One Of Alaska's Most Underrated Destinations Is A Breathtaking Hidden Gem Full Of Wildlife

Unlike Alaska's more famous tourist stops, such as Juneau or Anchorage, Sitka offers a slower, more intimate experience of the state's untamed beauty. Sitka is a small coastal city tucked between snow-capped peaks and the Pacific Ocean, where forest trails meet rugged shorelines. Aside from the beautiful landscape, this city is one of the best places for spotting rare wildlife up close.

The lesser-known city is located on Baranof Island in the Southeast Alaska Panhandle and is accessible only by plane or boat. There are no highways connecting it to the mainland. The Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport (SIT) welcomes daily flights from Seattle, Juneau, and Anchorage via Alaska Airlines. If you'd rather travel by sea, hop aboard the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry, which connects Sitka to nearby island towns. Sitka is the ancestral home of the Tlingit people, who have lived in the area for over 10,000 years. The city later became the capital of Russian America in 1799 before Alaska became part of the United States in 1867. You still find traces of Russian architecture and traditional totem poles from the Tlingit culture.

Few places in Alaska offer wildlife encounters as diverse as Sitka. Actually, wildlife viewing is one of the adventurous reasons why Alaska should be your next bucket list destination. Travelers can start their wildlife-viewing escapades with whale watching. The city has opportunities to lock eyes with puffins, humpback whales, and sea otters. Whale watching tours depart daily from the harbor, or you can kayak to discover the hidden inlets and coves. Another great place to see whales is at Whale Park, about 6 miles from downtown Sitka. Between September and January, you can spot humpback Whales and sea lions from the overlooks. Companies, such as A Whale's Song Expeditions, offer accredited marine life tours with expert guides. You can also capture Instagram-worthy moments on the tours with the guidance of photographers.

Your next wildlife-viewing highlight in the underrated city should be the Alaska Raptor Center, a renowned wildlife rehabilitation center that rescues injured bald eagles, hawks, and falcons. Stroll through the center to watch eagles stretch their wings before they're released. You can also learn about the different species of eagles. For bear sightings, visit the Fortress of the Bear, a sanctuary for orphaned black and brown bears that can't return to the wild. You can also learn some tips about caring for bears and get an up close view of the wildlife in their habitat. For a front perspective of different sea creatures, the Sitka Sound Science Center doesn't disappoint. This Science Center has a huge aquarium with mini-versions of various marine ecosystems in Southeast Alaska. The 60-foot deep saltwater tank in the aquarium replicates the marine life deep in the ocean, and you can easily see rockfish and sculpins.

Downtown Sitka is full of life and vibrant with various art galleries, gift shops, and bookstores. It's ideal for those looking to take a literary piece of Alaska back home. You can get the town's map at the Visitor Information Center and learn more about the area's culture as you stroll the streets at your own pace. Some of the highlights on the map include the Russian Bishop's House, one of the few traces of the Russian Colonial-era buildings in the U.S. Built in 1842, it housed the bishop of the Orthodox Church and served as the Church's decision-making center from California to Siberian Kamchatka (a peninsula in Russia). The iconic structure has been restored into a museum with exhibits about Russian history in Alaska. You can also visit St. Michael's Cathedral to dive into Russian history and culture. This cathedral houses all the church treasures, religious objects, and Orthodox art. You can also learn about the history of the cathedral, which was built from 1844 to 1848.

Your visit to Sitka is incomplete if you don't spend some hours at one of the best historical sites to visit in America, the Sitka National Historic Park. While it's Alaska's smallest national historical park, covering only 113 acres, it packs a lot of history. The park shows the history of the Russian and Tlingit – it was where the Tlingit lost to the Russians. Traiblazers can follow the Totem Trail, which passes through western hemlock trees and has 18 Totem Poles. Another stop is the Baranof Castle State Historic Site, the stronghold of the Tlingit. They built a fortification on Castle Hill that now provides panoramic views of Sitka downtown.