Surrounded by sea and untouched wilderness, the tiny community of Sitka, Alaska, is on Baranof Island in the Alaskan Inner Passage. Sitka is a dream destination for travelers interested in nature, wildlife, indigenous culture, and Russian history. If you’re visiting Sitka, there’s no better way to get to get to know the area than through a walking or hiking tour. You can hire a professional tour company for a guided tour or create your own adventure.
Sitka Tribal Tours offers a Native Natural History Walking Tour. The tour begins at the cruise ship harbor, where an Alaska Host Certified Guide will help you to explore the rich culture of the native Tlingit people and the colorful history of Sitka. The tour includes a visit to an authentic Tlingit meeting house, or Sheet'ka Kwaán Naa KahÃdi, complete with fire pit and wood carvings. Then, walk through historic downtown Sitka to the Sheldon Jackson College's Marine Science Facility, where you can view marine life and even get to touch some living sea creatures. Next, you'll walk to Sitka National Historical Park, where you can learn about the local ecosystem, as well as larger environmental issues affecting the region. Finally, the tour will take you back through town to the harbor. Tours include admission to the Marine Science Facility, a rain poncho, and a one-way bus pass in case the walk is too long.
Sitka Tribal Tours
200 Katlian St.
Sitka, Alaska 99835
907-747-7290
sitkatours.com/hwtours.html
Sitka Tribal Tours also offers a combination coach and walking tour, starting just seven miles from downtown Sitka. The Rainforest Tour begins with a short, narrated coach ride along the coast to the Starrigaven Muskeg Trailhead. This easy, guided hike, appropriate for most ages and fitness levels, crosses through several different terrains and ecosystems, such as old-growth forests, wetlands, a salmon-inhabited stream, and an estuary perfect for birdwatching. The tour includes a rain poncho, bottled water, salmon jerky, and a granola bar.
Sitka Tribal Tours
200 Katlian St.
Sitka, Alaska 99835
907-747-7290
sitkatours.com/hwtours.html
If you’d rather tour Sitka on your own, Sitka Through Four Seasons Online (travelsitka.com/walking.shtml) offers an “Unofficial Walking Tour” of the town and surrounding areas. The tour explores sixteen destinations, each with a brief historical or cultural background provided, and gives explicit instructions on how to reach each point of interest. Destinations include Sitka National Historical Park, with its museum, movies, and ranger talks, the historic Fort Site meadow, a battlefield with several Tlingit totem poles, the Sheldon Jackson Museum, with its extensive ethnographic collections, ancient rock carvings and petroglyphs, and several buildings from Sitka’s Russian colonial era.
