Sitka Scenic Tour: Three Top Sites in a 10-Passenger Van

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/8

Duration2h 30m

GroupUp to 10

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Brown bears live twenty-five feet from the viewing platform at Fortress of the Bear, the largest bear habitat in North America.

A 2.5-hour guided tour of Sitka's three most-visited sites — Alaska Raptor Center, Fortress of the Bear, and Sitka National Historical Park — in a 10-passenger air-conditioned van with a local guide equipped with a wireless microphone. The tour departs from Harrigan Centennial Hall downtown and is timed to avoid the larger cruise ship groups. Free downtown shuttles run from the cruise terminals to the meeting point.

2h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Sitka scenic tour highlights

Drive south to Silver Bay
Stop for photos and wildlife viewing
Visit Fortress of the Bears
Tour Alaska Raptor Center
Walk Sitka National Historical Park
Choose to drive back or walk Sea Walk

The Experience

Two and a half hours covers three stops, and the van holds ten passengers instead of the forty-plus on standard cruise excursions. Your guide is an Alaskan resident who narrates the drive south to Silver Bay, where the road bends around forest and water; stops here often turn up whales, eagles, sea lions, or salmon jumping. The wireless microphone means you hear everything even when the door opens for photos, so nothing gets lost to wind or distance.

Fortress of the Bear comes first. The three-quarter-acre habitat is set against the Tongass National Forest and holds one of the largest brown bears in captivity in a naturalized setting with covered viewing areas. You'll stand within twenty-five feet of the animal while the center's rescuers explain the injuries these bears survive and the work it takes to keep them. The Alaska Raptor Center follows — a 17-acre campus on the edge of the national forest where between 100 and 200 birds of prey arrive each year, many with gunshot wounds or traffic trauma. You walk through the center as a small group and see up to two dozen resident eagles, hawks, owls, and ravens, some permanent residents and others in rehabilitation before release back into the wild.

The last stop is Sitka National Historical Park, Alaska's oldest national park, where Tlingit and Haida totem poles stand among hemlock and spruce on a coastal trail. Mid-season visitors often watch salmon spawning in the Indian River while your guide explains their life cycle. At the end, you can ride back to town with the guide or walk the 15- to 20-minute Sea Walk back downtown on your own.

What’s included

Air-conditioned 10-passenger van.
local Alaskan guide with wireless microphone.
entry to Alaska Raptor Center, Fortress of the Bear, and Sitka National Historical Park.
stops for wildlife viewing and photos on the drive to Silver Bay.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Sitka Wildlife Tours

Is this one for you?This tour works for cruise passengers who want the three most-visited Sitka sites without joining a 40-plus-person bus — the small van and timed departure mean you move through each stop without the crowds that larger groups create, and the wireless microphone keeps you connected to your guide whether you're outside or in the vehicle.