Icy Strait Point

Icy Strait Point is an exception to the typical cruise port. Only one ship each day can be moored in the harbor, and 80% of the infrastructure (stores, restaurants, and excursions) are owned by the Hoonah Totem Corporation, which is owned by the local Tlingit people in Hoonah. The other 20% is private investors, and nothing on this island is owned by the cruise ships. The Tlingit population was smart enough to realize the potential of boosting their economy with cruise passengers, while at the same time, maintaining their control over who they allow in. They built the cruise tender dock at the old cannery building, turning into a Disney-esque shopping and excursion destination, while their village is 1.5 miles away, giving themselves some distance and privacy.

Chicagof Island, where Icy Strait Point/Hoonah are located, has the highest concentration of bears in the U.S. Beth and I took an ATV adventure, through the woods, and our native guide spent much time scaring the crap out of us about bear attacks and maulings. We were quite happy to escape the woods with no bear sightings. Whew. The ATVs drove over some incredibly rough ground but brought us up the mountain to an amazing vista. Worth every bump we went over.

We lucked out again with the weather in Icy Strait Point, having a beautiful, sunny day (in fact the 70 degree day was too hot for our guide, who said the normal weather there is overcast and much cooler). We’ve been incredibly lucky so far, as almost every day has been sunny /partly sunny, and we had only one morning of rain. Southeast Alaska is known for its rainy/cloudy days, and in many of the places we’ve stopped, we hear stories about them not having sun for the last few weeks and the residents being very happy that we brought in the sun with our ship.