What to do in Icy Strait Point

[Nick2000]

Hi

 

We have whole day there. Any ideas ? I don’t like zip riding

 

Thanks

 

 

Nick

[Robinhill]

whale watching. Not much to this town.

[skrufy]

Whale watching and bear excursions. There is an old salmon cannery with shops in it along with the cannerys history. Theres a bus or if your up to a walk to Hoonah a tinglit town. Not much there but you can see the sharp contrast from Juneau and Ketchikan.

[JT1962]

We loved Icy Strait Point. Hoonah is a traditional small Alaskan town without the commercialization of most of the other ports. We went on a whale watching tour with Glacier Wind, toured the cannery and walked the trails near the pier. We saw dozens of whales bubble net feeding on our excursion and directly from shore and the ship. We were there in May, so a little early for bears, but I understand there are good opportunities to see bears there too.

 

 

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[SuperCrewBear]

We did sea kayaking and a cooking class on Alaskan salmon and halibut. This is a nice stop but it wasn't my favorite. The cannery museum and shops has some interesting things to buy. The whole place is definitely laid back - a great place to relax.

 

Good luck!

[shadowmeboy]

We explored ISP, did the cooking excursion “In Alaska’s Wildest Kitchen”, ate halibut fish and chips, went on the forest tram and saw the tribal dance, plus did some shopping.

 

We enjoyed our time here. The cooking excursion was excellent.

[quack2]

My favorite port in Alaska as its not filled with a bunch of cheap commercial crap.

 

Great whale watching with Glacier Wind. Plenty to do if you think outside the box.

[mapleleaves]

Icy Strait is the name of the port, a created tourist destination. Hoonah is the town.

 

http://icystraitpoint.com/

 

http://visithoonah.com/abouthoonah.html

 

ISP is a popular port. Read thru past trip reports to see what activities others have enjoyed while there.

[rkacruiser]

If offered, the Cultural Show was informative and entertaining. The tour that was connected to the show on my tour into the rain forest was enjoyable. (Early in the season, but we saw salmon jumping as they were going upstream.) The cannery's museum displays were interesting to me as well. And, as others posted, the small shops had articles that I had not see in the larger ports.

 

I did walk a short trail along the water and found that to be interesting as well. There are several small cafes near the Cannery Museum/Shop area that offer some interesting menu items that be of interest to you.

 

I did not expect much at Icy Point Strait when I booked the cruise. I was very pleasantly pleased with my time ashore, however.

[parentsof5]

We are doing the cooking class, rhe cannery museum, and walking into Hoonah to hang out. I have read their is a "gray building in town that is unmarked. They make totem poles." The reporter said they went in and watched and the craftsman told them all about the poles, culture, etc..

[shutterbug63]

Hi

 

We have whole day there. Any ideas ? I don’t like zip riding

 

Thanks

 

 

Nick

 

I'd recommend Glacier Wind for whale watching. Small tour, max of 6 people and the captain and tour guide were wonderful. We loved doing this in Icy Strait.

 

https://www.g-wind.com

[traveling1969]

We are doing a wilderness tour and bear search. It's 4 hours long and leaves us plenty of time to stroll around the port area afterwards. We are doing a whale watch at Juneau so we decided to do something different at Hoonah.

 

Harry

Edited May 1, 2018 by traveling1969
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[Italy52]

If you decide to do a whale watching tour, I also recommend Glacier Wind. We have been out with them multiple times and will be going with them again twice within the next few weeks.

[roothy123]

We are doing the cooking class, rhe cannery museum, and walking into Hoonah to hang out. I have read their is a "gray building in town that is unmarked. They make totem poles." The reporter said they went in and watched and the craftsman told them all about the poles, culture, etc..

Would love more information on this, if you have it!

[1foots]

We are doing the cooking class, rhe cannery museum, and walking into Hoonah to hang out. I have read their is a "gray building in town that is unmarked. They make totem poles." The reporter said they went in and watched and the craftsman told them all about the poles, culture, etc..

That metal building on the left when walking in is a must stop. The last time we were there they were making items for the National Park Service. It looks like a garage type building and you have to enter around back. An eagles next was across the street.

[parentsof5]

That metal building on the left when walking in is a must stop. The last time we were there they were making items for the National Park Service. It looks like a garage type building and you have to enter around back. An eagles next was across the street.

 

Thanks for that added detail. Is it weird just walking in, since it isn't a marked business.

