Hotels

In addition to the places listed, you'll find superclean rooms with many amenities in a quiet building downtown at the Super 8 Sitka, 404 Sawmill Creek Blvd. (tel. 800/800-8000 for reservations, or 907/747-8804; www.super8.com).

To save money, choose a B&B. The Sitka Convention and Visitors Bureau (tel. 907/747-5940; www.sitka.org) has links to many B&Bs on its website and can send you a printed list as well. Here are two good options: Sitka Woodside Lodging, 411 Wortman Loop (tel. 907/747-8287; www.woodsidelodging.com), with comfortable rooms for $85 to $100 double in a quiet subdivision a half-hour walk from town; or Alaska Swan Lake Bed & Breakfast, 206 1/2 Lakeview Drive (tel. 907/747-3917; www.sitka.org/swanlake/index.htm), with rooms with private bathrooms for only $100 a night in a big, white house above the lake just a half-mile from the downtown area.

A Hostel & Camping

There is no hostel in Sitka at this writing, but there is an organization trying to get one off the ground and expects to be in business by 2009. For the latest, call Hostelling International -- Sitka (tel. 907/747-8661).

The Forest Service's Starrigavan Recreation Area contains excellent campgrounds at the north end of Halibut Point Road, 7 1/2 miles from town and 3/4 mile from the ferry dock. There are three loops. The Backpackers' Loop has six hike-in sites. The Estuary Loop (which joins the Estuary Life Trail), on the right, has 26 sites for RVs or tents, which are widely separated under huge trees. The Bayside Loop, at the water's edge, is the last left on the highway. Three of its sites are situated on the edge of Starrigavan Bay, creating the feeling that you're way out in the wilderness. Fees are $12 to $30 a night. Twenty-one sites can be reserved on the national system. The Forest Service also planned to build a public-use cabin at one of the sites. The recreation area is open all year, but vehicle access is restricted in the winter. May through mid-September, access gates are locked from 10pm to 7am.

There are two RV parks, each with water and electric hookups only, and each charging under $22: City-run Sealing Cove RV Park (tel. 907/747-3439) is near the airport and a free dump station, and Sitka Sportsman's Association RV Park (tel. 907/747-6033) is near the ferry dock.