12 best things to do in Icy Strait Point and Hoonah, Alaska, on a cruise

1 month ago 8

Icy Strait Point will be your favorite cruise port in Alaska — or your least favorite.

Why? You might love the densely forested setting of Chichagof Island, which has the world's highest population of bears per square mile and is surrounded by waters filled with wildlife — ideal for touring. Within Icy Strait Point, you can sate your need for speed as you fly down a 1,300-foot zip line, dine on fresh Alaska seafood and immerse yourself in southeast Alaska's history and Native culture.

On the other hand, if you love cruise ports that drop you into the middle of real-world Alaska, Icy Strait isn't that. It's a purposefully developed cruise port (think: cruise line private island meets ski resort), and everything there has been carefully created to entice you to spend money. You will need to walk or take a shuttle to the city of Hoonah to see where real Alaskans live.

If you're inclined to pooh-pooh this kind of port, I urge you not to give up on Icy Strait Point. I was impressed with how well its creators made authentic Alaskan elements accessible to cruise visitors at the port. I didn't have to go far to try salmon dip and halibut pizza washed down with a locally brewed beer. I toured interesting exhibits about the salmon cannery that used to occupy the site. With a longer stay, I could have gone on a whale-watching cruise in waters so populous that I'd get a 100% refund if a whale wasn't spotted during the tour.

Plus, the port's owners, Huna Totem Corporation, are deeply rooted in the local community. The company employs 120 Native Alaskans, and many of the staff you'll meet in port live in nearby Hoonah; it's a popular spot for high school students to work summer jobs. Huna Totem only leases retail space to locally owned businesses (one gallery exclusively sells art by local Alaskans), and proceeds from the on-site bookshop help fund school activities in Hoonah. Don't miss the doughnut shop run by the local Salvation Army, which uses the profits to provide food for Alaskans in need.

Icy Strait Point packages authentic Alaska into a beautiful, easily accessible port. Whether your ship stops for an entire day or just an evening, here are the top 12 things to do in port.

Ride the gondola

Icy Strait Point has two cruise piers: Wilderness Landing (closer to the zip line) and Ocean Landing (closer to the rest of the port's shopping, dining and activity centers). A half-mile walking trail connects them.

You might certainly enjoy a leisurely nature stroll through the woods (keep an eye out for deer), but I think it's more fun to ride the gondola between them. Icy Strait Point has two gondolas — you'll want the free Transporter Gondola. The four-minute ride takes you through the rainforest and over the port's adventure course area. Time your ride, if possible, to avoid the long lines of tour groups.

Zoom down the zip line

Icy Strait's ZipRider is a superlative ride. The port touts it as "the world's largest ZipRider." I'm not sure what that means, but I can tell you that six side-by-side zip lines run 5,330 feet in length and drop 1,330 feet in elevation. You are both harnessed and seated in a swing chair, so you're upright but not dangling. You'll soar 300 feet above the rainforest as you reach speeds of more than 60 mph on your flight down the mountain.

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It's truly thrilling — not only because of the height and speed but also because you actually have time to enjoy the ride and take in the views on this long course.

Bonus: You get to take a second gondola ride on the Skyglider Gondola, which lasts seven minutes and takes you to the top of Hoonah Mountain.

Go whale watching

The area near Point Adolphus on Chichagof Island is known for its large summertime population of humpback whales. Boats depart Icy Strait Point on multiple whale-watching excursions each day to reach these wildlife-filled waters.

In fact, the area has so many whales that Huna Totem brags that every whale-watching tour run since it opened Icy Strait Point in 2004 has seen whales. They are so certain you will see a whale that they will refund 100% of the cost of your tour if you don't.

Seek out bears

If land mammals are more your thing than marine ones, Chichagof Island is also known for its grizzly bear population. If you want to see one safely yet in the wild, you'll want to sign up for a bear search. These tours take guests to the Spasski River Valley, where you'll walk along designated paths to viewing platforms in the hopes of spotting the large brown bears. You might also see deer, eagles and other wildlife.

Fish

The waters around Icy Strait Point are full of halibut, so if you're eager to try your hand at ocean fishing in Alaska, you can sign up for a tour. Each fishing boat can take up to six guests, and while you must man your own pole, you'll need to release any fish you catch. (So don't think you can take your catch back to the ship for dinner!) A fishing tour here is also a miniature wildlife cruise, so you might spot whales, porpoises, sea lions and other aquatic animals while you're out on the water.

