Sitka is a Southeast Alaska town of about 8,400 people on the outer coast of Baranof Island, facing the open Pacific rather than the more sheltered Inside Passage most Southeast towns sit along. It has a distinct history as the former capital of Russian Alaska.
Getting There
No road connects Sitka to the rest of Alaska. Most visitors arrive by air through Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, which has flights from Anchorage, Juneau, and Seattle, by cruise ship as part of a Southeast Alaska or Inside Passage itinerary, or by the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system.
A Russian and Tlingit History
Sitka served as the capital of Russian America from 1808 until the United States purchased Alaska in 1867, and it briefly remained the new territory’s capital afterward. St. Michael’s Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church rebuilt after a 1966 fire using artifacts saved from the original building, still stands in the middle of downtown. Long before Russian colonization, the site was home to the Kiks.ádi Tlingit clan, and Sitka National Historical Park preserves this layered history, with a collection of totem poles and the site of the 1804 Battle of Sitka between Russian forces and the Tlingit.
What to See and Do
Downtown Sitka is compact and walkable, with St. Michael’s Cathedral, the Sheldon Jackson Museum (Alaska’s oldest museum, built in 1897), and Sitka National Historical Park all within easy walking distance of each other. The Alaska Raptor Center rehabilitates injured bald eagles and other birds of prey and lets visitors get an unusually close look at resident birds that can’t be released back into the wild. Because Sitka faces the open ocean instead of a protected passage, whale watching tours here regularly encounter humpback whales feeding in open water, alongside sea otters and Steller sea lions. On land, Mount Verstovia offers a steep day hike starting right from town, with views back over Sitka Sound on a clear day.
Food and Local Flavor
As a working fishing town, Sitka has a strong seafood scene, with salmon, halibut, and herring all landed locally. The Sitka Seafood Festival and other small community events reflect a town that’s smaller and quieter than Juneau or Ketchikan, with a slower pace that many visitors find appealing after a busy cruise itinerary.
When to Go
May through September brings the mildest weather, the fullest cruise and tour schedule, and the best whale watching conditions. Like the rest of Southeast Alaska, Sitka is wet for most of the year, so rain gear is worth packing regardless of when you visit.
