Hi there!
In May 2023, I went to Sitka National Historical Park on my own from the Sitka cruise port. I was on the Sapphire Princess cruise ship.
Your experience may vary!
The best cruise ports to see totem poles in Alaska are Sitka and Ketchikan.
In Sitka, the best place to see totem poles is at Sitka National Historical Park.
You can easily do Sitka National Historical Park on your own.
And, it’s a FREE thing to do in Sitka from the cruise ship!
For my one day in Sitka, I did a Sitka Sound tour in the morning, and then I went to Sitka National Historical Park after that.
It worked out perfectly!
👆 You can get to the start of a totem pole hike in Sitka on your own for free! You can do a leisurely walk through a forest on the Totem Trail in Sitka National Historical Park.
👆 Sitka National Historical Park is one of the best places to see totem poles during your Alaska cruise.
Cost to do Sitka National Park on your own
There is NO cost for doing Sitka National Historical Park on your own!
There is no transportation cost to get from the Sitka cruise port, which means transportation is free.
There is no entry fee for Sitka National Park, which means the national park is free.
More Alaska cruise ports on your own: In Ketchikan, you can take a bus to Totem Bight State Park on your own. In Juneau, you can take a bus to Mendenhall Glacier in Tongass National Forest on your own… as long as you don’t mind walking a little extra!
Sitka National Historical Park on your own
It’s easy to get to Sitka National Historical Park on your own!
First you should know that the Sitka Sound cruise terminal is a little bit of a distance from downtown Sitka.
Downtown Sitka is where you will start your day in Sitka to get to the national park.
But there is a free shuttle from the Sitka cruise port. This will be around a 10-15 minute ride. There might be some waiting time for the shuttle depending on how many people want to go into town at the same time as you. (I did not have any notable wait, though!)
Then, once you get to downtown Sitka, it’s an easy scenic coastal walk to get to the Sitka National Historical Park!
You will first spot the harbor (that’s the Crescent Harbor), and then start walking that way.
So you will start your walk along the Sitka Sea Walk (the name of the coastal path), and then you will follow the regular road the rest of the way to the national park.
More below about what it looks like to get to Sitka National Historical Park on your own!
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How to get to Sitka National Historical Park to see totem poles
In short, this is how to get to Sitka National Historical Park from the Sitka cruise port:
- Shuttle from Sitka cruise port to downown
- Locate Crescent Harbor
- Start walking the Sitka Sea Walk
- Walk the main road
- Arrive at Sitka National Historical Park
- Walk the Totem Trail in Sitka National Historical Park!
1. Shuttle from Sitka cruise port to downtown
👆 Your journey to see totem poles in Sitka National Historical Park starts at the Sitka Sound cruise terminal!
Once you get off the cruise ship, you will follow the signs to get on the free shuttle from the Sitka cruise port.
👆 There is a free shuttle from the Sitka cruise port to downtown Sitka. It’s around a 12 minute shuttle ride and goes every 10-15 minutes. From the shuttle drop-off spot in downtown Sitka, you can walk to Sitka National Historical Park.
Once you get off the shuttle in downtown Sitka, you can make your first stop the visitor center to get a map and find other things to do around town.
When I walked in to the Sitka Visitor Center, I did see that there was some sort of Russian cultural show for $15 per person.
There is also a bathroom at the Sitka Visitor Center.
There is a bathroom at the Sitka National Historical Park Visitor Center too.
2. Locate Crescent Harbor
Right near the shuttle drop-off and visitor center is the Crescent Harbor where a lot of small boats are docked.
Once you get off the shuttle and face the water, you will go off to the left to see Crescent Harbor.
Towards Crescent Harbor is the direction you’ll go to do the easy coastal walk called the Sitka Sea Walk.
Towards the Crescent Harbor is the direction of Sitka National Historical Park.
3. Start walking the Sitka Sea Walk
Your walk to Sitka National Historical Park will start along the Sitka Sea Walk.
If you want to get closer to the shoreline, you can stop off along the Sitka Sea Walk!
Or, save the shoreline access for your way back!
You can have similar shoreline access at the national park too.
4. Walk the main road
The Sitka Sea Walk doesn’t extend all the way to the national park, so you’ll then take the main road to walk the rest of the way.
Explore the map.
It will take around 10 minutes to walk to Sitka National Historical Park from the shuttle drop-off point.
It’s not necessary since the walking route is not difficult, but I recommend downloading offline google maps for Sitka, and the rest of the cruise ports while you’re at it!
Maps are always a nice thing to have!
You will probably have data in Sitka (if you’re American), but it’s still remote and wild Alaska, so you might as well have offline maps just in case!
I oddly was not able to connect to get service or data in Skagway the second time I was there! I think it was spotty in Icy Strait Point too.
5. Arrive at Sitka National Historical Park
6. Walk the Totem Trail in Sitka National Historical Park!
At the end of the Totem Trail, there was also a “totem exhibit” and the “carving shed” which are quick stops.
You can see a totem pole in the making at the carving shed.
And that’s a bit about how to see totem poles in Sitka!
I went to Sitka National Historical Park in May 2023. I was on a Princess cruise that made a stop in Sitka. Your experience may vary!
HAPPY SEEING TOTEM POLES IN SITKA NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK!
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