In addition to the places listed, you'll find superclean rooms with many amenities (including free Wi-Fi) in a quiet, landscaped building downtown at the Super 8 Sitka, 404 Sawmill Creek Blvd. (www.super8.com; tel. 800/800-8000 for reservations, or 907/747-8804). The 24-hour laundromat is open to the public, too. We also like the Cascade Inn, 2 1/2 miles from downtown on Halibut Point Road (www.cascadeinnsitka.com; tel. 800/532-0908 or 907/747-6804), with 10 light, waterfront rooms over Sitka Sound, for reasonable prices, next to a gas station and liquor store.

The town has several good B&Bs. The Sitka Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.sitka.org; tel. 907/747-5940) has links to many on its website and can send you a printed list as well. Among them is Alaska Swan Lake Bed & Breakfast, 206 1/2 Lakeview Dr. (www.sitka.org/swanlake/index.htm; tel. 907/747-3917), with rooms with private bathrooms for $100 a night in a big, white house above the lake just half a mile from the downtown area.

A Hostel & Camping

Sitka International Hostel, 109 Jeff Davis St. (www.sitkahostel.org; tel. 907/747-8661), is just three buildings from Lincoln Street. The 25 beds in five gender-separated dorms are $24 per night, children are $15, and a single-family room is $60. Office hours are 6 to 10pm, and the lights are out at 11pm; lock-out is 10am to 6pm. You can reserve ahead by phone or e-mail without advance payment. The hostel is open year-round and does not take credit cards.

The Forest Service's Starrigavan Recreation Area contains excellent campsites and a cabin 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 25 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, or $50 for the new Starrigavan Creek Cabin, a rare road-accessible Forest Service cabin that is also fully usable by people with disabilities. Twenty-one sites and the cabin can be reserved on the national system. 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; no reservations) is near the airport and a free dump station, and Sitka Sportsman's Association RV Park (tel. 907/747-4712) is near the ferry dock.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.