Welcome to the Sitka cruise port guide. Sitka is a popular port for cruise ships. Sitka sits in the Alexander Archipelago on the Baranof Island. It is situated in a bay which makes for quite convenient temperatures. Most ships are at anchor when visiting Sitka and as soon as you go to the outside deck you already get mesmerised by all the beautiful scenery around you. They say Sitka is the most historic town of Alaska. Inhabited for thousands of years by the native Tlingits, the spot of major battle between Europeans and Native Americans, former capital of Alaska for 40 years and 19th century Russian occupation. These a just a few chapters in the history of Sitka. The city has about 14 miles of road and as soon as you have reached the city borders the vast wilderness starts. Islands, inlets, coves, mountains and rainforest are all around you and are home to Alaskas most well known inhabitants: humpback wales, sea otter, brown bear, black bear and bald eagles. Sitka’s scenery might be one of the most unusual with Mount Edgecumbe, a 3200 foot dormant volcano, dominating the skyline.

This sign will be waiting for you at the tender pier in Sitka. This will be your first souvenir picture!

Spot the cruise ship in this picture. You can see that the ship is at anchor in a beautiful surrounding. Enjoy the views while your ship is port. It is picture perfect everywhere you look.

There is a specific mountain that dominates the skyline of Sitka. Mount Edgecumbe is a 3200 foot dormant volcano.

There is an abundance of sea otters in the area of Sitka and there is a large chance you will see one floating in the water like this. But it didn’t alway use to be like this. During Russian occupation the sea otters were nearly extinct. Sea otter fur is the densest furs in the world. The sea otter fur was exported in large numbers to Russia and this would make up for 1/6th of the annual income for Russia.

Cruise Port Guide Sitka – Alaska – USA: at anchor or docked

In Sitka you will find 1 cruise dock out of town suitable for docking and 2 spots in town where ships can tender to. Most of the time cruise ships will tender instead of dock. Check with the front office on board what the plan is for your ship. Both tender platforms are right in the downtown area of Sitka. Find both tender locations on the map above. If your cruise ship docks it will dock about 5 mile from town and a shuttle bus will be provided to get you to the city centre. Downtown Sitka is easy to explore by foot, but you can also opt for several other transportation options. See the options underneath:

Sitka shuttle bus service

For the price of $10 per person you can buy a day pass on the local Transit Bus that functions as a visitors shuttle. Use the bus to get around town and to the following attractions: Totem Park, Alaska Raptor Center, Sheldon Jackson Museum, St. Michael’s Orthodox Church, Russian Bishop’s House, Tlingit Clan House, SSSC Aquarium and Hatchery.

City Bus

There is a public transportation system in Sitka called the Ride. Find information about the lines, stops and price on: http://cfc.org/the-ride-schedule/ and http://local.sitka.com/rideschedule.pdf

Bicycle rental

Why not rent a bicycle for a day and ride one of the many routes around Sitka. Choose for any kind of easy, smooth or rugged terrain. Find the bicycle rental spot on the map above.

Hiking

There are lots of hiking trails that start in the heart of town. Two we could suggest to you are: Gavan Hill Trail: 3,5 mile, 2000 ft elevation Indian River Trail. 4,1 mile, 500 ft elevation. Always visit the tourist information before starting the hike. Check if there is any news you need to be aware about and pick up a hiking map.

Shore Excursion

There are a lot of things that you can do independently while in Sitka. There are also some activities where we could recommend to take an organised shore excursion. There are lots of companies that offer kayak tours, fly fishing experience or ATV tours for example. It all depend on how you would like to spend your day.

Distance from the tender pier

Downtown; less than 0,2 mile from the pier

Sheldon Jackson Museum; 0,6 mile east of the pier

Sitka Sound Science Centre; 0,6 mile east of the pier

Sitka National Historical Park; 1 mile east of the pier

Raptor Centre; 1,5 mile east of the pier

The Fortress of the Bear; 6 miles east of the pier

The following Sitka attractions are wheelchair accessible:

St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Russian Bishops House, Sitka Sounds Scinece Centre, Sitka Fine Arts Campus, Sitka National Historical Park, Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall, Pioneer home ,Castle Hill, Sitka Lutheran Church, Alaska Raptor Centre, New Archangel Dancers, Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi Dancers, Sheldon Jackson Museum, Sitka Historical Society and Museum Sitka National Historical Park, Fortress of the Bear

Free sites to visit:

Sitka National Historical Park, Sitka Fine Arts Campus, St. Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka Lutheran Church, Castle Hill, Pioneer Home, Totem square, Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall, Russian Blockhouse, Russian Cemetery.