Sitka is a unified city-borough in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Alaska. It was under Russian rule from 1799 to 1867. The city is situated on the west side of Baranof Island and the south half of Chichagof Island in the Alexander Archipelago of the Pacific Ocean. As of the 2020 census, Sitka had a population of 8,458, the fifth-most populated city in the state.
Port Alexander is a city at the southeastern corner of Baranof Island in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 52, down from 81 in 2000.
The Alexander Archipelago is a 300-mile (480 km) long archipelago in North America lying off the southeastern coast of Alaska. It contains about 1,100 islands, the tops of submerged coastal mountains that rise steeply from the Pacific Ocean. Deep channels and fjords separate the islands and cut them off from the mainland. The islands shelter the northern part of the Inside Passage as it winds its way among them.
Chatham Strait, or Shee ya xhaak in the Tlingit language, is a narrow passage of the Alexander Archipelago in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It separates Chichagof Island and Baranof Island to its west from Admiralty Island and Kuiu Island on its east.
Admiralty Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska, at 57°44′N134°20′W. It is 145 km (90 mi) long and 56 km (35 mi) wide with an area of 4,264.1 km2 (1,646.4 sq mi), making it the seventh-largest island in the United States and the 132nd largest island in the world. It is one of the ABC islands in Alaska. The island is nearly cut in two by the Seymour Canal; to its east is the long, narrow Glass Peninsula. Most of Admiralty Island—955,747 acres (3,868 km2)—is protected as the Admiralty Island National Monument administered by the Tongass National Forest. The Kootznoowoo Wilderness encompasses vast stands of old-growth temperate rainforest. These forests provide some of the best habitat available to species such as brown bears, bald eagles, and Sitka black-tailed deer.
Baranof Warm Springs is a small, primarily seasonally-occupied community located in the city and borough of Sitka, Alaska, on the eastern side of Baranof Island, from which it likely derives its name, in the Alexander Archipelago. It is occasionally referred to simply as Baranof. Baranof Warm Springs is located at 57°05′22″N134°49′59″W.
Baranof Lake is a glacially-fed, horseshoe-shaped lake on the eastern side of Baranof Island, in Alaska. Baranof Lake borders the community of Baranof Warm Springs and also has a Forest Service cabin on the northwestern end of the lake. Baranof River flows into the lake's western end and exits on the eastern end in rapids and a waterfall.
Baranof River is a glacially-fed river on the eastern side of Baranof Island, in the Alexander Archipelago, in the Alaska Panhandle. The source of the river is the unnamed icefields surrounding Peak 5390. Baranof River feeds into Baranof Lake, and the outlet of Baranof Lake that feeds into Warm Springs Bay is also commonly referred to as Baranof River as well.
USCGC Balsam (WLB-62) was a Cactus-class seagoing buoy tender (WLB) in the United States Coast Guard. She operated in the Pacific Ocean during World War II, then saw service along the United States West Coast, Hawaii, and Alaska. After her decommissioning in 1975, she was repurposed as a crab catcher-processor and is active in Alaskan fisheries as F/V Baranof.
Mount Furuhelm is a 3,620 foot peak located on Baranof Island just east and adjacent to Peak 5390 in Alaska. It is located at 57°03′00″N134°55′47″W.
Silver Bay, or Gaǥeit', in the Tlingit language, is a deep water fjord located southeast of Sitka, Alaska, United States, that indents Baranof Island. It was named through a United States Coast and Geodetic Survey translation of Bukhta Serebryanikova, a name published first by Captain Tebenkov of the Imperial Russian Navy in 1852.
Coronation Island is located in Alaska off the northwest coast of Prince of Wales Island, south of Kuiu Island, and north of Noyes Island. High prevailing winds and waves from the open ocean to the west, combined with a steep, rocky coast, result in virtually unaccessible shore due to heavy surf along the windward coastline of the island. The few protected coves and beaches along the leeward shore are guarded by rocky shoals. Thus, the island is difficult to access by any route, and is generally limited to small boat or floatplane during brief lulls in the weather. There are no developed facilities and no groomed trails on the island. Wilderness camping is unrestricted and fishing and hunting are allowed. The nearest full-service community is Craig, Alaska. The island is also home to the Coronation Island Wilderness, which encompasses 19,232 acres (78 km2) and includes the adjacent Spanish Islands. There are several sea caves on the island, and some of these contain fossils.
Baranof Island is an island in the northern Alexander Archipelago in the Alaska Panhandle, in Alaska. The name "Baranof" was given to the island in 1805 by Imperial Russian Navy captain U. F. Lisianski in honor of Alexander Andreyevich Baranov. It was called Sheet’-ká X'áat'l by the native Tlingit people. It is the smallest of the ABC islands of Alaska. The indigenous group native to the island, the Tlingit, named the island Shee Atika. Baranof island is home to a diverse ecosystem, which made it a prime location for the fur trading company, the Russian American Company. Russian occupation in Baranof Island impacted not only the indigenous population as well as the ecology of the island, but also led to the United States' current ownership over the land.
Kootznahoo Inlet is located on the eastern shore of Chatham Strait in the U.S. state of Alaska. Comprising an area of about 15 square miles (39 km2), it is an intricate group of narrow passages, lagoons, and bays, having its entrance 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Killisnoo. Kootznahoo, which means bear fortress, is also the name given by the Tlingit to mean Admiralty. The Kootznoowoo Wilderness also of the Admiralty Island covers some of the largest reserve areas covering about 1 million acres. The island is inhabited by about 1500 brown bears, the largest number recorded anywhere on the earth.
The South Baranof Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area within the Tongass National Forest, located on Baranof Island, Alaska. Covering 319,568 acres south of Sitka, the South Baranof protects glacier-carved fjords, hanging valleys, old-growth temperate rainforests and sheer granite mountains.
Cannon Island is a small island in Sitka, Alaska, United States. It is connected to Baranof Island and Sitka by a gravel causeway, Cannon Island Drive. The island was named "Pushki" by explorer Ivan Vasilyev in 1809.
Baranof Warm Springs are a series of ten geothermal mineral springs located in the small community of Baranof Warm Springs in Sitka, Alaska. The springs are surrounded by the Tongass National Forest.
