Planning a Trip

Getting There

Sitka sits on the west side of Baranof Island, a detour from the Inside Passage for the Alaska Marine Highway System (tel. 800/642-0066; www.ferryalaska.com). Three kinds of ferries come here: the big, main-line ferries; the fast ferry Fairweather; and most often the little LeConte, which is like a local bus, stopping at all the tiny outlying villages, and giving visitors an insight into their island lifestyle. The Fairweather cuts a 9-hour journey from Juneau to less than 5 hours. On any of the ships, the ride through narrow Peril Straits into Sitka is definitely worth the trip. The shore seems close enough to touch, and if you look closely you can sometimes see deer. The fare from either Juneau or Petersburg (10 hr. away by conventional ferry) is $45. The ferry dock (tel. 907/747-3300) is 7 miles out of town.

Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com) links Sitka daily to Juneau and Ketchikan with flights that then continue nonstop to Seattle and Anchorage.

To get to town from the airport or ferry dock, the Sitka Tours bus charges $6 one-way, $8 round-trip. No reservations are needed, just climb aboard and pay the driver. Sitka Cab, at tel. 907/747-5001, is among five taxi companies in town; the ride from the ferry dock is around $18.

Visitor Information

A kiosk in the city-operated Harrigan Centennial Hall, 330 Harbor Dr., next to the Crescent Boat Harbor (tel. 907/747-3225), is the only walk-in information stop. It is staffed by volunteers only when cruise ships are in town, although you may be able to ask questions of hall staff other times. The hall is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 10pm, Saturday 8am to 5pm, and sometimes Sunday. The town's professional visitor organization is the Sitka Convention and Visitors Bureau, at P.O. Box 1226, Sitka, AK 99835 (tel. 907/747-5940; fax 907/747-3739). They maintain a very useful website at www.sitka.org.

The Sitka National Historical Park Visitor Center, 106 Metlakatla St., Sitka, AK 99835 (tel. 907/747-0110; www.nps.gov/sitk), run by the National Park Service, which maintains key historic sites in Sitka, is an essential stop to gather information and learn about what happened here. The center is open daily from 8am to 5pm in summer, Monday through Saturday from 8am to 5pm in winter.

Orientation

Sitka, on the west side of Baranof Island, has only a few miles of road. The ferry terminal is located at its north end, 7 miles out, on Halibut Point Road; the site of an abandoned pulp mill is at the south end, roughly the same distance out Sawmill Creek Road. The town faces Sitka Sound. Across Sitka Channel is Japonski Island, with the airport (don't worry, it only looks as if your plane is going to land in the water). Lincoln Street contains most of the tourist attractions.

Getting Around

The airport has branches of Avis (tel. 800/230-4898 or 907/966-2404; www.avis.com) and North Star Rent-a-Car (tel. 800/722-6927 or 907/966-2552; www.northstarrentacar.com).

The Visitor Transit Bus operated by the Sitka Tribe makes a continuous circuit of the sites from May to September when large cruise ships are in town. The fare is $5 round-trip or $10 all day.

Bike rental makes a good deal of sense in Sitka. Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop, at 329 Harbor Dr., right across from the Centennial Hall downtown, (tel. 907/747-6317; www.yellowjerseycycles.com), rents quality bikes for $25 a day.

The Singing Cabbie -- Hank, of Hank's Cab (tel. 907/747-8888), can drive you around, like any taxi driver, but, if you ask, he offers something more. For $20 to $30 per person he offers a tour of Sitka's Russian and natural history, including a stop at an oceanside waterfall where he pulls out his guitar and performs. Hank's a good blues/folk musician and can really sing.

Special Events

The Starring Ceremony, January 7, marks Russian Orthodox Christmas with a procession through the streets and song and prayer at the doors of the faithful. Call St. Michael's Cathedral for information (tel. 907/747-8120 or 907/747-3560 voice message).

The Sitka Salmon Derby occurs at the end of May and beginning of June, when the kings are running; contact the Sitka Sportsman's Association (tel. 907/966-2281) for information.

The Sitka Summer Music Festival, a chamber-music series that began in 1972, is one of Alaska's most important cultural events, drawing musicians from all over the world in for 3 weeks in June. Performances take place Tuesdays and Fridays, and other events all week. Contact the festival office for information (tel. 907/277-4852; www.sitkamusicfestival.org).

Alaska Day, October 18, commemorating the Alaska purchase, is a big deal in this former Russian capital city; the Alaska Day Festival lasts 4 days leading up to the big event. The Convention and Visitors Bureau has information. The Sitka Grind, a music and arts celebration at varying sites around town, takes place the third Saturday of each month from October to March.

The Sitka WhaleFest (tel. 907/747-7964; www.sitkawhalefest.org) takes place over a weekend in early November, during the fall and early winter period when humpback whales congregate in Sitka Sound. Experts come from around the world to present a 3-day symposium, and there are whale-watching tours, concerts, an art show, a run, and community events. Consider combining it with the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival in Haines, coordinated to follow.