Icy Strait Point

About Icy Strait Point

Icy Strait Point is a purpose-built cruise destination on the shore of Chichagof Island near the Tlingit village of Hoonah, with no downtown of its own — the whole visitor experience radiates out from a restored 1930s salmon cannery. Passengers disembark directly onto a pier and pick from a short list of well-run excursions: one of the world's longest ziplines, whale-watching in Point Adolphus (the Inside Passage's best-documented humpback feeding ground), and brown-bear searches in the Spasski River Valley. The lack of crowds relative to Juneau or Ketchikan is the main draw; many cruisers rank Icy Strait Point among their favorite Alaska stops for exactly that reason. Two cruise berths now accept most ships without tendering, but smaller vessels still anchor.

• Icy Strait Point is the only privately owned cruise destination in Alaska, established in 1996 by the Huna Totem Corporation — an Alaska Native corporation whose ~1,350 shareholders have ancestral ties to Hoonah and the Glacier Bay area.
• The port is built around a restored 1912 salmon cannery in Hoonah, on Chichagof Island, preserving the site's industrial heritage while serving modern cruise passengers.
• All profits from Icy Strait Point flow directly to the community of Hoonah, Alaska's largest Native Tlingit village, supporting local residents and infrastructure.
• The destination is famous for the world's largest ZipRider zip-line, which descends 1,300 feet from a mountaintop at speeds approaching 60 mph with panoramic views of Icy Strait and the surrounding rainforest.
• Brown bear viewing is a highlight; the forests around Hoonah support one of the densest concentrations of brown bears in Southeast Alaska.