National Historical Park · Alaska

Trails in Sitka National Historical Park

12 named trails · 3 miles · 4 trailheads · 1 with the Park Service's own write-up. The lines, trailheads and points are the Park Service's; the write-ups are the Service's own words; the climbing is read from USGS elevation along each line.

Open on the parks mapEvery park with trailsPark on nps.gov

12 trails, A to Z.

Russian Memorial Trail

0.8 mi one way · about 30 ft of climbing · 150 ft of descent · 10 ft–108 ft · native surface · hiking

History

51 ft 41 ft · 0.5 mi high 51 ft

Along the way Russian Memorial

Trailheads River View Trailhead 47 ft Drive there · Russian Memorial Trailhead 41 ft Drive there

On the parks map

Sea Walk Trail

0.7 mi one way · 30 ft of descent · -5 ft–27 ft · concrete surface · bike, hiking

HistoryVisitor centersRock formations

-3 ft -1 ft · 0.3 mi high -1 ft

Along the way Hanlon-Osbakken House (Historic) Merrill Rock (Ixt'i X'aa) Priests' Quarters St. Peters by the Sea (Historic) The Old School Pre-Tlingit Rock Carvings/Petroglyphs Sitka National Historical Park Visitor Center

On the parks map · Drive to the trail's end

Serpentine Walk

0.1 mi one way · 20 ft of descent · 21 ft–40 ft · hiking

HistoryVisitor centers

40 ft 21 ft · 0.1 mi high 40 ft

Along the way Merrill Rock (Ixt'i X'aa) Sitka National Historical Park Visitor Center

Trailhead Totem Trailhead 35 ft Drive there

On the parks map

Totem Cutoff Trail

0.1 mi one way · about 40 ft of climbing · 19 ft–51 ft · gravel surface · hiking

HistoryVisitor centers

Along the way Merrill Rock (Ixt'i X'aa) Sitka National Historical Park Visitor Center

Trailhead Totem Trailhead 35 ft Drive there

On the parks map

Totem Trail

0.8 mi one way · about 20 ft of climbing · 17 ft–47 ft · gravel surface · hiking

HistoryVisitor centers

25 ft 34 ft · 0.8 mi high 47 ft

Along the way Kiks.ádi Fort Site (Historic) and Memorial Merrill Rock (Ixt'i X'aa) Sitka National Historical Park Visitor Center

Trailheads River View Trailhead 47 ft Drive there · Totem Trailhead 30 ft Drive there · Totem Trailhead 35 ft Drive there

Take the Totem Trail the Park Service's write-up

30-90 Minutes · dogs allowed

Start Sitka National Historical Park Totem Trail

A man and woman walk by trees and a totem pole on a gravel path
The Totem Trail is a relatively flat loop on crushed gravel. Photo: NPS Photo

The Totem Trail features poles obtained from several Haida and Tlingit villages, the site of an 1804 battle between Russians and Tlingit, classic Southeast Alaska temperate rain forest, and vistas of Sitka Sound and the intertidal zone.

Poles acquired by Governor Brady traveled to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair before being repaired by local carvers and placed along "Lover's Lane" in Sitka in 1906. They are a testament to a living tradition of wood carving. Several are new or second generation poles.

At the midpoint of the trail, a contemporary pole and marker at the Kiks.ádi Memorial and a grassy field mark the site of the Battle of 1804 between Russians and Tlingit.

As it passes through temperate rainforest the Totem Trail connects the poles to the natural world that inspired many of the figures found on them.

Accessibility Two accessible parking spaces are available in the visitor center parking lot. A paved trail with curb cuts leads to the visitor center from downtown Sitka. Accessible restrooms, a lowered water fountain, and an extended picnic table are available outside the visitor center. The trail is generally six feet wide, relatively flat, and paved with crushed gravel.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

About these trails

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-14 and simplified for the map. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do", unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.