Juneau & Sitka TTD

My CC Friends...we need some help with finding Things To Do in these 2 ports, especially Sitka. Not interested in ship excursions, but we are interested in seeing the natural beauty in these areas.

Suggestions?

Sitka: Bishop's House, Totem Pole Park (lots of eagle), Sheldon Jackson Museum. Easy city to walk around (no need for ships tour). Lots of Russian and native Alaskan history.

Juneau: Mendenhall Glacier. When you get off the ship you can buy tickets to take you to the National Park, no need for a ships tour.

The Fortress of the Bear in Sitka was interesting. You can catch a shuttle from the tourist center in town. The shuttle also stops at the Raptor Center on the way back. From there it’s a nice walk back to town through the Totem Pole Park. Lots of history to see walking around town when you return.

If you will be in Juneau from at least 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, I recommend the Tracy Arm tour with Adventure Bound. It is a long day, but amazing scenery. Some ships also offer a similar excursion from the ship.

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If you are into a long walks there is a bird sanctuary to the north of where the ship dock. Turn left on the road out front and start walking. It's about one hours walk each way and an hour at the sanctuary. It's free.

I hiked nearly every day on my Alaska cruise -- just solo, without the excursions. In Sitka, I enjoyed the Indian River Trail (about 5.5 miles); the trailhead was a short walk from town center.

Juneau has a lot of options for wonderful hiking. I only did a short one, as I was meeting up with my mother for a salmon bake later in the day. My choice: East Glacier loop (about 3 easy miles). With more time, I would have chosen either to take the tram to the top and hike along the ridge and back down to sea level, or the West Glacier Trail (5+ miles including Mt. McGinnis, 3.4 if you skip the mountain).

I'm headed back to Alaska in 2019 with my daughter, and we're likely to spend most of our shore time hiking on our own.

Have fun, and let us know what you do!

The Fortress of the Bear in Sitka was interesting. You can catch a shuttle from the tourist center in town. The shuttle also stops at the Raptor Center on the way back. From there it’s a nice walk back to town through the Totem Pole Park. Lots of history to see walking around town when you return.

 

If you will be in Juneau from at least 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, I recommend the Tracy Arm tour with Adventure Bound. It is a long day, but amazing scenery. Some ships also offer a similar excursion from the ship.

 

 

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Do you know the costs for the shuttle to Fortress of the Bear? Also is there usually availability when you turn up on the day?

Do you know the costs for the shuttle to Fortress of the Bear? Also is there usually availability when you turn up on the day?

I believe it was $ 10 pp round trip. We did not reserve in advance and just paid when we got there. There was a sign and a person selling tickets. It usually runs on days when ships docked. It runs every hour, from what I remember. We had plenty of time to see the bears and caught the next bus back.

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I also really enjoyed the Indian River Trail hike in Sitka. I recommend taking a taxi to the trailhead to give yourself a bit more time.

I believe it was $ 10 pp round trip. We did not reserve in advance and just paid when we got there. There was a sign and a person selling tickets. It usually runs on days when ships docked. It runs every hour, from what I remember. We had plenty of time to see the bears and caught the next bus back.

 

 

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Great thanks for the quick reply. We’re going to Sitka on a cruise next year and trying to figure out how easy it would be to get to the fortress without a ship’s tour.

Here is Fortress of the bears website. They have shuttle info on their site.

http://www.fortressofthebear.org/your-visit/

These pictures were taken in June 2016

My Full Alaska Cruise review from 2016

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2529761

Sitka part starts at post 181

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2529761&page=10

Thanks for the variety! We do want to see as much of nature as possible, probably not historical. However, our drawback is our lack of mobility for hikes. A mile for our friends is pushing it, so with that in mind, what do you think?