ALASKAN CRUISE 2025 SHORE EXCURSIONS SITKA AND DAWES GLACIER

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If you are a regular reader of our blog (THANK YOU!), you might remember that my husband and I went on an Alaskan cruise this past August on Holland America Lines. I did already write a post about our ship, the Westerdam, and another post regarding our Juneau shore excursion. Today, I wanted to share a bit about Sitka and the Dawes Glacier.

When cruising, there are typically days called "sea days" which simply means that the ship is out to see to its next location. One of our sea days involved a few hours sailing up to the Dawes Glacier, which is located in the Endicott Arm Fjord. This glacier is approx. 80 miles SE of Juneau. 

It was a beautiful cruise into the area, and the weather was perfect--sunny and temperatures were great for a sweatshirt or light raincoat (this ONE was perfect for the weather--kept me cozy and dry in Ketchikan, too). Not everyone went on deck, so it wasn't too crowded at all. The water really is that blue, as well as the glacier. The glacier is blue due to the ice's ability to capture light waves. The blue light travels thru and thus the blue shade the glacier presents as (hoping I am remembering our ship guide's info correctly). 

The ocean leading up to the glacier is filled with small bits of ice that have broken off the glacier. Smaller bits, such as below, are called growlers and larger pieces (1 to 5 meters in size) are called bergy bits. We only noticed the smaller pieces on our journey. 

Here is a photo of the upper deck (bow), where people gathered to view the glacier and scenery.

On Holland America Line, it is a Dutch tradition to serve split pea soup.  During our Alaskan cruise, this occurred while viewing the Dawes Glacier. It was tasty!

If you are interested, I found a recipe, shared by Holland America themselves! Link is HERE.

Another view as we near the glacier. We did have to wait our turn as another large cruise ship was coming out of the area.

We didn't see any wildlife so to speak while there, marine or otherwise. We were told that people do boat into the area and camp and hike. Having a waterproof pair of binoculars, such as THESE, are helpful to make sure you don't miss a thing! Great price, too.

Our next stop and excursion was to Sitka, Alaska. Sitka was influenced by Russian culture, especially architecture, and is located in southeast Alaska, and like many areas in Alaska, is only accessible by sea or air. Sitka was founded in 1799 by Alexander Baranov, the governor of Russian-America. There were clashes during that time with the Tlingit, the people native to the area. Tlingit is pronounced "Klink-it" or "Tleen-git" (per our guide, who is half-native Tlingit) and means "people of the tides". They are native to British Columbia and SE Alaska.  

Our first stop on Sitka was the ALASKA RAPTOR CENTER. It was a fairly warm and sunny morning while there. The center provides care for up to 200 wild birds, mainly raptors but will help other wild birds, each year. One of the most enjoyable sites we saw was the Flight Center, in which injured birds can practice their flight skills in an enclosed, large area.

Some of the residents of the center.

He's very prestigious looking!

Part of the 17 acres of the center.

Beautiful symbol of our country! Most of the residents at the raptor center are bald eagles.

My husband and I, posing in an actual-sized man-made bald eagle nest! I had no idea they were that large.

Our next stop on Sitka was the Fortress of the Bear.

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We had a driving tour of Sitka but the main focus of our Sitka excursion was two separate wildlife sanctuaries. We drove by shuttle to THE FORTRESS OF THE BEAR. At one time, if a mama bear was killed or died and she had cubs, the Alaskan Dept of Wildlife required that the cubs be euthanized (don't shoot the messenger, this is what the guide told us). When we were there, there were 8 resident bears living there. The goal is to find zoos or other sanctuaries who can take the bears and give them permanent homes. That way, Fortress of the Bear can continue to help all orphaned cubs throughout the state of Alaska.

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Cute bears but I bet they aren't cuddly!

We had an interesting and enjoyable time on Sitka. This was part of the Holland America Line's Inner Passage Alaskan cruise and we highly recommend!

Thanks for stopping by!