Cpt.Gary’s Sitka Adventures

07/22/2024

Go Trio, go! 👏

06/25/2024

Challenge👇

✔️Count the bald eagles in the tree.

✔️Extra Credit: Find the juvenile bald eagles (

06/24/2024

May we suggest a photo op? 📸
📍Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal 🚢
Meet Bo the Bear 🐻
Just look at this guy 🩷
He’s bound to bring a smile to your face 😁
and he’s happy to be a part of your family selfie 😜
Happy Monday 💯

05/17/2024

Healthy Bears 🤎🖤

05/06/2024

We love these guys! It's so fun to take our people out to visit with them Happy Bear Day! 🐻🤎

04/24/2024

YES, what they said 👏

“Keeping the spirit of Alaska alive for everyone to experience.” 💯

Thank you Safeguard Sitka's Future 🎤

04/08/2024

Something epic starting tomorrow 4.8.24 🚢

Tour Season ‘24 kicks off with the Norwegian Cruise Line Bliss docking up at📍Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal

Captain Gary and the Morning Glory will show a group of visitors the Alaskan experience they seek 🐋

We’re so excited and grateful that we get to do what we do 🖤

More to come 💥 Here we go! 🛥️ 🚐 🌊 🏔️ 💯

Us 👉



P.S. Thank you Safeguard Sitka's Future 👏

03/31/2024

👏

Whales hold an ancient sacredness for many Polynesian Indigenous groups. Now, in New Zealand, Tahiti and the Cook Islands, Indigenous leaders are recognizing them as legal persons. Conservationists hope it will lead to legal protections. https://nyti.ms/4azx0a1

03/13/2024

The bears are waking up and we’ll be visiting them soon! ✌️

02/15/2024

Can't wait to welcome everyone! Season '24 here we (almost) go!!!

Are you planning a trip to Sitka in 2024? Check out this inclusive guide to discover the latest attractions, business offerings, and hidden gems to make the most of your trip to Sitka! visitsitka.org/blog/what-to-do-in-sitka-in-2024

10/19/2023

We

09/20/2023

I’m a little late to post—I’m a busy tour-guiding mama 🤪—but these pics must be shared.

The Wonder visited us last week and Genevieve got to give a tour as a magical unicorn 🦄

We may have loved the tour more than our guests … nah, I think they loved it too 😜

Thanks for coming to see the Bears, Birds + Totems with us. We hope you enjoyed your day in our little lovely Sitka-by-the-Sea! 🏔️🌊🌲

See y’all next year 🤸‍♂️

Up next … we’re going to DISNEYLAND! 🏰

P.S. First pic is of Genevieve and her cousin, Abby. These ladies are 5th generation Sitkans!

09/19/2023

I get to meet the most wondrous people. Feeling super grateful for my “job.” I love the people and I love the serendipity. Thanks for this sweet and beautifully written post, Leslie.

09/18/2023

Vote for 435 Holly! 🐻

Time to VOTE for your favorite Fat Bear Week Campaign Poster. Live now at http://explore.org/contest

(2020 campaign poster by Kyle Brittain)

08/02/2023

Bear introduction process update!

Our keeper team has been working really hard this season to progress in the introduction process between 5 year-old Seward Sisters, Nikiski and Nuka and our adult brown bear group. They’ve been focusing on developing the sister’s relationship with Toby, our sassy 14 year old female, pictured in the foreground here. For about a month, Toby and the sisters have been spending full days with each other, and are learning to share habitat nicely!

Toby has reminded the sisters that she’s the boss, but has also been very tolerant of their young bear silliness. Nikiski isn’t sure if she likes Toby yet, but Nuka seems to be fascinated by her! We’re excited to continue watching their social interactions develop.

07/28/2023

Picture-Perfect Sitka

Sitka from a bird’s eye view 🐦

Photo by Instagram user

07/28/2023

Nice. Go, 480 Otis! 🏆

Breaking news: 480 Otis is back! 🎉 (You can breathe again.)

