Tongass National Forest

Petersburg Visitor Information Center

"Ask us, we know everything"

Ok, we may not be omniscient, but when it comes to answering your visitor- and recreation- related questions, we like to try! The Visitor Information Center (VIC) in Petersburg is a unique partnership between the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Forest Service, Petersburg Ranger District. The relatively small VIC holds a surprising wealth of information for travelers and locals interested in activities, community services, fun and educational things to see and do while visiting Petersburg, National Forest resources and recreation opportunities, and much more! We truly are a one-stop shop for all your visitor information needs.

Services

The VIC is filled with brochures, maps, videos, posters, books, and a friendly staff, all in an effort to help you find the information you need to enjoy your visit to Petersburg. A small bookstore provided by the Alaska Geographic offers a variety of educational items for purchase. A special display area offers brochures from other Alaska and Yukon communities, as a service to those travelers "just passing through.” Locals also enjoy stopping by the VIC to assemble their own visitor packets with which to entice their friends and family to visit Alaska's Little Norway. The following is a partial listing of information you will find at the VIC:

History

Another old Ranger Station was pulled back from the brink of oblivion as the community of Petersburg rallied to preserve part of its heritage and gained a first class visitor information center in the bargain. The 24-foot by 28-foot wooden structure, which for over 35 years housed the offices of the Petersburg Ranger District, became the property of the City of Petersburg in a land exchange with the Forest Service in 1987. The city considered wrecking the office and the adjacent garage and turning the site into a parking lot.

Many citizens, however, felt the historic building should be preserved and committed to some needed and useful purpose. After considerable debate, the idea of turning the lower floor of the two-storied building into a visitor information center carried the day. The combination of its central location, (just one block from the business district and one block from the museum), its ability to be modified to provide wheelchair access, and its historic roots, offered an ideal opportunity to provide information to the people who visit and live in this fine community.

The local Chamber of Commerce leased the building from the City, and became the catalyst for a renovation effort to breathe renewed life into the abandoned structure. The Forest Service entered into a partnership agreement with the Chamber to assist in renovation and to share in operation of the visitor information center. Local Forest Service archeologists and landscape architects assisted in design of the renovation to assure that the historic character was maintained while making structural and accessibility modification. Forest Service interpretive specialists helped plan the layout and function of the new facility. Many local volunteers donated their weekends, tearing out rotting walls and pulling frayed wiring, painting the new walls, and cleaning up. Daily operation of the VIC began May 15, 1992. Since then, VIC staff have greeted over 50,000 visitors.

How to contact us

Call the VIC at (907) 772-INFO (772-4636) or write to one of the following addresses:

Or make the VIC your first stop in Petersburg! We're located in the 2-story building at the corner of First and Fram Streets in downtown Petersburg.

Hours of Operation