Tongass Nat’l Forest Sights & Attractions

The Community Hall/Gymnasium, located in downtown Kake, is the most used facility in town. Here's where you could find a community gathering complete with Tlingit dancing. Or you may get a chance to watch residents in a spirited game of basketball, the city’s favorite sport. (Kake has a few state championships in its history!).

Clap your hands, hoot and holler, and tap your feet—it’s all encouraged when you attend a show by the New Archangel Dancers. Performing Russian folk dances in Sitka for over 40 years, this all-female group has been dedicated to preserving and celebrating the town’s Russian heritage since 1969. You’ll experience upbeat dances (with their emcee leading a clapping  More...

Drive out north of Kake a few miles to find a local hot spot for picnicking and watching for humpbacks in Keku Strait. This is the best place near Kake to view whales. You can see their spouts in the waters pretty close to the Point.

Visiting Pelican sometimes seems like you’ve stepped back in time: even more so if you get a chance to check out the community’s still-functioning 1952 fire truck. The 500-gallon-per-minute pump is ready for action on this rig, which has seen only boardwalk miles.

If you want a chance to sit back and enjoy an iconic view of Alaska, catch up on your work, or peruse a large collection of Alaskana, there’s no more perfect place than the new Ketchikan library.

Ketchikan Arts & Humanities Council (KAAHC) is the powerhouse of Ketchikan’s arts community; if there’s an arts event in Ketchikan, this organization is on it! Located at the Main Street Gallery, KAAHC produces dozens of art events annually, such as summer’s Blueberry Arts Festival and February’s famous Wearable Arts Show.

Walking the streets of Sitka, you may find it hard to believe that this quiet coastal community was once the hub of the West Coast: a center for trade, diplomacy, and the arts. When San Francisco had less than 10 residents, Sitka was home to 800 Russians, Europeans, Tlingits, and Aleuts. The oldest town on the West Coast, it was the capital of Russian America—called New  More...

The Shamrock Building is a must-see spot in Tenakee Springs. Built in 1902, it is listed on the National Register of Historic places and has been everything from a jail, pool hall, dance hall, and senior center. These days it’s home to a local bakery that serves breakfast and lunch items. You can also browse a fine selection of local and regionally-made art.

Built in 1843, during the “Golden Age” of Russian North America, this spacious, two-story building was home to Bishop Innocent of the Russian Orthodox Church. It was the center of Russian North America’s cultural, educational, and business ventures, complete with a formal reception hall, dining room, chapel, school, and seminary.

Although it was a church  More...

After Finnish laborers completed St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral, they asked Russian authorities if they could build a Lutheran church for themselves. The Russians allowed it, but only if the building didn’t look like a church. That building was torn down in 1888, but you can still see what it looked like: the current Lutheran church (which looks like a church) has  More...

Summers are busy in Ketchikan, with up to five cruise ships making port every day, but the locals also know how to play hard—especially at the huge Blueberry Arts Festival, hosted every August by the Ketchikan Arts and Humanities Council. In a town of 14,000, you’re likely to see as many as 8,000 people come out to this family-friendly event that celebrates the Southeast Alaskan blueberry.

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After four years of worshiping in the Presbyterian Chapel, Episcopalians finally had their own church in 1899, with the construction of St. Peters-by-the-Sea. Complete with stained glass windows, modified flying buttresses, and wooden pews, this small chapel is open to the public 24/7. The church and the adjacent See House (1905) are both on the National Register of Historical Places,  More...

Fresh veggies, tasty preserves and local artwork combine for a colorful display at Tenakee Spring’s Farmers Market. Fresh berries and baked goods are the perfect sweet treat, and a freshly-picked bouquet of local flowers will liven up any table, be it on a charter boat or in the room of your cabin or lodge.

In 1882, the U.S. Navy bombarded the small village of Angoon, resulting in destruction of homes, winter food stores and all but one canoe. The community survived through much hardship. The event is still very much a part of the collective history passed down through generations of Angoon residents.

