Home Cruise ports Sitka
Sitka Cruise Port: What Can You Walk To?
Sitka was the capital of Russian America, and the transfer of Alaska to the United States in 1867 was signed here — the onion dome in the middle of town is not a theme.
- Can you walk it?
- Yes — walkable from the ship — yes, after a tender or shuttle
- Where ships dock
- Most ships tender, or dock at the Old Sitka Dock 8 km out with a shuttle.
- Pier to town
- Tender lands downtown; the Old Sitka Dock needs the shuttle.
- Typical time ashore
- Typically 7am–5pm.
It is the most historically layered town in Alaska and the least crowded of the main ports, because tendering limits numbers. Sitka National Historical Park, fifteen minutes' walk from downtown, is a coastal rainforest trail lined with totem poles on the site where the Tlingit fought the Russians in 1804 — one of the best short walks in the state, and free.
Tell it how many hours you have ashore and it plans a route that fits — Sitka is already filled in.
What to see on foot in Sitka
St Michael's Cathedral
Russian Orthodox, 1848, burned in 1966 — townspeople ran into the fire to save the icons, and nearly all survived. Rebuilt to the original plans.
Sitka National Historical Park
A rainforest trail of Tlingit and Haida totem poles on the site of the 1804 battle. Free, flat, and about 15 minutes from town.
Castle Hill
Where the Russian flag came down and the American went up in 1867. A short climb with a view over the sound.
Alaska Raptor Center
A rehabilitation centre for eagles and owls, walkable from the park, with birds that cannot be released.
Mount Edgecumbe
A dormant volcano across the sound that looks like Fuji. In 1974 a local hauled tyres to the crater and burned them to fake an eruption.
Planning the day
Walk the town, St Michael's and Castle Hill, then the National Historical Park totem trail and the Raptor Center — that is a full day on foot and costs almost nothing.
What to watch out for
Tendering is weather-dependent and Sitka is exposed to Pacific swell; calls are cancelled more often here than elsewhere. Rain is constant.
All-aboard is not the departure time. It is usually 30 to 60 minutes earlier, and a ship waits only for its own excursions. Plan any route to be back at the pier with an hour in hand.
Questions about the Sitka port day
Why is there a Russian cathedral in Sitka?
Sitka was the capital of Russian America until the United States bought Alaska in 1867, and the handover was signed on Castle Hill. St Michael's dates from 1848; after a 1966 fire the townspeople saved almost all the icons.
What is the best free walk in Sitka?
Sitka National Historical Park — a flat coastal rainforest trail lined with Tlingit and Haida totem poles, on the site of the 1804 battle, about fifteen minutes from downtown.
What is a self-guided walking tour?
A route you walk on your own schedule, with the commentary delivered to your phone instead of by a guide. There is no meeting point and no group — you start when you want, stop as long as you like at anything that interests you, and skip anything that does not.
How long are the tours?
You choose: 30 minutes, one hour, two hours, or three and more. The route is planned to fit the time, including how long you say you want to spend at each stop.
Does it work offline?
You need a connection to plan the tour and to stream the narration for each stop. Once a stop's audio has played it is cached by your browser, but plan for having data where you are walking.
Other ports
- Juneau cruise port
- Ketchikan cruise port
- Skagway cruise port
- Victoria cruise port
- Cabo San Lucas cruise port
- All 59 cruise port guides
A 24-hour pass is $6.95 and covers unlimited tours. Joining someone else’s is free.