would arrange to have something available at the dock with a ship in port holding a possible 2500 people (and if I remember right, another ship also).

Thanks,

Kathy

that's a good question about walking and shuttle..... I like the idea of walking if weather permits, how do I find the shuttle to the fortress?

We did the Best of Sitka through the cruise line (Sitka was a surprise port change two days before sailing.) we went to the totem park, fortress of the bear, and raptor center. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2376089&page=13 This is my review from last year and I directed it to where we were in Sitka.

We did the Best of Sitka through the cruise line (Sitka was a surprise port change two days before sailing.) we went to the totem park, fortress of the bear, and raptor center. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2376089&page=13 This is my review from last year and I directed it to where we were in Sitka.

Hey funkat, don't these pictures that shadowmeboy took in Sitka, make you want to go now? Am choppin at the bit for the upcoming cruise. Think I'll be takin the Alaska raptor center and cultural discovery tour, that the ship has to offer, then just wander around town, but who knows. There's still lots of time to decide.

Oh yeah, its been rainin here all day,:) went to the store earlier in the day, an got wet!!:rolleyes: But oh well.

Virginia

Hey funkat, don't these pictures that shadowmeboy took in Sitka, make you want to go now? Am choppin at the bit for the upcoming cruise. Think I'll be takin the Alaska raptor center and cultural discovery tour, that the ship has to offer, then just wander around town, but who knows. There's still lots of time to decide.

 

Oh yeah, its been rainin here all day,:) went to the store earlier in the day, an got wet!!:rolleyes: But oh well.

 

Virginia

Yes indeed!!! Can't wait!!

We were in Sitka about 6 years ago when we did the inside passage on the Oosterdam, but spent most of our time there on an excursion that took us out on an ocean raft to first whale watch and then to a rainforest where we road 4x4's. (Had a blast!) When we got back to Sitka, we only had time to do a quick walkthru the city. Funny, the only thing that I remember about our stroll through downtown Sitka was a jock strap (made of an animal pelt) that was proudly displayed in a store window front. We all got a good laugh from it and even took a pic.

This time, though, I am better prepared thanks to CC and research of where city tours go. Seems everything is in walking distance and easy to DIY with the walking tour map. That is with the exception of Whale Park and the Fortress of the Bear. Hopefully, there will be a shuttle but we will take a cab if necessary. None of us are interested in walking the 5 miles out there. lol Seems with 2 ships in there should be a shuttle running there. I may call the FOB on Monday to see if they can tell me.

Is Whale Park worth the time to head out there?

It's on the way to Fortress of the Bear from what I see. But I would also be interested if it's worth the stop.

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So any firm answer yet on the shuttle? Does it run on weekends also? thanks..... otherwise we'll just wing it and take a taxi I guess....

So any firm answer yet on the shuttle? Does it run on weekends also? thanks..... otherwise we'll just wing it and take a taxi I guess....

I have called a few times and lvm. Even though they aren't open during the week (per website), I thought there may be someone in the office. I haven't had a chance to call on weekends yet. I find it hard to believe that they would not have a shuttle with 2 ships being in that day.

Thanks for sharing! You guys have the most awesome pics!

My wife is the one with the talent. I snap a few pics for the fun of it. Thanks for taking the time to view my wife's pictures. Have a great cruise.