This Russian Orthodox church was built by and for Serbian miners and Tlingit Indians—not Russians. Tlingits were attracted to the religion because of the church’s acceptance of their language and culture; Protestant missionaries attempted to erase their customs. Now, more than 110 years later, the church continues to serve the community, with services sung in English,  More...

With almost 30 years under its belt, the Ketchikan Wearable Arts Show is an event you don’t want to miss. Described as the “original runway performance,” this show has inspired imitations in neighboring communities and around the world. If you’d like to see a show that most clearly represents pure artistic talent, this is it.

4th of July is Elfin Cove’s biggest community event, with everyone turning out for some patriotic fun that includes a pancake breakfast, games and even a banana slug race!

Nearly a century ago in 1903, this was the small mining and fishing town's red-light district but today the boardwalk street, propped up over Ketchikan Creek on wooden pilings, teems with gift shops, museums and well-preserved homes. The City Council ordered bordellos to relocate across the creek from the townsite. More than 30 bawdy houses, most with one or two"working  More...

Elfin Cove Museum has preserved artifacts that illustrate how past residents lived and thrived in this remote community. A stroll through the collection turns up a treasure trove of memorabilia: from clothing and household items to fishing tools and old World War II field telephone.

Kake’s modest public library, located at the high school, offers public wi-fi, computers, and limited programming such as story time and yoga. When open, it’s a great place to stop and check your email or chat with Kake’s residents.

Take a walking tour through the historic district in Marine Park. Pick up a free map at the kiosk and just go! South Franklin Street is the main tourism district and one of the best shopping areas to find everything Alaskan, from cute and furry faux creatures (like iceworms) to handmade native crafts and expensive fine art. To ensure authenticity, look for the polar bear symbol for  More...

No visit to Juneau is complete without a close-up look at the Mendenhall Glacier. The Juneau Icefield's most visible ambassador, 13-mile long Mendenhall Glacier ends at Mendenhall Lake and is easily viewed from the Forest Service's historic visitor center. Here's what you'll find here:

Alaskans love to get together. And since they’re hunkered down all winter and working all summer, festivals give them an excuse to socialize. So they’ve created parties for fish, for music, for light, for dark, for plants…you name it, there’s probably a festival for it up north. And Sitka, a historic town on the outer coast with lots of artists, has festivals  More...

Kids, dogs, visitors, floats, flags…and slugs. These are the essential components of a truly festive 4th of July celebration in Tenakee Springs, which combines a parade, good food and quirky games for both young and old(er).

For a small island community 800 miles from any major metropolitan area, the Ketchikan Gateway Recreation & Aquatic center is exceptional. These facilities feature enough equipment and activities to please a wide range of interests.

This bridge, connecting downtown Juneau with Douglas Island, was built in 1981, though the original bridge dates to 1935. Today you can walk, bike, or drive across this bridge for a very scenic view.

Tsimshian master carver Stan Marsden led the community of Pelican in designing, carving and raising totem poles to symbolize the spirit of Pelican – an independent, close-knit fishing community. You can see their handiwork in the Unity pole in front of City Hall and in the raven and bear poles in front of Pelican High School.

TLC Management LLC, or Tenakee Logging Company provides selective and sustainably cut high quality timber for builders, luthiers, shipwrights and artists in SE Alaska. And, they cut timber to mill for building projects in Tenakee Springs. 

Arriving in Kake, you’ll see a large light-green warehouse built on pilings over the water. This is Kake’s historic salmon-packing cannery, which locals are working to restore as both a usable space for local businesses and an historic attraction for visitors.

Long Beach is a stretch of beach along Keku Strait a few miles north of Kake. This is a good spot for spotting whale activity offshore, as there are a few rocks out in the water that the whale like to rub against. Generally you would see humpback in this area, but once in awhile you might see a pod of orca.

Newly renovated in 2016. Established in 1900, the Museum collects, exhibits, and interprets the human and natural history of Alaska. The Museum features a full-size bald eagle nesting tree and extensive ethnographic exhibits on the cultures of Alaska's Native people. Two galleries offer changing exhibits.