Welcome to Sitka, my personal favorite port. We did not book an excursion for the port and I was really happy we did not. There was plenty to do and all for free!

We arrived to Sitka early, around 7am. We planned to be up, have eaten breakfast so we could get an early start. Ironically, we beat everyone else. We left right at 7am to take the charter bus to downtown Sitka. We had it to ourselves and pretty much the entire town as well.

Everything in downtown Sitka area is walkable. We never found the need to take any transportation. We dont mind walking but we never even had complaints from the kids. We started off by walking to the salmon ladder at the science center. It was a mind blowing experience. We were there late August, early September and the salmon were in full spawn. As we stood by the salmon ladder, we watched in amazement as thousands of salmon worked to swim upstream. Fighting against the current. Flopping around and making splashes. To watch an animal with such determination to reach its final goal was truly inspiring. The salmon ladder was a very short walk from where you are dropped off and I would highly recommend it. We walked to the bayside and watched as the salmon in the bay flipped and flopped out of the water. We saw a majestic bald eagle, perched above waiting for the perfect moment to swoop down and catch its breakfast. To our amusement, it somehow missed the first go round and then engaged in a tiff with a seagull. We watched this go on for several minutes before walking down to the shoreline where we watched cruise ships go by. We played on the giant rocks along the shore and enjoyed the different flowers and foliage along the shore.

There is an easy trail to walk to the Tongas National Park from the science center. I cannot even put into words how absolutely gorgeous this park is. We love National Parks and try to visit many, this one topped all of them for me. I sound dramatic but I was almost in tears over the beauty of the forest. It felt like something from a movie. The National Park visitor center did not open until 9am, so we walked through the forest first. My pictures do not it justice.

As we walked through the forest, it was beautifully quiet. Just us and the moss covered trees, birds and a funny little banana slug. We came upon the river and saw millions of salmon, swimming upstream. As we watched them fight, all of a sudden, out of the trees swooped down two huge raptors. They had been watching the salmon and we must have spooked them. They perched further downstream to keep an eye on us. After we left the river, we kept to the main trail and came upon a beautiful steam with a small waterfall. The salmon were trying to go up the waterfall. We watched, cheered them on as they made it up. It was unbelievable to watch God’s creation in action.

After we had hiked around we went back to the visitors center. It is our family tradition to do the Junior Ranger program. It is totally free and you learn so much. All National Parks have them. You answer several questions in a booklet, the information can be found in the visitor center, and turn it back in to a Park Ranger. You then take a pledge and get a badge.

After this, we walked into the downtown area of Sitka. It was adorable. There were so many food trucks, with crab and seafood. Shops and history. We explored an abandoned Russian graveyard that was sinking into the ground. It was a very short walk from downtown. Right beyond it was the grave of a Russian princess. Then we explored a replica of a Russian fortress. Alaska was owned by Russia until 1967. There was a lot of Russian history in Sitka, many Russian stores and food. I really enjoyed it. 

We also explored where the purchase of Alaska from Russia took place. After that, we walked around a beautiful, historic Russian Orthodox church in the heart of Sitka. The relics, stories and history were wonderful. We ate crab bisque and crab legs at a truck stop known for it’s gluten free bisque. It was delicious.

We loved Sitka and I would actually love to spend more time there. The Tongas National Forest was one of my favorite experiences and the history in Sitka was fascinating. I know many people purchase the excursion for the bear fortress and raptor center, which also looked very interesting. We found Sitka with plenty to do and were happy to not have to pay for an excursion because, well, Alaskan excursions are expensive. Worth every penny but hey, if you can do something amazing for free, why not!

If you’ve been to Sitka, let me know what you loved.

For more Sitka content- watch our YouTube on our Sitka adventures!