About Sitka Times
An independent visitor guide to Sitka, Alaska, for cruise passengers and anyone who flies or sails in.
Sitka Times is a free, independent guide to Sitka. We write it for the cruise passengers who ride the shuttle in from the dock north of town, a forecast 594,355 of them in 2026, and for visitors who fly in or arrive on the state ferry and stay longer.
Sitka packs a lot into a few blocks: an Orthodox cathedral, the hill where Alaska passed from Russia to the United States, a totem trail through the forest and a hospital for injured eagles. Most of it is a walk from the shuttle stop, and the rest is a short ride. We try to show you which is which, so a port day of a few hours goes where you want it to.
The town's past is Tlingit and Russian before it is American. Our history pages link to the best reading on Sheet'ká, New Archangel, the 1804 battle and the Alaska Native Brotherhood, and our Russian Sitka walk takes you to the places where it happened.
How we work
- Measured from the shuttle stop. Walking times start at Harrigan Centennial Hall, where the dock shuttle and the Crescent Harbor tenders bring you ashore, and the day plans fit 4 hours, 8 hours or a night.
- Every fact has a source. Hours, fees and seasons come from the National Park Service, Alaska State Parks, the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal, Visit Sitka and the businesses themselves, and each page says where and when we checked. If a 2026 price was not published, we say so rather than guess.
- Nobody buys a ranking. We have no connection to the City and Borough of Sitka, Visit Sitka, the dock company or any cruise line.
Our editor
Greg Peters edits and publishes Sitka Times. He has built digital media and technology companies for more than 25 years; among them was Inform, an online video network that delivered news clips from the Associated Press and other partners to thousands of publishers. He studied business at the University of Georgia and holds an MBA and a Master of International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Greg reads every guide before it goes live. Our editorial policy covers fact-checking and corrections, and our disclosure covers how the site is paid for.