Sage Beach is an easy stop to look for Alaska sea life from the Sitka cruise shuttle drop-off

Hi there!

Stop off at Sage Beach when you’re walking in Sitka so that you can have a little look to see if you can spot any fun sea life washed up on shore! This is a tidepooling beach in Sitka, and it’s something you can do even if it’s raining.

With its rugged shoreline, you can consider this a classic Southeast Alaska beach, as it’s a rocky little beach. And it is small.

Now, there’s no guarantee to see anything really fun (unless you count seaweed), but it can be a quick and easy stop to make so you might as well look!

It’s about a 10 minute walk to Sage Beach from where the free shuttle from Sitka cruise port will drop you off in downtown Sitka. Then it’s another 5-10 minutes or so to get to the Sitka National Historical Park visitor center where you can walk through a forest to see totem poles. Sage Beach is near the Sitka Sound Science Center.

And that’s what I did. I was on my way to the Sitka National Historical Park visitor center when I saw a path to the shoreline. I wanted to see if I could spot any sea life along the shore line so I went for a look. The only real notable thing I saw was a colorful shell, but if I were to pass Sage Beach again in the future, I would still go again to have a closer look!

Something I didn’t know for my first couple of Alaska cruises was that along the rocky shorelines of Southeast Alaska, you might be able to find a few things washed up on shore. So now, when I have a chance to walk directly along a shore line, I like to see if there’s anything there! (Like I did for the Icy Strait Point beach on my return visit!)

Because of the big tidal swings in Southeast Alaska, it’s possible that during low tide, you might see some of the sea life exposed on Sage Beach.

If you have flexibility in the time you go to Sage Beach, you can better your chances of seeing something fun by going when it’s a lower tide. You can do an internet search for something like “sitka low tide” or “sitka tide times” to try to go as close as possible to low tide!

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The Sitka Sound Science Center is the obvious landmark to look for to stop off at Sage Beach, as there’s a small path to the shoreline right next to it.

The easy spot to look for on google maps is “cruise buses” to locate the cruise shuttle drop-off which is at Harrigan Centennial Hall. Make a quick stop inside before you start on your 10 minute walk to Sage Beach!

You’ll find signs around so it will be easy to find your way.

This sign was near the cruise shuttle drop-off (3-minute walk away), and then it’s an 8-minute walk to the Sitka Sound Science Center. If can also make a stop at the Russian Bishop’s House across the street.

Along the way you’ll pass by Cresecent Harbor where you’ll see a bunch of small fishing boats.

You can do a wildlife watching tour on one of these small boats. Even just going out on the water on this kind of boat will give you a so-very-Alaska experience, and you’ll also have a chance to see lots of wildlife. You can also do private tours from one of these boats, including a private wildlife watching tour and a fishing charter.

You’ll also want to consider going inside the Sitka Sound Science Center, and you’ll be guaranteed to see fun underwater life. This is the aquarium of Sitka.

Another way you can be guaranteed to see fun underwater life is by actually going underwater… by snorkeling in Sitka!! YES, you can go snorkeling in Alaska! 🤣 I did a snorkeling tour in Ketchikan, and you can also go snorkeling in Sitka by doing the Magic Island snorkeling tour.

When you’re around the Sitka Sound Science Center, you can also look to see if there are salmon swimming if it’s salmon season (mid-summer to early fall).

And then keep walking just beyond the Sitka Sound Science Center, and there’s a path to Sage Beach.

Then take a closer look on the beach to see if you can spot anything fun! It’s a small beach so it’s not something you’ll be going for a long walk on the beach or something like that. But depending on whethere there’s lots to see, it’s possible you might end up spending some extra time here.

Based on the sign at Sage Beach, it seems like you have a chance to see starfish! (Although I didn’t see any.)

I wore water resistant trail running shoes on this day in Sitka. While it wasn’t specifically for tidepooling in Sitka, these types of shoes can be good for a rocky beach walk in Alaska!

Then after you’ve had a look around Sage Beach, continue your walk to the Sitka National Historical Park visitor center to see totem poles!