Cook fish

For a hands-on tour that gives you a literal taste of Alaska, don't miss Icy Strait Point's "In Alaska's Wildest Kitchen" excursion. Guided by local cooks, you'll learn how to prepare salmon and halibut, from filleting the fish to cooking pieces over an open-air grill. Back inside, you'll get to taste the dishes and take home the recipe cards.

Eat fish

Some folks just want to enjoy Alaska's wealth of seafood without having to catch and prepare it. You've got plenty of ways to fill your bellies with fish in Icy Strait Point.

You could sign up for a tour that includes a "seafood feast" of shrimp and crab, Andouille sausage, veggies and s'mores for dessert. Or, you could grab a bite to eat at one of the port's three waterfront restaurants, food trucks and other food sellers.

Duck Point Smokehouse Restaurant by the Ocean Landing dock has cozy fireplace-side indoor seating and outdoor patio seating, plus a bar selling Alaskan brews (including the delicious made-on-island Cannery Red Ale). This is where I enjoyed a smoked salmon dip with Parmesan toast points for dipping and my first-ever halibut pizza.

Over by the Cannery, The Cookhouse restaurant is the place to go for halibut fish-and-chips and salmon BLT sliders, while the Crab House specializes in locally harvested Dungeness and Alaska snow crab. The go-to drink is the Alaska Crabby Bloody Mary, garnished with crab meat, shrimp, pickled Alaska beach asparagus and an actual crab leg.

At the top of Hoonah Mountain, you can stop by the taco truck for shrimp and halibut tacos, among other non-seafood options.

Learn about fish

Or, more specifically, learn about the salmon canning process and the history of the salmon industry in Hoonah. The Hoonah Cannery buildings that now house restaurants and shops used to be the site of a salmon canning operation. Spend some time taking in the free museum displays featuring photographs, machinery and other memorabilia from when these buildings used to house a factory.

Shop for souvenirs

While you're at the cannery, you won't want to miss the chance to purchase souvenirs at shops exclusively owned by Alaskan locals and Native Alaskans. The bigger shops in the main part of the building sell all the signature souvenirs you'll find in any Alaska port, but duck into the discreet shops off the hallway for more original gifts. At Dei L'e.ann, you'll find works by Huna Tlingit artists, as well as soaps, salves and lip balms from Tlingit Botanicals.

Watch a dance show

The Native Heritage Center Theater, near the cannery, offers an opportunity for Icy Strait Point visitors to experience and learn about Tlingit culture. The theater runs hourly performances of the Tribal Dance Show that you can book individually or as part of a tour (often with the seafood feast). Tlingit folks from Hoonah will perform songs and dances and tell stories to share their traditions with cruise ship guests.

Take a nature walk

Stretch your legs and search for wildlife along Icy Strait Point's various nature trails. From Ocean Landing's Adventure Center, you can strike out on a nature trail (about a 12-minute walk) or walk the half-mile trail to the other pier. From the top of the Skyglider Gondola, you can enjoy the milelong Hidden Lake Loop Trail (yes, there really is a lake up there).

Alternatively, you can meander along the beach path (a good spot for wildlife sightings) or walk the mile-and-a-half route to the city of Hoonah.

Visit Hoonah

Speaking of Hoonah, it's the main city on Chichagof Island and home to many of the Tlingit people and Alaska locals who work at Icy Strait Point. If you'd prefer to see a real town and not a developed port, you can visit Hoonah by cruise excursion, shuttle bus or a 30-minute walk.

In Hoonah, you can hit up some of the local shops for gifts and souvenirs, try a local beer at Icy Strait Brewing or enjoy comfort food all day at The Fisherman's Daughter. You can also watch local carvers create totem poles or work on canoes at the Carving Shed.

Bottom line

You might never have heard of Icy Strait Point before your cruise. However, combined with the neighboring city of Hoonah, it has a wealth of activities and attractions to offer cruise passengers. Having spent just an evening in port, I'd recommend looking for itineraries with a longer stay so you can go out on a wildlife tour and have time afterward to do a little shopping and eating within the port complex.

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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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