I do love Sitka. In town you can walk to practically anything you need, be it a grocery store, restaurant, pub, coffee house, harbor or totem pole. And anything that requires driving doesn’t take all that long. The longest drive is up Harbor Mountain.
But in that small area is one of the most target rich environments for nature and outdoor photographers.
During the weeks before we arrived, Sitka had been experiencing day after day of blue skies and no rain. So as luck would have it, as soon as we arrived the rain returned. Sitka, being poised at the edge of the Tongas National Forest, is used to rain. And the rain was welcome since the streams seemed a little low when we arrived. And the stream along the Herring Cove Trail was running just fine by the time we got there.
During my previous visits to Sitka, I never had the chance to explore this trail. Frankly, I don’t think I was really aware of it. The Herring Cove Trail is popular in Sitka, and for good reason. In the first 100 yards or so we crossed a bridge over the stream. And right there was a pretty little waterfall.
The trail then starts climbing steeply through the rain forest, following the stream. A steep climb means more waterfalls. Plenty of them. After less than half a mile, the trail flattens out and becomes truly enjoyable. The forest here deserves multiple visits and I’m looking forward to returning to it.
Besides the forest, small streams cut across the trail. One of them flows under a bridge and then under a nurse log as it makes its way to the main stream.
At about three quarters of a mile, we came to an opening with a view of Bear Mountain Falls. There’s a side trail that leads to the base of the 100-foot falls, but we felt the best view was going to be from the trail since the closer you get to a waterfall the more you have to look up. Future Sitka photo tours will undoubtedly feature multiple visits to this trail.
The main theme of the tour is whales. Humpback whales. To that end, we had three 3-hour boat tours on Sitka Sound with Gary Downie of Captain Gary’s Sitka Adventures. I can’t recommend Gary enough. He grew up in Sitka, loves it dearly, and knows his way around. If you’re ever in Sitka, do yourself a favor and book a tour with him.
(Another stellar wildlife tour captain is Paul Davis of Gallant Adventures. He was unavailable this year and recommended Gary.)
Our first two days out in the boat were drizzly. We did see several whales and managed a few decent pictures. We also got to see lots of birds and sea otters. Gary also showed us some places that seemed directly out of the movies. Just spectacular.
ahe weather cooperated on our third trip out. We headed straight out to St. Lazaria Island to see birds. We were able to see and photograph both Tufted and Horned puffins as well and Guillemots and Common Murres.
And then there were the whales. At one point we didn’t know which way to go or to look because we were surrounded by spouts in the distance. And that was about when we had the HOLY MOLY moment of the trip: a breaching Humpback whale less than two hundred feet away. I really wish I’d been ready for that. Fortunately, one member of our group was ready and nailed the image of the day! (and the trip).
I just know you want to see it. So click here and be envious!
There were so many whales. We saw a cow and her calf, just chugging along to the feeding grounds. And we saw plenty of individuals. We even got sprayed with whale breath. Not something I'll soon forget, unfortunately.
On land we also visited the Alaska Raptor Center and were treated to a pair of owls to photograph. Sheila, one of the avian Care Specialists, brought out a Snow Owl, who’s name I forget, and Tito the one-eyed Saw-whet owl.
In the Sitka National Historic Park (Totem Park) we photographed the totem poles and a couple of bald eagles.
As a side note, on the last day, a couple of us had a late flight out and we were going to kill some time by walking the Totem Park trail again. However, the trails in the park were closed when we arrived due to recent brown bear activity. So we went out on the adjoining beach and watched and listened to bald eagles and ravens chasing each other around. It was mesmerizing, like watching the ocean. We had to stop after a while because it hurts the neck to be looking up so much.
Another forest trail we explored was the Mosquito Cove trail. We took it going clockwise and that was a good choice as the trail is very interesting right from the beginning, with stairs and curves and some amazing trees.
Good sunsets in Sitka are sometimes rare and fleeting. So when you get a chance to see one, take advantage of it. We happened to get two great sunsets. The first one was on our first night in town. We went to a nearby park that has a view of Eliason Harbor with the sun going down behind. On another night we planned for a sunset from Harbor Mountain. The aerial views of the water and islands below is spectacular. But we ended up being in cloud and mist without any view at all. Except maybe the trees in the mist.
We bagged the idea of sunset from the mountain and headed down in time to make it back to that park near Eliason Harbor to photograph a sunset that was even more amazing than the one we had on the first night.
Sitka's not really known as a sunrise location. Still, there are images to be found early in the morning, and all it takes is a walk down to the harbor.
At the south end of Crescent Harbor is a jetty with an excellent view of the harbor and the town of Sitka. It's really easy to catch a few fishing boats heading out for the day.
Turn around and look in the opposite direction and you're likely to see Bald Eagles on the beach.
All in all, a very good trip. We saw and photographed whales, otters, and birds. We had fun with harbors, streams, forest and waterfalls. Had some good food and good coffee. And we enjoyed the cooler climate of Sitka.
Be sure to visit my Workshops site for the latest information on upcoming tours, including possibly another Sitka photo tour.
Great write up on our trip! I felt I was there again. You captured our time there perfectly. Can’t wait to go back next year.