When we first started talking about driving up to Alaska before we headed down south, the one place Sam said he wanted to visit was Sitka. When I asked him why, he said he was not sure, just that he had read some articles on it and it looked amazing. It was a place that just stuck with him.
One of the things I love about this trip is having the time to go to actually explore the destinations we have dreamed about visiting, and see if they actually live up to the hype we created in our head as we have been planning this trip. So even though it was not an easy place to get to and an expensive ferry ride, we decided we had to go to Sitka. You can’t be this close to a “I have always wanted to go to…..” and not visit it.
To get to Sitka from Juneau the ferry had to wind through hundreds of small inlets, fjords and small islands, it was a stunning ferry ride, even in the rain.
There is no easy way to get your vehicle to Sitka. The ferry has to weave through many small channels and fjords.
We arrived in Sitka in the cold, pouring rain (it is a rain forest…) So we did what we always do in Alaska, find a good campground to wait the rain out and then put on our “foul weather gear” and start exploring.
First day hiking in the rain. Our Chacos were the perfect rain forest hiking shoe. (Iphone pic, not the greatest, but fancy camera does not get used in the rain)
Sitka was settled by the Russians in 1799 (or taken away from the Tinglits depending on how you look at history). This picture was in the old Russian cemetery.
The next day we woke up to SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We camped in the rain forest near the coast at the Starrigavan Camp ground. It was $16.00 a day and only had one other site filled. It was blissfully empty.
These slugs were all over our campsite after the rain. We struggled not to keep stepping on them. Ick. They looked very similar to the Northern California banana slugs.
The Starrigavan campground had some beautiful trails in it and we decided to do the Mosquito Cove trail in the AM. The trail hugs the coast line as you meander through rain forest. It was a beautiful, easy hike.
Starting the hike near the campground.
The rain forest in Sitka was so lush and green.
All along the trail there were places you can access the coast. the water was so pristine it was transparent.
After our morning hike we drove across Sitka to the Totem trail. One thing we have learned in Alaska, if it is sunny, see everything you can, because the next day you may have rain again.
Our lunch spot before the hike. We make sandwiches everyday for lunch.
View of downtown Sitka from the Totem trail head.
The Tlingit Indians carved the totems along the trail, there are around 14 totems total.
I loved all the moss covered trees.
One of the things I will remember about many of our coastal hikes in Alaska is the smell of rotting Salmon along all the streams. We were visiting during the peak of spawning season and there were dead “spawned out” salmon all over the place. It smelled pretty terrible.
Stinky dead salmon along the Totem Trail hike.
The rivers were just moving with salmon, I have never seen anything like it.
If you go to the Totem Trail in Sitka don’t miss the parks visitor center, it had a great history of the native Alaskans. Both of these trails were easy and could be done with kids. Both I highly recommend, just make sure to bring bear spray on the Mosquito Cove trail, a woman was recently bitten on the bum by a bear on it (she must not have read the brochures that tell you not to turn and run!)