Bear Country in Sitka
- Paul Hallman
- May 8
- 3 min read
After arriving in Sitka aboard the Coral Princess, Jan and I planned a simple day—just walking around town and experience the town, as we did not stop here on our previous cruise to Alaska last summer.
Because the cruise port is several miles from downtown, we took the shuttle into the center of Sitka. When we arrived, locals greeted visitors with maps of the area, which made it easy to get oriented and start exploring on foot.
Sitka is a memorable Inside Passage stop because it feels like a real coastal community, not just a cruise stop. It’s surrounded by ocean, rainforest, and mountains, and it carries layers of history—Tlingit roots that remain central to the community, along with a strong Russian-era legacy from the time Sitka served as the capital of Russian America.
Not long after we started walking, we ran into a Canadian passenger who told us they’d just finished a visit to Fortress of the Bear, located outside of town. We bought tickets online and then had to figure out transportation. After plenty of debate with local tour companies, we finally found the right shuttle bus.
Oddly, Jan and I were the only ones on the bus. Our driver, Randy, couldn’t have been friendlier—sharing local information along the way and suggesting what we could do later, including where to go for dinner when we got back into town.
Randy dropped us off at Fortress of the Bear, and it was a treat to see the animals up close. The sanctuary began with one person’s realization that Alaska’s bears needed a better chance at life. The founder—once an avid hunter and wilderness guide—spent years observing bears in the wild and came to see them as intelligent, complex individuals. When he learned that orphaned bear cubs in Alaska were routinely killed due to the lack of a rehabilitation program, he believed there had to be another way. In 2003, he began transforming Sitka’s abandoned pulp mill clarifier tanks into safe, naturalistic habitats for rescued bears. By 2007, the sanctuary received its first permit—and only days later, its first orphaned cub arrived.
Today, Fortress of the Bear is the only bear-exclusive sanctuary in Alaska, providing lifelong care for orphaned bears that cannot return to the wild. It also serves as an educational resource through guided tours, outreach, and partnerships with wildlife organizations, with a mission focused on reducing human–bear conflict, preventing future orphaning of cubs, and encouraging a more respectful relationship between people and the wild places they share.
During our visit we learned the resident bears were all rescues—five brown bears and three black bears—kept in separate areas because they wouldn’t get along with each other.
On our return to Sitka, we were again the only ones on the shuttle. Randy went above and beyond and dropped us off at the restaurant he’d suggested: Mean Queen (205 Harbor Dr). It’s a lively, welcoming spot that has quickly built a reputation in Sitka for good food and a friendly atmosphere. The menu includes a range of salads (like Caesar, Greek, Spinach, and Wedge), but the pizzas are a standout—especially favorites like the Angry Jester and Fortress of the Pig, known for their thin, crunchy crust and great balance of flavors. The drink menu is fun too, with options like a classic mimosa and creative cocktails. We had a very good meal and it was the perfect way to end the day.
After dinner, we had a short walk to catch the shuttle back to the ship. Before boarding, we spent some time in the cruise terminal, which was modern and welcoming—an easy, comfortable finish to a Sitka day that started as “just a walk around town” and turned into one of our most memorable stops.
As we sailed away from Sitka we had a view of the mountains and it made for a great photo moment.
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