Page 311 - Vacation Country Travel Guide

Often referred to as Little Norway, Petersburg
was settled by Norwegian immigrant Peter
Buschmann. The charming town is a busy fishing
center with unique historical wonders. Nestled
in the heart of the Tongass National Forest at the
north end of the Wrangell Narrows, Petersburg
is truly a working town. Canneries bustle,
processing fresh salmon, halibut and shrimp.
Enjoy the catch-of-the-day at a local restaurant
or ship some fresh seafood home. Tourists will
also find very good overnight accommodations
and RV parks. Harbor facilities include moorage
for vessels from 19’ to 150’ in length.
Petersburg is an excellent jumping-off point
for kayaking, hiking, camping, fishing or to
access the many Forest Service cabins in the area.
Don’t miss a boat or flightseeing trip to nearby
Le Conte Glacier and its fjord-like bay filled with
icebergs and the Stikine River. Nearby Frederick
Sound offers world class opportunities for whale
watching. Orcas and other sea mammals are local
residents. Humpback whales make their summer Petersburg fishing boats
photo by:
home in the Sound, which provides abundant VC TRAVEL GUIDE
food for these beautiful giants.
Attractions in Petersburg: commercial and sport fishing vessels of all types.
Eagles Roost Park — Located on Nordic Drive
within walking distance from the edge of town, Petersburg Wildlife Viewing
the park provides picnic tables and benches. This Petersburg/Frederick Sound is known around
is an excellent place to view eagles roosting in the world as the humpback whale viewing area.
trees. Take the trail down to the beach to watch Of the several thousand humpback whales in
the birds or explore tidepools. the North Pacific, approximately 1,000 feed in
Clausen Memorial Museum — This is the Southeast Alaska during the summer and fall.
best place to learn about Petersburg’s colorful Nearly half of that feeding population can be
history. The Museum houses a wide variety of found in Frederick Sound. They are after the
local and regional memorabilia, from Native very abundant herring and krill which thrive in
artifacts to early commercial fishing gear. these waters. In addition to the humpbacks, one
Petersburg Boat Harbor — Home to over 400 may frequently see steller sea lions, harbor seals,
Dall’s porpoise and Orcas. This area contains two
major and several minor sea lion haulouts. Sea
lions and humpback whales are often seen in the
same feeding locations and interaction between
these species is common. Harbor seals are seen
both in the water and on the many rocky inlets
throughout the viewing area.

Petersburg Fishing
How would you like to catch salmon only l4
miles from downtown Petersburg in a stream just
off a paved highway? The area is Blind River
Rapids - the only place in Southeast Alaska
where you can catch king salmon in fresh water.
The best time to catch kings is the end of May
through mid-July. Steelhead’s best time is the
end of April and coho between the first of August
to September.

Bald Eagle
photo by:
John Otness

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