Icy Strait Point will be your favorite cruise port in Alaska – or at least your favorite.
Why? You might like the densely forested area of Chichagof Island, which has the world’s highest number of bears per square mile and is surrounded by waters teeming with wildlife – perfect for sightseeing. Inside Icy Strait Point, you can satisfy your need for speed as you fly down a 1,300-foot zip line, dine on fresh Alaskan seafood and immerse yourself in Southeast Alaska’s history and native culture.
On the other hand, if you like cruise boats that take you to the true interior of Alaska, Icy Strait is not for you. It’s an intentionally developed cruise port (think: cruise line private island meets ski resort), and everything there is carefully created to entice you to spend. You will need to walk or take a shuttle to the town of Hoonah to see where the real Alaskans live.
If you’re inclined to pooh-pooh this type of port, I urge you to skip Icy Strait Point. I was impressed by how well its creators made authentic Alaskan elements accessible to harbor cruise guests. I don’t have to go far to try the salmon dip and halibut pizza washed down with local beer. I watched some interesting exhibits about the salmon cans that used to live in this area. For a longer stay, I could go on a whale watching cruise in such crowded waters that I would get a 100% refund if a whale was not sighted during the tour.
Also, the port’s owners, the Huna Totem Corporation, are deeply rooted in the local community. The company employs 120 Alaska Natives, and most of the workers you’ll meet at the port live in nearby Hoonah; it is a popular place for high school students to work summer jobs. Huna Totem only leases retail space to local businesses (one gallery specializes in local Alaskan art), and proceeds from a local bookstore that helps fund school activities in Hoonah. Don’t miss the local Salvation Army-run donut shop, which uses profits to provide food for Alaskans in need.
Icy Strait Point packs the real Alaska into a beautiful, accessible bay. Whether your ship is docked for the day or just for the evening, here are the top 12 things to do in port.
Take a gondola ride
Icy Strait Point has two boat landings: Wilderness Landing (near the zip line) and Ocean Landing (near the harbor’s other shopping, dining and entertainment areas). A half-mile walking trail connects them.
You can certainly enjoy a leisurely nature walk through the forests (keep an eye out for deer), but I think it’s more fun to ride a gondola through them. Icy Strait Point has two gondolas – you’ll want the free Transporter Gondola. A four-minute walk takes you to the rainforest and the harbor study area. Time your ride, if possible, to avoid long lines for tour groups.
Undo the zip line
Icy Strait’s ZipRider is the ultimate ride. The port calls it “the world’s largest ZipRider.” I’m not sure what that means, but I can tell you that the side zip lines run 5,330 feet long and drop 1,330 feet high. You are both tied up and sitting in a rocking chair, so you are standing but not hanging. You will soar 300 feet above the rainforest as you reach speeds of over 60 mph on your flight down the mountain.
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It’s really fun – not just because of the length and speed but also because you actually have time to enjoy the ride and take in the views of this long course.
Bonus: You get a second gondola ride on the Skyglider Gondola, which takes seven minutes and takes you to the top of Mount Hoonah.
Related: 6 best Alaska cruise shore excursions – from heli rides to whale watching
Go whale watching
The area around Point Adolphus on Chichagof Island is known for having many humpback whales during the summer. Boats depart from Icy Strait Point on multiple whale watching trips each day to access these wildlife-filled waters.
In fact, the area has so many whales that Huna Totem boasts that every whale watching tour it has run since opening Icy Strait Point in 2004 has seen whales. They are so sure you will see a whale that they will refund 100% of the cost of your tour if you don’t.
Look for bears
If land mammals are more your thing than marine ones, Chichagof Island is known for its sea bears. If you want to see it safe but wild, you’ll want to sign up for a bear search. This tour takes visitors to the Spasski River Valley, where you will walk along designated trails to viewpoints in the hope of seeing giant brown bears. You may also see deer, eagles and other wildlife.
Related: Alaska cruise guide: Best itineraries, planning tips and must-do’s
A fish
The waters around Icy Strait Point are full of halibut, so if you’re eager to try your hand at Alaskan sea fishing, you can sign up for a tour. Each fishing boat can take up to six guests, and while you must have your own pole, you will need to release any fish you catch. (So don’t think you can take your catch back to the ship for dinner!) Fishing tours here are also mini wildlife tours, so you can spot whales, porpoises, sea lions and other marine life while you’re out. water.
Cook the fish
For a hands-on tour that gives you a true taste of Alaska, don’t miss the Icy Strait Point “Alaska’s Wildest Kitchen” tour. Guided by local chefs, you will learn how to prepare salmon and halibut, from stuffing the fish to cooking the pieces on an open grill. Back inside, you’ll get to taste the dishes and take recipe cards home.
Eat fish
Some people just want to enjoy Alaska’s wealth of seafood without having to catch and prepare it. You have many ways to fill your bellies with fish at Icy Strait Point.
You can sign up for a cruise that includes a “seafood feast” of shrimp and crab, Andouille sausage, vegetables and s’mores for dessert. Or, you can grab a bite to eat at one of the three waterfront restaurants, food trucks and other food vendors.
The Duck Point Smokehouse restaurant near the Ocean Landing dock has cozy indoor seating around the fireplace and outdoor patio, and a bar that serves Alaskan brews (including a delicious island-brewed Cannery Red Ale). This is where I enjoyed smoked salmon dip with Parmesan toast points for dipping and my first ever halibut pizza.
Across from the Cannery, the Cookhouse Restaurant is the place to go for halibut fish-and-chips sliders and salmon BLT, while the Crab House specializes in locally harvested Dungeness and Alaska snow crab. The drink to be had is the Alaska Crabby Bloody Mary, topped with crab meat, shrimp, pickled Alaskan asparagus and a real crab leg.
At the top of Hoonah Mountain, you can stop by a 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 a salmon cannery. Spend some time taking in the museum’s free exhibits with photos, machinery and other memorabilia from when the buildings housed a factory.
Buy souvenirs
While you’re at the restaurant, you won’t want to miss the opportunity to shop for souvenirs at shops owned only by Alaskans and Native Alaskans. The malls in the main part of the building sell all the signature souvenirs you’ll find in any Alaska port, but pop into the quirky shops off the corridor 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.
Related: 10 things you should never buy on a cruise ship (or in port)
Watch a dance show
The Native Heritage Center Theater, next to the bar, offers visitors to Icy Strait Point an opportunity to experience and learn about Tlingit culture. The theater has hour-long Tribal Dance Shows that you can book on your own or as part of a tour (usually with a seafood feast). Tlingit people from Hoonah will sing and dance and tell stories to share their culture with the cruise guests.
Take a nature walk
Stretch your legs and search for wildlife on Icy Strait Point’s various nature trails. From Ocean Landing’s Adventure Center, you can enter a nature trail (about a 12-minute walk) or hike a mile trail to another location. 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 stroll along the boardwalk (a great spot for wildlife viewing) or walk the mile and a half trail to the town of Hoonah.
Visit Hoonah
Speaking of Hoonah, it is the largest town on Chichagof Island and is home to many Tlingit and Alaska Natives who work at Icy Strait Point. If you’d like to see the real town and not the developed harbor, you can visit Hoonah by boat, bus or 30-minute walk.
In Hoonah, you can hit 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 make totem poles or work on boats in the Carving Shed.
Bottom line
You may not have heard of Icy Strait Point before your cruise. However, combined with the neighboring town of Hoonah, it has many activities and attractions to offer cruise passengers. After spending a night in the harbor, I would recommend looking into cruises and longer stays so you can opt out of the wildlife tour and have time later to shop and eat inside the harbor.
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