Chichagof Island reportedly has more bears per square mile than anywhere else on Earth, and it's also home to one of Alaska's most talked-about cruise stops: Icy Strait Point. Unlike ports that simply happen to be near a town, this one was built from scratch for cruise ships — think private island, but on the mainland and run by the community itself.
That curated feel divides opinion. If you want to wander straight into everyday Alaskan life, you'll need to walk or take a shuttle into nearby Hoonah, a genuine small town a short hop away. But the port punches above its weight on authenticity. It's owned by Huna Totem Corporation, which is rooted in the local Tlingit community, and most of the staff are Native Alaskans from Hoonah — summer jobs here are popular with local high schoolers. Retail space is only leased to locally owned businesses, one gallery sells exclusively Alaska-made art, and even the on-site doughnut shop is run by the local Salvation Army, with profits funding meals for people in need.
The activity list is the real draw. The headline act is the ZipRider: six side-by-side lines running 5,495 feet with a 1,330-foot vertical drop, carrying you 300 feet above the rainforest at more than 60 mph in a seated harness — expect to pay roughly $200 to $300. Above the port, a gondola system links the two piers; the Transporter Gondola between them is free.
Then there's the wildlife. Whale-watching boats head daily to Point Adolphus, where humpbacks gather in summer; Huna Totem says every tour since the port opened in 2004 has seen whales, and offers a full refund if you don't (about $200 to $220). Bear tours head to the Spasski River Valley viewing platforms to look for grizzlies, while fishing charters (around $400 to $460) take up to six anglers after halibut — note that catches are catch-and-release, so no fresh dinner back on the ship.
Food is a theme in its own right. The "In Alaska's Wildest Kitchen" class (about $130) has you filleting and grilling salmon and halibut with local cooks. The port's waterfront restaurants cover the rest: smoked salmon dip and halibut pizza at Duck Point Smokehouse, halibut fish-and-chips at the Cookhouse, and Dungeness and snow crab at the Crab House — washed down with the made-on-island Cannery Red Ale or a Crabby bloody mary garnished with an actual crab leg.
When you're done eating, the restored Hoonah Cannery buildings house free museum displays on the site's salmon-canning past, alongside the locally owned shops.
Who is this for? Cruise passengers on Alaska itineraries — many lines call here, sometimes for a full day, sometimes just an evening. Prices vary by cruise line and date, so book excursions early for the zip line and bear tours, and check whether your line bundles a whale-watch guarantee.
