Discover Petersburg: Heritage, Coast and Hotels

Petersburg combines Norwegian heritage with a landscape where water, wildlife viewing and trails are important themes. Choosing a hotel also means planning how to get there: Petersburg is accessible only by water or air. The Alaska Marine Highway ferry stops here several times a month. If you plan to travel on it, check the schedule before departure.

Culture and Norwegian traditions

The Clausen Memorial Museum preserves the history of Petersburg and the surrounding waters. Among the objects on display is a Tlingit dugout canoe. The Sons of Norway Hall was built in 1912 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Bojer Wikan Fishermen's Memorial Park also features several tributes, each with its own connection to local history: a nine-foot bronze sculpture honors local fisherman Bojer Wikan and his crewmates who lost their lives at sea. The same park displays the Valhalla, a replica Viking ship built in 1976.

Norwegian traditions also shape the festival calendar. The Little Norway Festival takes place every year in May around Norwegian Constitution Day on May 17 and includes a parade as well as cultural traditions. Traditional Norwegian foods are served at selected events. In summer, Leikerring dancers perform traditional Norwegian folk dances for visitors, accompanied by Norwegian pastries and coffee. The annual Little Norway Festival Community Art Show at the Clausen Museum features works of art in all media by people of all ages. If you plan your trip around one of these programs, check the dates of the events.

Seasonal wildlife viewing

Eagle's Roost Park, with its Narrows Viewing Platform, is within walking distance of downtown Petersburg. Between late April and late June, bald eagles gather in the trees there, scanning the waters of Wrangell Narrows for fish. Another seasonal highlight comes in fall: hundreds of trumpeter swans pass through the Trumpeter Swan Observatory near Petersburg between mid-October and December; up to 75 swans overwinter there. The viewing seasons are therefore quite different: eagles gather in late spring and early summer, while swans pass through the area in fall.

The Trumpeter Swan Observatory is located on Blind Slough and has an enclosed, wheelchair-accessible viewing shelter. Near Petersburg, the flat Blind River Rapids Trail also leads to the rapids of the Blind River. The quarter-mile boardwalk is wheelchair-accessible all the way down to the water. Outlook Park has telescopes and binoculars available for viewing icebergs, surfacing humpback whales and other marine life in Frederick Sound.

Trails and coastal scenery

The trails offer different highlights. The wooden City Creek Trail is about a one-hour hike. The Coastal Bike & Walking Path follows paved trails for about three miles from the ferry terminal south to Scow Bay. Near Petersburg, the Three Lakes Loop Trail is about five miles long and offers rowboats for public use. For planning purposes, City Creek can be gauged by its approximate hiking time, while approximate distances are given for the Coastal Path and Three Lakes Loop.

The tidal flats of Sandy Beach Park also connect coastal scenery with traces of history: the area contains ancient petroglyphs of Alaska Native Peoples and remains of prehistoric fish traps. The surrounding area's attractions thus range from seasonal wildlife viewing to archaeological evidence. Discover more destinations: Wrangell.

For the broader travel overview: Petersburg Census Area.