Sitka, Alaska

[gottagoacruzn]

Hi guys, will be going to Alaska in May on a 9 day cruise on Rcl Radiance ots. Here is the itinerary, hope this helps,

 

May 17th Vancouver depart at 5 p.m.

May 18th at sea

May 19th, Misty Fjord at 7 a.m. til noon

May 19th, Ketchikan at 1:30 to 8 p.m.

May 20th, Sitka from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

May 21st, Haines from noon to 10 p.m.

May 22nd, Skagway from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

May 23rd, Juneau from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

May 24th, Icy Strait Point 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

May 25th, Cruise Hubbard Glacier 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.

May 26th, Seward 5 a.m.

 

Have never been to Sitka before an was wondering has anyone been there before, and what would be the best thing to do, such as a walkin around tour, I enjoy takin pictures, lookin at the scenery, so any suggestions would be great.:) Have already gotten a Sitka Vacation planner, an have several books on Alaska, including the Inside Passage Walking Tour, by Julianne Chase Patton. Don't plan on renting a car, so a bus or walkin will do. Would it also be possible to walk up to Castle Hill and take in the views? Have also been to Haines, but that was a long time ago, have also been to Icy Strait once, an have been to the Office Bar.:) Thanks for your help guys.

 

Virginia

[VacationCharlene]

You will really enjoy Sitka as well as Icy Strait ....love the smaller, less travelled towns. I would bet you have looked at TripAdvisor.com which offers the best recommendations from a lot of people. Sitka is an easy to it on your own town. We personally enjoyed the Fortress of the Bears...which you can get a cab for cheap at the pier or a shuttle bus as well. They do such a good job saving these animals....give them your business :D Then get dropped off on the way back to the Alaska Raptor Center which is also a rehabilitation center who also do great work. (Just tell the driver of the bus that you would appreciate being dropped off NEAR the Raptor Center and then you walk on your own easily from there) Then walk on over to the Baranof Brewing Company and enjoy their delicious brews....especially the Sitka Spruce tip....was sooooooooo good. There is a beautiful Russian Cemetery close to town as well that we love to stroll through. After the brewing company or Raptor Center go across the street and take the easy walk back to the pier thru the forest on the well marked trails. Have an awesome time and happy cruising!!

 

I just remembered that you are no longer tendered in Sitka (LOVED tendering there) but now they have a dock. Then you will be bused for free to the old tender dock and that is where you will catch any excursions, taxis or walk the town from there. Easy Peasy

Edited January 2, 2017 by VacationingCharlene

[LeftcoastBC]

I agree with the other poster. Can't add much for May cause it's too early but those that may drop by to read this..

In season it is a nice walk to see the Salmon Run..

[mapleleaves]

Like most towns, Sitka has a web site. You'll find info on sights, activities, maps, and transportation. Look the FAQ section as well.

There is also a VISITOR GUIDE to download.

 

Look down this page for a thread called HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR PLANNING A VISIT TO ALASKA ..... you'll find a link for the town web site.

[Traveling Library]

Visit the Bishop's House and the Totem Pole Park. At the Totem Pole Park an eagle flew under a bridge and then "posed" just above us for his "photo op". It was amazing. Also the Sheldon Jackson Museum is worth a stop.

[SuperCrewBear]

Post #2 said pretty much everything I would have said. :) I was there this past May and enjoyed the day a lot. We rented a car just so we could get around at our leisure but it's not necessary. (I jumped in a taxi as soon as I could get to where they were parked [at the Old Sitka Dock] and headed to the airport - I was in my car and back to the center of town before the buses got there from the ship.)

 

While walking around the center of town we ate lunch at a food truck that had some very good items - if you see it, at least see what they are having that day.

 

I loved Sitka - I have another cruise planned for May '18 and Sitka had to be on the itinerary.

 

 

[TheCalicoCat]

In Sitka, we plan on walking to the National Park & then to the science center.

 

End to end the road in Sitka is 14 miles...

 

In ISP we also plan on just walking around...

 

(We visit 8 ports in addition to Seattle - so some have to be lower key & less expensive.)

Edited January 3, 2017 by TheCalicoCat

[gottagoacruzn]

Hi guys, thanks for the info. Will look into all the info.

 

Virginia

[gottagoacruzn]

Any other suggestions?

[QueenofEverything]

Delete

Edited January 6, 2017 by QueenofEverything

[Sequim88]

Sitka is so beautiful with all the little islands. I'm hoping we don't miss that doing the new dock. Last time we took a ship based tour on an old school bus that stopped at the raptor center and native art place before doing the Russian Dancers show. Raptor center was good as was the totem pole carving and native art but the dancers show was crowded and sort of boring (to me). Then we walked around town and saw St. Michael's Cathedral. This time we plan to definitely do the Bishop's House - mostly doing Sitka on our own.

 

Although not real tall the very prominent Mt. Edgecumbe volcano sits close to town. From Wikipedia about the 1974 eruption hoax:

 

On April 1, 1974, a local prankster named Oliver "Porky" Bickar ignited hundreds of old tires in the crater, which he had flown in for an April Fools' Day joke. The dark smoke rising from the crater convinced nearby residents of Sitka, Alaska that the volcano was erupting. The hoax was soon revealed, as around the rim of the volcano, "April Fool" was spray-painted in 50 ft letters. The Guardian reports that Bickar had been planning the prank for four years, and lists it among the ten best Aprils Fools hoaxes of all time.

Boy oh boy, woudl that have been a sight to see! :eek: :D :D

Edited January 6, 2017 by Sequim88

[chaching]

We also loved Sitka! We did a bike and hike tour which was amazing! We went in the National Park and saw all kinds of wild life. While riding to the National Park we stopped at Stearigen Creek which was totally loaded with salmon! I'm not sure what company this was, but we were on a Royal Caribbean ship that year and booked through the ship. Since it was an active excursion, there weren't too many people. Hope this gives you another idea.

[Jason82]

Sitka is beautiful. As others mentioned, the totem pole park. You'll walk through a lush forest and pass by numerous totem poles. It was beautiful.

 

We also did the Sea Otter and Wild Life Quest with Allen Marine Tours and saw eagles, humpbacks, dear, and sea otters. I especially enjoyed all the islands and mountains we saw on the excursion.