01

day one

After being welcomed at the airport or the ferry terminal, guests will gather for drinks of local spruce tip beer, licorice fern gin & tonics and other local libations, with smoked salmon and home-brined ikura keta salmon roe. Following a dinner of seafood and other Southeast Alaska delights, visitors will watch a short film on the Tongass either outside on the lawn, or on the flatscreen television in the Harborview Abode.

02

day two

Get acquainted with picturesque Sitka by the sea and its residents - the two legged ones, and the furry and feathered ones too! Guests will start the day with a behind the scenes tour of the the Alaska Raptor Center - Alaska’s only full avian hospital and rehabilitation center - to get an up-close look at bald eagles and other spectacular birds of prey. 

In late morning, guests will take a step inside Sitka’s most iconic landmark - St. Michael’s Cathedral - and take a step back in time. Learn about the history of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska and observe some of the oldest icons and saintly relics within the Orthodox world. At noon, join a church member to the bell tower for the daily noon-ringing of the church’s bells, and take in one of the best views in Sitka.

After lunch, guests will meet the colossal residents of Fortress of the Bear, a sanctuary for orphaned coastal brown bears and black bears. Learn about bear behavior and the lives of these most-revered creatures of the Alaskan forests.  

03

day three

Guests will meet Marsh Skeele, director of Sitka Salmon Shares, and Jacob Finsen, plant manager. After touring the processing plant, and learning about different types of gear groups for fishing salmon, guests will head to the Sitka Sound Science Center which houses the state’s first modern commercial salmon hatchery. Meet the aquaculturists who help to ensure the salmon stocks in Alaska waters stay healthy and robust for generations to come. 

Pick Your Path for the afternoon: 

• Kayak the coast line, observing shore birds, sea lions, and perhaps a whale or two

• Hike one of Sitka’s many trails through open muskeg and towering spruce and hemlock forests

• Explore the largest private collection of Alaska Native artifacts at the Sheldon Jackson Museum

• Or, select from one of our additional add-on adventure options

We will regroup on the Adak, a World War II tugboat in Eliason Harbor in late afternoon to meet a local fishing captain who will fit guests for gloves, bibs, and boots in preparation for the following day of fishing.

04

day four

At 6:30m, guests will head out to Cape Edgecumbe aboard a salmon troller for a day of work. Guests will learn what it means to put out 48 hooks behind a boat, land a salmon and dress them in the hold. Captains will discuss how commercial fishing has changed over the years, what it is like to earn a living on the sea and to raise a family in remote Alaska. After a day of fishing, the crew will return to Sitka Salmon Shares to deliver their salmon to Marsh and Jacob, who will be waiting dockside.  Tuck into a well earned meal from Beak Restaurant. After dinner, guests - who will be exhausted - will get some much-needed sleep.

05

day five

Whether an active adventure, learning and leisure, or a bit of both: today is for guests to Pick Your Path:

• Kayak the coast line, observing shore birds, sea lions, and perhaps a whale or two

• Hike one of Sitka’s many trails through open muskeg and towering spruce and hemlock forests

• Explore the state’s largest private collection of Alaska Native artifacts at the Sheldon Jackson Museum; tour Sitka National Historical Park, Sitka History Museum, etc.

• Meet a local artist in their studio to learn their craft and see what inspires them

• Or, select from one of our additional add-on adventure options

For dinner, guests will gather shoreside for a bonfire and dinner. Guests will be joined by a member of the Sitka Tlingit tribe, to share the Native history of Sitka and Southeast Alaska.

06

day six

After breakfast, guests will get back on the water, this time to take in the spectacular scenery and wildlife of Sitka Sound. Keep your hand on your camera and an eye out for humpback whales, sea lions, sea otters, tufted puffins and more. Tide pools on the beach will allow for a closer look at some of the smaller residents of the Sound.

This evening, guests will be joined by local award-winning chef, who will teach guests to prepare wild caught salmon like a real Alaskan, as part of a Finn Alley dinner together in Sitka by the sea.

07

day seven

Guests will cruise to neighboring Kruzof Island for an adventure through towering spruce and hemlock forests, to flowering meadows and black sand beaches by ATV. Cover more ground and gain more elevation than would be possible on foot, and get a first-hand taste of a favorite Alaska past-time. Bald eagles, Sitka black tail deer and coastal brown bear all call this wild island home, and will likely make an appearance or two throughout the day.

08 / 09

day eight & day nine

Guests will cruise to Baranof Island’s eastern shore - known as the waterfall coast - to explore bays and inlets, and watch for wildlife like humpback whales on their way to Sitka’s favorite retreat: Baranof Warm Springs. Walk the boardwalk of this tiny cabin community, explore the nearby trails and take a soothing soak in the natural hot springs. Enjoy an evening in a private timber frame cabin, feasting on fresh caught Dungeness crab and spot prawns.

In the morning, climb aboard a float plane for a sightseeing flight back to Sitka. Guests will see unparalleled views of the inland ice fields of Baranof Island and the surrounding islands and mountains. For the afternoon, Pick Your Path before gathering for a Finn Alley dinner, toasting to an adventure like no other in Southeast Alaska.

• Kayak the coast line, observing shore birds, sea lions, and perhaps a whale or two

• Hike one of Sitka’s many trails through open muskeg and towering spruce and hemlock forests

• Explore the state’s largest private collection of Alaska Native artifacts at the Sheldon Jackson Museum; tour Sitka National Historical Park, Sitka History Museum, etc.

• Meet a local artist in their studio to learn their craft and see what inspires them

10

day ten

After getting local tips on how to best negotiate fishy laundry (a 2-liter jug of Coke poured right into the washing machine!) guests will be brought back to Sitka airport for flights off-island, enjoying a final breakfast together at The Nugget Restaurant - a favorite Sitka send-off at the well-loved diner. A videographer will deliver individual films to each guest two weeks after they return home, showing their time catching fish and pulling gear as a deckhand aboard a commercial salmon troller.