Alaska formally changed hands here: on October 18, 1867, the Russian flag came down and the American flag went up on Baranof Castle Hill. Alaska Day is observed every October 18.
No road reaches Sitka — the town of about 8,400 on Baranof Island is accessible only by air or by sea, beneath the 3,201-foot dormant volcano Mount Edgecumbe.
Why People Visit Sitka Alaska
Sitka offers world-historical depth in a working Alaska fishing town — Tlingit heritage, Russian Imperial architecture, the birthplace of Alaska Day, old-growth coastal rainforest, totem poles, and a working harbor — all within a walkable downtown along the outer Pacific. Visitors combine cathedral and museum stops with rainforest trails, whale-watching, raptor rehabilitation tours, and the simple pleasure of standing on the hill where the flags changed in 1867. It is photogenic, walkable, and unlike any other town on the Alaska coast.
