Sitka is a charming fishing village on Baranof Island and is surrounded by the Tongass National Forest which provides miles of trails for anyone looking for a good walk and wander. We have visited Alaska about six times and had yet visit this wonderful community - the itineraries just never got us here. As it turns out Sitka rates right up there in being a favourite. The shuttle bus takes you to a very central visitor centre, go to your right to visit the National Park (about a klm away), go to your left and the town is right there.
We opted to go to the right first to take in the nature of the National Park (yes, another stamp for our US National Park Book). There are many sites to see along this scenic stroll including the Russian Bishop’s House; the Orphanage House where they housed the local native people as they took the children from their families; the cannery which created a salmon fish ladder and then finally then to the National Park. The Sitka National Historical Park is Alaska’s oldest National Park, established to commemorate the 1804 Battle of Sitka. There is a fantastic beach walk that includes several totem poles along the path. If you are here at this time of year be sure to get as far as the bridge where you will see salmon spawning, they pretty much cover the entire breadth of the river, an amazing sight to see. If you go beyond the bridge within a few hundred meters you will come to the Alaska Raptor Centre. We did not cross the road to the Centre but turned back over the bridge to complete the circle path back to the National park visitor centre. Back in town we visited several quaint shops before heading back to the ship. If you are stopping for lunch, you could opt for one of the several restaurants or food trucks, many of the guests did take this option. We were ready to head back to the ship as a Dive in Hotdog was calling me, lol.
Some pics of our day here, hope you enjoy…
Salmon spawning ladder
A very nice walkable trail.
Bank to bank spawning salmon.
Cute shops in town, no big chain stores here.
Rescue training drills just off from our ship.
Ah, the cruising life…
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