TRAILGRAPH

A totem pole in the foreground with a sunset over water in the background.
National Historical Park

Sitka National Historical Park

Alaska

Tonight

🌗 46% moon

Last quarter

Crowds

low

Open today

Open

Entrance

Free entry

On an island amid towering spruce and hemlock, Sitka National Historical Park preserves the site of a battle between invading Russian traders and Indigenous Kiks.ádi Tlingit. Totem poles from Tlingit and Haida areas line the park’s scenic coastal trail, and the restored Russian Bishop’s House is a rare reminder of Russia’s colonial legacy in North America.

Activities

Topics

No entrance fee.

Hours & seasons

Park grounds are open for day-use year-round. Pedestrian through-traffic is allowed between Sawmill Creek Road and the visitor center parking lot (over the Indian River footbridge) at any time provided pedestrians do not loiter.

Generally open:

winterspringsummerfall

Hours are reported by the park — verify before you go.

Conditions

Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec

Typical crowds: low

Weather now: Partly cloudy, 54°F

🌦️ 61°/53°

🌦️ 65°/54°

☁️ 65°/53°

Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 orange months are the quietest by crowds.

Quietest months

Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.

Jan

3%

Feb

3%

Mar

4%

Apr

18%

May

80%

Jun

95%

Jul

100%

Aug

96%

Sep

65%

Oct

12%

Nov

3%

Dec

3%

% of the busiest month's visits.

Log a sky reading

Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.

Things to do

Become a Junior Ranger at Sitka National Historical Park

Explore at Low Tide

Watch for Salmon

Search for Pollinators

Get Close to the Forest Floor

Find Sitka's Bedrock

Go Berrying

Meet a Demonstrating Artist

Visitor centers

Russian Bishop's House

Visitor Center

Accessibility

Accessible RoomsAccessible SitesAssistive Listening SystemsAudio DescriptionBrailleRestroom - AccessibleWheelchair AccessibleWheelchairs AvailableAccessible RestroomAccessible Parking

40 audio-described place(s)

Reported by the park — verify before you go.

Parking

East Unit Parking Lot

Sitka National Historical Park Parking lot · 14 accessible spacesaccessible

Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.

By the numbers

A visual read on Sitka National Historical Park — its character, trails, sky, and weather.

Park fingerprint

How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.

Trail difficulty

Difficulty mix across this park's trails.

3-day forecast

Daily high and low temperatures (°F).

People & stories

Figures tied to Sitka National Historical Park — each spans a cross-park journey.

Ellen Hope (Lang) Hays

Women, Alaska, Akwomen

Teri Rofkar

Akwomen, Alaska, Alaska Native

Passport stamps

Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.

🎫 Russian Bishop's House Visitor Contact Desk

Places to see

Alaska Transfer Exhibit

Alaska Transfer Exhibit

audio
Bicentennial Pole

Bicentennial Pole

audio
Building a Colony Exhibit

Building a Colony Exhibit

audio
Cormorant Memorial- Mortuary Column

Cormorant Memorial- Mortuary Column

audio
Eagle's Nest House Posts

Eagle's Nest House Posts

audio
East Gallery Stairwell

East Gallery Stairwell

audio
Frog Crest

Frog Crest

audio
Frog-Raven Pole

Frog-Raven Pole

audio
Gaanax.adi - Raven Crest Pole

Gaanax.adi - Raven Crest Pole

audio
Gathéeni Panel

Gathéeni Panel

audio
History Pole- Haa Léelk'u Ha's Kaasdahéeni Deiyí Kootéeyaa Pole

History Pole- Haa Léelk'u Ha's Kaasdahéeni Deiyí Kootéeyaa Pole

audio
K’alyáan Pole

K’alyáan Pole

audio

Audio & media

🎧

🎬

🖼

Learn more

2017 Science Education Grants

The Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) funds numerous outreach projects through the Science Education Grant program. These grants help MSLC partner parks pay for science education outreach projects. Funding for the Science Education grant program is provided by Alaska Geographic. Read about the 2017 Science Education Grant recipients and their outreach projects.

2018 Science Education Grants

The Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) funds numerous outreach projects through the Science Education Grant program. These grants help MSLC partner parks pay for science education outreach projects. Funding for the Science Education grant program is provided by Alaska Geographic. Read about the 2018 Science Education Grant recipients and their outreach projects.

2019 Science Education Grants

The Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) funds numerous outreach projects through the Science Education Grant program. These grants help MSLC partner parks pay for science education outreach projects. Funding for the Science Education grant program is provided by Alaska Geographic. Read about the 2019 Science Education Grant recipients and their outreach projects.

50 Nifty Finds #11: Carving a Place in NPS History

Few employees have left as visible a mark on National Park Service (NPS) exhibits as John A. Segeren. His work has been enjoyed by generations of park visitors who never knew his name but appreciated his intricate wood carvings and playful animal figures displayed in parks throughout the system. A master woodcarver described by former President Lyndon B. Johnson as "a legacy to this country," Segeren carved out his own place in NPS history.

50 Nifty Finds #42: Model Rangers

The beige women’s wardrobe is one of the most misunderstood National Park Service (NPS) uniforms. It’s also the uniform that usually gets the most attention—despite being worn for only three years. Many incorrectly believe it dates to the 1960s and featured miniskirts and go-go boots. The fact that it is the one least like the standard green ranger uniform wasn’t an accident.

A History of Science in Alaska's National Parks

National park units in Alaska precede the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916. The first park unit, Sitka National Monument, was conceived in 1908, and by the mid-1920s four national monuments along with Alaska’s first national park were part of the growing park system. Discover how the early 1900s and observations of a few helped to establish the National Park Service in Alaska.

Alaska Aviation Safety

In Alaska, small planes are often the best way to get around but flying has its risks. Aviation safety requires more than just a pilot’s skill–it takes all of us. Learn more about aviation to increase the safety of your next park flight.

Alaska’s Endangered Heritage: Climate Change and Cultural Preservation

The rugged beauty of Alaska has been the homelands of Alaska Native people for thousands of generations. Today the relentless march of climate change threatens a range of cultural resources from archeological sites to historic cemeteries. Now the National Park Service is in a race to document heritage across the parklands in Alaska.

How Sitka National Historical Park connects

This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.

Park

Activity

Topic

State

VisitorCenter

ParkingLot

PassportStamp

Trail

ThingToDo

Similar parks

Share activities & topics with Sitka National Historical Park.

Nearby parks