Icy Strait Point will be your favorite cruise port in Alaska, or your least favorite.
You may love the densely forested surroundings of Chichagof Island, which has the largest population of bears per square mile in the world and is surrounded by waters teeming with wildlife – an ideal sightseeing destination. Inside Icy Strait Point, you can fly down a 5,495-foot-long zip line, dine on fresh Alaskan seafood, and immerse yourself in the history and native culture of Southeast Alaska.
However, if you love cruise ports that take you to central Alaska in the real world, Icy Strait is not that. It’s a purpose-built cruise port (think: cruise line private island meets ski resort), and everything there has been carefully created to entice you to spend money. You’ll have to walk or take a bus to the town of Hoonah to see where the real Alaskans live.
If you tend to look down on this type of port, I urge you not to abandon Icy Strait Point. I was impressed by how well its creators made authentic Alaskan elements accessible to cruise ship visitors in port. I didn’t have to go far to try the salmon sauce and halibut pizza accompanied by a locally brewed beer. I toured exhibits about the salmon cannery that once occupied the site. With a longer stay, you could have gone on a whale watching cruise in waters so populated that you would get a 100% refund if a whale wasn’t sighted during the tour.
Additionally, the port’s owners, Huna Totem Corporation, are deeply rooted in the local community. Many of the staff you’ll meet at the port are Alaska Natives and live in nearby Hoonah; It is a popular place for high school students to do summer jobs. Huna Totem only rents commercial space to locally owned businesses (one gallery exclusively sells art by local Alaskans) and profits from the on-site bookstore help fund school activities at Hoonah. Don’t miss the donut shop run by the local Salvation Army, which uses profits to provide food to Alaskans in need.
Icy Strait Point brings together authentic Alaska in a beautiful, easy-to-access harbor. Whether your ship is stopping for an entire day or just one night, here are the 12 best things to do in port.
Ride a gondola
Icy Strait Point has two cruise ship docks: Wilderness Landing (closer to the zipline) and Ocean Landing (closer to the rest of the port’s shopping, dining, and activity centers). A half-mile trail connects them.
Sure, you might enjoy a leisurely nature walk through the woods (keep an eye out for deer), but I think it’s more fun to ride the gondola among them. Icy Strait Point has two gondolas; you’ll want the free Transporter gondola. The four-minute journey takes you through the rainforest and the port’s adventure course area. Time your trip, if possible, to avoid the long lines of tour groups.
Come along the zip line
The Icy Strait ZipRider is a superlative ride. The port promotes it as “the world’s largest ZipRider.” I’m not sure what that means, but I can tell you that six side-by-side ziplines are 5,495 feet long and drop 1,330 feet high. They are both harnessed and sitting in a rocking chair, so they are upright but not hanging. You’ll 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 is really exciting, not only because of the height and speed, but also because you have time to enjoy the ride and take in the views on this long journey.
Bonus: You can take a second Skyglider Gondola ride, which lasts seven minutes and takes you to the top of Hoonah Mountain.
Related: The 6 Best Alaska Cruise Excursions: From Heli-Hiking to Whale Watching
go whale watching
The area near Point Adolphus on Chichagof Island is known for its large population of humpback whales during the summer. Boats depart from Icy Strait Point on multiple whale watching excursions each day to reach these wildlife-filled waters.
In fact, the area is home to so many whales that Huna Totem says every whale watching tour has seen whales since Icy Strait Point opened in 2004. They’re so confident you’ll see a whale that they’ll refund 100% of the tour cost if you don’t.
look for bears
If land mammals are your thing, Chichagof Island is also known for its brown bear population. You can (safely) see one in the wild by signing up for a bear hunt. These tours take guests to the Spasski River Valley, where they will walk along designated trails to viewing platforms in hopes of spotting large brown bears. You will also be able to see deer, eagles and other wildlife.
Related: Alaska Cruise Guide: Best Itineraries, Planning Tips & Things to Do
go fishing
The waters around Icy Strait Point are full of halibut, so if you’re eager to try ocean fishing in Alaska, you can sign up for a tour. Each fishing boat can take up to six guests, and while you must operate your own rod, you will have to release the fish you catch. (So don’t think you can take your catch back to the boat for dinner.) A fishing tour here is also a miniature wildlife cruise, so you can spot whales, porpoises, sea lions, and other aquatic animals while you’re 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” tour. Guided by local cooks, you’ll learn how to prepare local fish (probably salmon and halibut), from filleting the fish to cooking chunks on an outdoor grill. Back inside, you can try the dishes and take home the recipe cards.
eat fish
Some people simply want to enjoy Alaska’s wealth of seafood without having to fish or prepare it. There are plenty of ways to fill your belly with fish at Icy Strait Point.
You could sign up for a tour that includes a seafood feast with shrimp and crab, Andouille sausage, vegetables, and s’mores for dessert. Or, you can grab a bite to eat at one of the port’s three waterfront restaurants, food trucks, and other food vendors.
The Duck Point Smokehouse restaurant next to the Ocean Landing pier has cozy indoor seating by the fireplace and outdoor patio seating, plus a bar selling Alaska beers (including the delicious Cannery Red Ale made on the island). This is where I enjoyed a smoked salmon dip with parmesan toast for dipping and my first halibut pizza.
Adjacent to the Cannery, The Cookhouse is the place to go for halibut fish and chips and salmon BLT burgers, while Crab House specializes in locally harvested Dungeness and Alaskan snow crab. The drink of choice is the Alaskan Crab Bloody Mary, dressed with crab meat, shrimp, pickled Alaskan beach asparagus and an authentic 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, which now house restaurants and shops, were once the site of a salmon canning operation. Spend some time browsing the museum’s free exhibits that include photographs, machinery, and other memorabilia from when these buildings used to house a factory.
Purchase of souvenirs
While you’re at the cannery, you won’t want to miss the opportunity to shop for souvenirs at shops owned solely by locals and Alaska Natives. The larger shops in the main part of the building sell all the unique souvenirs you’ll find in any Alaska port, but pop into the discreet shops down the hall for more unique 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 (or in port)
See a dance show
The Alaska Native Heritage Center, near the cannery, offers visitors to Icy Strait Point the opportunity to experience and learn about Tlingit culture. The theater offers hourly performances of the “Tribal Dance Show” that you can book individually or as part of a tour (often with the seafood feast). The Tlingit people of Hoonah will perform songs, dances and tell stories to share their traditions with cruise guests.
Take a walk through nature
Stretch your legs and look for wildlife along Icy Strait Point’s various nature trails. From the Ocean Landing Adventure Center, you can take a nature trail (about a 12-minute walk) or walk the half-mile trail to the other dock. From the top of the Skyglider gondola, you can enjoy the kilometer-long Hidden Lake Loop Trail (yes, there really is a lake up there).
Alternatively, you can wander along the beach trail (a good place to spot wildlife) or walk the mile-and-a-half route to the town of Hoonah.
Visit Hoonah
Speaking of Hoonah, it is the main town on Chichagof Island and is home to many of the Tlingit and Alaskan locals who work at Icy Strait Point. If you prefer to see a real city and not a developed port, you can visit Hoonah on a cruise tour, bus tour, or a 30-minute walk.
In Hoonah, you can visit some of the local shops to shop 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 in their workshop in town.
In a nutshell
You may have never heard of Icy Strait Point before your cruise. However, combined with the neighboring town of Hoonah, it has a wealth of activities and attractions to offer cruise passengers. Having only spent one night in the port, I would recommend looking for itineraries with a longer stay so that you can take a wildlife tour and then have time to do some shopping and eating within the port complex.
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