Sitka , Alaska - Cruise Port Guide
St Michaels Cathedral,Sitka
Sitka , Alaska USA - what to do on a day in port
Sitka, on the Pacific Coast of Barenof Island in Alaska, is one of the more unusual Cruise ports to visit featured on an Alaskan itinerary. Originally built by Russian traders in the early 1800’s, when it was known as the city of ‘New Archangel’, Sitka has a very different feel to the wild west, gold rush, mining towns that form most of the other ports of call in Alaska. It is definitely worth a visit if you get the chance!!
Baranof Island in the Tongrass National Forest
Baranof Island
is mainly covered by the huge Tongrass National Forest – the island is 100 miles long but the the coast road only extends about seven miles on either side of the town! Looming over Sitka from across the sound is Mount Edgecumbe, an extinct volcano and bird sanctuary, which looks eerily like Mount Fuji. Smaller, heavily wooded, islands fill the channel and some of the most popular excursions are out on the water – fishing, whale watching, kayaking or visiting the puffins on Mount Edgecumbe.
Shuttle pier at Crescent Harbour
Nate had been up since 5.00 baking his cookies for todays visitors!
Cruise Terminals
Larger ships moor at the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal about five miles from town. There is a small shopping mall with a restaurant and you can pickup a free shuttle bus, a service provided by the town council. The five mile journey takes about ten minutes and the bus stop is central, right outside the Sitka Historical Museum in Harrigan Hall, on the edge of Crescent Harbor.
Smaller ships can moor out in Sitka Sound and use tenders to bring people in to the same point. Tour companies, local buses and taxis are all available at Crescent Harbor as well as a small market – where all the stalls are very professionally run by local kids, selling homemade gifts and food items.
Definitely worth a visit for the cookies alone!
The ‘Fortress of the Bear’ is about five miles on the opposite side of town to the Cruise Terminal and is accessible by ships tour, local bus or taxi but most other attractions are easily done on your own using the free shuttle bus into town. While waiting for a return shuttle you will find the Sitka Historical Museum well worth a short visit.
Sitka, viewed from the Totem Park
Musical instruments in the park – fun for kids and adults alike!
In fact the whole town centre is very flat and compact so it is accessible and very easy to explore on your own. Baranof Castle, the Russian Bishops House, the Sheldon Jackson Museum, the Raptor Centre and the Sitka Totem Park are all within a half hour walk of the shuttle drop off point.
If you are travelling with kids a walk around Crescent Harbor will bring you to Sika’s musical play park – full of colourful instruments and drums as well as the more conventional climbing frames and slides, it is definitely somewhere for the kids to run off steam! Further on you will find the Sitka Sound Science Centre, – five aquariums, touch tanks, a killer whale skeleton and a salmon hatchery give kids a real hands on experience!
One of the Totem Poles in the park
Sitka Totem Park
Sitka Spuce are often used for ships masts because they grow so straight and tall.
Sitka was originally home to the First Nations Tlingit people. They fought a huge battle against the Russians, from their fort built of sapling Sitka spruce tree.
This historical site is honoured in an area of the temperate Tongrass rainforest which is now preserved as the Totem National Park.
The park also houses 18 Tlingit and Haida totem poles which collected from all over Alaska. They were ‘gifted‘ by the First Nations people in order to be exhibited at the 1904 Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri. Sadly after the show it was discovered that no-one had bothered to record which totem came from which location so they were all relocated here rather than being returned to their original homes. They now look out across Sitka Sound and Indian River – there is an excellent free app and information trail that gives information on the individual Totems. The whole area is very atmospheric and definitely worth a visit.
One of the beautiful Icons in the Cathedral
The Russian Connection
Aleut Gospel in the Cathedral
Whereas the free museums at Harrigan Centennial Hall and on the Sheldon Jackson Campus focus on the history of the First Nations Tlingit people, the Russian heritage of Sitka is examined in a free museum on the ground floor of Russian Bishop’s House.
Here you can learn the story of the Russian traders who built the town you see today. As well as the museum there is hourly guided tour to see the upper floor of the house.
For me the most evocative building showing the towns Russian heritage is St Michaels Cathedral.
This onion domed, green tiled, icon filled building is on Lincoln Street - not far from the shuttle drop-off. The Cathedral is still used for daily service and is full of icons and other fascinating items relating to the Russian occupation of the island. I was particularly interested by the Aleut Gospel which is in Russian on one page and in the Aleut language on the page opposite.
International Music Festival
In June the town hosts the internationally renowned, annual Sitka Summer Music Festival.
Sitka Music Festival
We were lucky enough to fall across an amazing FREE lunchtime concert with two absolutely world class cellists and a local ballet dancer! Our trip to the hall was by shuttle bus, feet and serendipity – we certainly weren’t actually looking for a classical concert, but fell across it completely by accident! Afterwards we spoke to another couple from the ship who had paid for a ships excursions - $59 each for the coach trip into town and tickets to the concert. the shuttle and concert hadn’t cost us a penny, although to be fair they got a coffee and we didn’t!
The festival takes place in various locations around the town including Sheldon Jackson College, which itself is the base for the Sitka Fine Arts summer camp. The college also houses a museum covering its dark past as a boarding school for First Nations children, many of whom were forcibly removed from their families in order to be educated there.
Shopping
One of the any lovely craft shops in town
it is worth mentioning that shopping is very different inSitka to other Alaskan ports, with shops showing a strong Russian influence with lots of furs and babushka dolls. You will not see most of this anywhere else so buy while you’re there!
It is worth mentioning that we were very impressed by the efforts that the town was making to interact with cruise passengers - almost every street corner had a pitch set up for a locally made jewellery stall, art exhibition or a hotdog stand. There were a lot of lovely local craft items for sale around the town.
Cruise Addicted View
We really liked Sitka and ran out of time to see all we wanted to – go if you get the chance and think carefully before booking any guided tours from the ship!
If we’ve encouraged you to visit Sitka you can search for your own adventure here and don’t forget to check for other ports on your itinerary of the full list of CRUISE ADDICTED PORT GUIDES
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