[roothy123]

Yes, thanks for that info on the metal building. I looked on Google Earth but couldn't figure out which building it might be. Would you be able to tell me if it was basically when you first enter the town, in the middle, or anything else that might give me a clue as to which one it is? There's one very large building with what looks to be a gray roof in town, so I'm thinking maybe that's it.

 

Also, google maps indicates it's about a 35 minute walk from Icy Strait Point. Does that sound about right?

 

Was there anything else of interest in the town?

[1foots]

Thanks for that added detail. Is it weird just walking in, since it isn't a marked business.

They are very nice and want people to come in, ask questions and view their works.

[1foots]

Yes, thanks for that info on the metal building. I looked on Google Earth but couldn't figure out which building it might be. Would you be able to tell me if it was basically when you first enter the town, in the middle, or anything else that might give me a clue as to which one it is? There's one very large building with what looks to be a gray roof in town, so I'm thinking maybe that's it.

 

Also, google maps indicates it's about a 35 minute walk from Icy Strait Point. Does that sound about right?

 

Was there anything else of interest in the town?

It's a small town. The walk from the ship is peaceful, water on your right and homes with small front yards on your left. You'll also pass a small cemetery. Part of your walk can be along the shoreline in the sand/gravel. It's a laid back small town nothing like the other stops. Plenty of quiet time which makes the walk nice. The building is right on the main road. If you see the school you've gone too far. The craftsmen really enjoy visitors. A couple of years ago they were making items for a dedication at a National Park.

I've gone on a private fishing trip before. Have seen a whale bubblefeeding right along the shoreline in town. It's like Mayberry. A nice place to take in the scenery and relax before your next stop.

[roothy123]

It's a small town. The walk from the ship is peaceful, water on your right and homes with small front yards on your left. You'll also pass a small cemetery. Part of your walk can be along the shoreline in the sand/gravel. It's a laid back small town nothing like the other stops. Plenty of quiet time which makes the walk nice. The building is right on the main road. If you see the school you've gone too far. The craftsmen really enjoy visitors. A couple of years ago they were making items for a dedication at a National Park.

I've gone on a private fishing trip before. Have seen a whale bubblefeeding right along the shoreline in town. It's like Mayberry. A nice place to take in the scenery and relax before your next stop.

Thank you. I see the school on Google Earth, so your info helps. The link someone else posted was great, too. It lists restaurants and bars, if nothing else. We'll be there over lunch time, but leaving at 2, so I may be looking for food.

 

Someone else mentioned there's usually a shuttle from ISP to Hoonah. Do you (or anyone) know if that's usually the case? We're there somewhat strange hours (7 to 2) and I'm hoping that there will be a shuttle early in the morning, or at least later after I've explored what's at ISP (or taken a zip ride.) Ordinarily I wouldn't mind a peaceful half hour walk along the shore, but I'm (finally) recovering from a badly sprained ankle and I may have to limit my walking.

[1foots]

Thank you. I see the school on Google Earth, so your info helps. The link someone else posted was great, too. It lists restaurants and bars, if nothing else. We'll be there over lunch time, but leaving at 2, so I may be looking for food.

 

Someone else mentioned there's usually a shuttle from ISP to Hoonah. Do you (or anyone) know if that's usually the case? We're there somewhat strange hours (7 to 2) and I'm hoping that there will be a shuttle early in the morning, or at least later after I've explored what's at ISP (or taken a zip ride.) Ordinarily I wouldn't mind a peaceful half hour walk along the shore, but I'm (finally) recovering from a badly sprained ankle and I may have to limit my walking.

They have had shuttles when we visited

[luv2gonow]

Following this thread as I will be stopping in ISP this July:-)

Is the whale watching better to do here or in Juneau?

Thanks

Kerri

[Kenwoody]

This was one of my favorite stops. We went the end of May. The guys went fishing, only one salmon was caught. Us girls shopped around the dock, then walked to town. Some shops are things from other cities, not all local. There was a lg metal building there with wares to buy inside. It is a short walk to Hoonah and we enjoyed lunch there. There were bear tracks along the road. I had never seen so many eagles in one place. Some guys were log walking and some kids selling cookies. Talking with the locals was fun. We took a taxi or shuttle back to the port. The locals performed dances on the dock. We witnessed whales bubble net fishing, right there from the dock. We didn't have to spend a lot to have a great memory.

[angeleyes27]

We are going here at the end of May.

 

 

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