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images: awl images; Alabastro Photography |
FOR ALL THIS COASTLINE’ S RUGGED, REMOTE NATURE, IT’ S ALSO FULL OF WILDLIFE— FOR THOSE WHO KNOW WHEN AND WHERE TO LOOK FOR IT
Clockwise from top: Creek
Street, Ketchikan; Sitka National
Historical Park; great horned owl
at Alaska Raptor Center
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KETCHIKAN
It takes a full day at sea to reach Ketchikan. It’ s nicknamed‘ Alaska’ s First City’ because it’ s so often the first port of call for ships entering the Inside Passage. This 8,000-person city clings to a mountainside that is all but engulfed by the Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world. In fact, the Tongass’ s tall evergreen trees cover almost the entirety of Southeast Alaska.
But Ketchikan is home to a second sort of forest: the world’ s largest collection of stillstanding totem poles. There are more than 80 in total, some scattered unassumingly in pocket parks around town, with the largest and most evocative collections in Totem Bight State Park, to the north, and Saxman Native Village to the south. Another 30 totem poles have been carefully preserved in Totem Heritage Center, one of two small but excellent city museums.
Ketchikan generally deals in big, bombastic experiences, from a Deadliest Catch themed tour aboard a crab boat to high-energy lumberjack competitions that celebrate the region’ s logging history. But there are also quieter gems such as historic Creek Street, a series of boardwalks set on stilts over Ketchikan Creek. Once the city’ s red-light district, it’ s now full of friendly, locally owned shops.
Also worth a visit is the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, part visitor center, part natural history museum with 20,000 square feet of exhibits. Or, for a more unusual experience, consider donning a thick wet suit and joining a snorkeling tour in the frigid coastal waters, getting an up-close look at the unique sea creatures— the only activity of its sort in Alaska.
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SITKA
Unlike the more protected communities along the Inside Passage, Sitka sits on the ocean side of Baranof Island, facing out into the restless Gulf of Alaska. This only emphasizes the town’ s striking and sometimes temperamental beauty, as swaths of lush, temperate rainforest surge up into tundra-clad mountain peaks on one side, melting down into the Gulf on the other. Sitka’ s cruise terminal doubles as a bustling marketplace, with restaurants, merchants, artisans and tour outfitters, ready to dispatch e-bikes, sea kayaks and free shuttles to downtown Sitka. One of the most prominent features in Sitka proper is Castle Hill: this tree-clad overlook was first a stronghold for the Tlingit people, then seized by the Russians after years of conflict. In 1867, it was the site chosen for the official transfer of Alaska into American hands.
Many other relics of Sitka’ s multilayered Tlingit, Russian and American history— and ways to learn more about them— are available throughout town. These include the carefully restored 19th-century Russian Bishop’ s House; the immersive history lessons from the Alaska Storytellers; and the vibrant singing, dancing and storytelling of the Naa Kahídi Tlingit dancers.
There’ s also an easy, paved Sea Walk that travels down the city coast, past the harbor and a small hatchery, and finally out to the walking trails of Sitka National Historical Park, where totem poles stand silent witness to the growth of the rainforest and the changing tide. Wildlife sightings are always possible in and around Sitka, but the best odds are at the city’ s two sanctuary and rehabilitation facilities: Alaska Raptor Center and the Fortress of the Bear.
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winter 2025 • 63 |