Camping

There are no campgrounds near downtown Sitka [1], but the Forest Service provides camping at each end of the road. The outstanding Starrigavan Campground (www.recreation.gov [2], $14–16) is seven miles northwest of town and 0.75 miles beyond the ferry terminal. Starrigavan is open all year, but there are no services October–April. All sites are wheelchair accessible.

Campsites to the left of the road face onto a rocky beach, while those to the right border Starrigavan Creek, where you can watch spawning coho salmon in late summer. Starrigavan fills up with RVs in July–August, but there are six walk-in sites on the ocean side of the campground. Starrigavan also has an artesian well with wonderfully fresh spring water. Sitkans often drive out to fill big bottles for themselves.

The Forest Service’s Starrigavan Creek cabin (www.recreation.gov [2], $50) sits amid the campsites. Constructed from logs cut on the site in 2008, this two-story cabin is wheelchair accessible and has a simple kitchen, a woodstove, and room for six. Book well ahead for this very special lodging option.

The 0.25-mile boardwalk Estuary Life Trail (wheelchair accessible) leads along the edge of the marsh from the campground and connects with a 0.75-mile Forest and Muskeg Trail. Placards describe points along this easy trail. On the road between the ferry and the campground are interpretive display signs marking the site of Old Sitka—burned by the Tlingits in 1802.

Quiet and little-used Sawmill Creek Campground (free, no water) is up Blue Lake Road, six miles east of town. The campground is a bit remote, making it hard to reach on foot, and the rough road is not recommended for RVs.

Park RVs at the city-run Sealing Cove RV Park (907/747-3439, April–Sept., $21 with hookups) on Japonski Island. Sitka Sportsman’s RV Park (907/747-6033, $20) is adjacent to the ferry terminal on Halibut Point Road.