480 Otis has returned to Brooks River and he's catching fish at the falls. 🙂🐟

Bear 480 Otis, at around 28 years old, is one of the oldest bears to use Brooks River. He is a 4x Fat Bear Week champion, and people around the world eagerly await his arrival each year. Even at his age, he's still expertly catching fish and continues to surprise us. Certainly a bear to watch this season! 👑 🐻

Photo credit: NPS Photo/F. Jimenez

07/27/2023

Today we hit 72° in Sitka, Alaska. This is positively the “down south” heat wave hitting us. And we’re loving it✌️

07/26/2023

Rest in power, Kily. We’ll miss you 😢

07/26/2023

Please, don't pet the bears ✋

In case you were thinking about petting a bear when you come visit the Tongass, here's a handy guide.

Please don't pet the bears.

07/20/2023

We love our artsy little town 🎨

Native Alaskan artisans and others honor the storied city’s past and present

07/20/2023

Sitka’s food trucks are boomin’ this season and we’re loving it 🤤

Pop-ups, trailers, carts and trucks serve rockfish tacos, halibut ceviche and more at affordable prices on a homegrown coastal culinary trail.

07/19/2023

This just in 🔊

If you want to see the bears 🐻 when you’re in Sitka *you must be on a tour with an appointment to see the bears*

Book your tour with us and we’ll get you there 🙌

Due to the recent high demand to visit, Fortress of the Bear is at capacity limits.

We are unable to accept walk-ins on days when Lincoln Street is closed.

Lincoln Street is closed when combined passenger count exceeds 5,000 people.

You can check this helpful calendar, put together by Visit Sitka, to see which days Lincoln Street will be closed this season:

[email protected]&ctz=America/Anchorage" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/embed?src=[email protected]&ctz=America/Anchorage

Sorry for any inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding. Bear health, visitor safety, and experience are our priorities. Our team appreciates your continued support!

07/13/2023

We visit this beautiful national park on our land tour. It’s our nature/history/art stop where you can walk in the Tongass National Forest, walk on the beach, learn about the Battle of Sitka where the Tlingit and Russians fought the battle that won Alaska, and see many examples of Tlingit artwork, including the iconic totem poles.

Let's challenge the hierarchy together.

A common misconception about totem poles is that they are arranged in a hierarchal fashion, with the status of the depicted figures increasing as you go from bottom to top. While totem poles have a variety of uses, rarely do any of them depict hierarchy. A type of legend pole that directly challenges this misconception is a ridicule pole, also known as a shame pole.

Traditionally, a ridicule pole served to resolve conflicts in a non-violent way via public acknowledgement of a wrongdoing. It was erected to notify everyone of an unpaid debt or of harm or injury to another. A ridicule pole would be placed in a prominent area, with a depiction of those being mocked or shamed at the top. If the wrong was righted or the debt paid the pole would be burned at a potlatch, and the wrong would not be spoken of again.

In Sitka National Historical Park, the "Trader Legend" pole is a ridicule pole which depicts: (starting at the bottom) a beaver, recognized by the long square teeth and cross hatched tail. The next figure up is an upside-down crab, which can serve as a symbol of thievery, which is being held up by another indistinguishable animal figure. Atop this figure is an animal with a shrimp in its mouth, another symbol said to represent a thief. At the top of this pole is a figure representing a white man, indicated by the depiction of curly hair and a beard. Someone looking at the "Trader Legend" pole through the lens of hierarchy would incorrectly assume that the man on top was being celebrated when he was actually being mocked.

07/10/2023

Thursday 🗓️

The best time to see the aurora is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local.

06/22/2023

May there always be light and adventure in your heart 🔥

Happy Summer Solstice!

05/26/2023

This one is for all the folks that come out with us and ask about living with the bears!

CALLING ENCOUNTERS FANS! It's that time of year again to remind ourselves how to stay safe in bear country. It the "BEAR SAFETY" episode, airing THIS SUNDAY, MAY 28th at 2:00 pm AKDT on RAVEN RADIO!! If you're outside the listening area, stream the show at www.kcaw.org with lots of other Encounters fans from all over, including Australia and Europe. See ya there!