A brief overview of the place
Icy Strait Point is a privately owned tourist destination that offers a traditional Alaskan experience. Since opening in 2004 it is slowly becoming more popular because of its unique animal viewing opportunities, like bear viewing and the most popular, whale watching.
What I did there.
I fancied a walk instead of doing all the touristy things, so my friend Maddie and I set off along the road with the idea of walking to the next town called Hoonah.
The walk is very lovely as to the left, we had the road with a cliff face, and on the right, we had the sea. At about 20 minute intervals there were benches to take a quick rest.
We took advantage of this and as we were sat on the bench looking out to sea we saw a family of whales swimming around each other. It was amazing to see. The most I see when I’m at home walking into town is a duck floating by in the river.
We carried on our walk along the road and after 40 minutes we came to a few shelters that looked like sheds, that were perched either side of the road. There were about 4 sheds either side all painted different colours. We just thought this was a nice little halfway point for walkers to take a break before continuing to walk to the town. We did have a little look around the huts that were selling various things and discovered that one of them was a tea room.
We continued to walk straight. We passed a little estate of houses which we thought would be quite nice to live in as they overlooked the sea. The road carried on for miles and the path got thinner and thinner until it came to an end. However, we still carried on walking along the grass verge. Ahead of us was a great big building that looked like a factory, but as we plodded closer we could see planes lined up outside and soon realised it was the airport. We got our map out, very confused as to how we had got lost because it was just a straight road, but the map showed the town, which was halfway between the port and the airport. We couldn’t believe it. The 8 huts perched on the roadside was the ‘town”.
In my book, we wouldn’t even class that as a village as it was so small. We did a 180-degree turn and walked back to the tiny town, and stopped to have a nice cup of tea, and then carried on back to the ship.
Most popular excursions
Hiking
The trails are clearly marked, taking you around the forests and lakes.
Bear Search
You will be taken to Chichagof Island nicknamed ‘Bear Island’ because it had the highest concentration of bears in the world, according to National Geographic.
Fishing
Alaska is famous for fishing so you can take advantage of the rich waters. The fishing equipment will be provided if you book a tour.
Zip rider
This is a 90-second zip line that will give you an amazing view of Icy Strait Point.
Whale watching
Whales are common here and can be spotted from the shore, but you can get up close and personal on a tour and see them swim around the boat, and possibly come out the water to say ‘Hello.’
Places that offer crew discount
The zip rider is very popular and the crew get 50% off so it will go from $129 to $64 and is well worth it.
Food and FaceTime
Duck point smokehouse
This restaurant overlooks the beach and the water. This is the closest restaurant to where you will disembark the ship and is also very close to the zip rider. They offer a selection of local beers and they are well known for their Surf and Turf. Their dishes on the menu include brick oven pizzas, seafood stew, grilled halibut and sandwiches.
The Cookhouse Restaurant
This place is perfect for seafood lovers as they provide the best halibut and chips in the area. Also on offer is salmon cakes, seafood chowder and chilli fries. This restaurant also offers 30 minutes of free wifi.
The landing Zone Bar and Grill
This is a traditional bar/ pub food with an Alaskan twist. From burgers to pasta, you will find something for everyone here. This restaurant offers unlimited wifi.
The Crab Station Bar
You will find Alaska’s best king crab, the Snow and Dungeness crab. The crab is caught in local waters. There isn’t seating here, but if you get food from here you will be welcome to sit at the Cookhouse restaurant.
Population
878 residents were recorded in 2000 living in Hoonah
Things to know
There are no cash machines around so you will need to withdraw cash on the ship. The restaurants and big tours accept cards, but if you want to buy something little you will need cash. It is always worth having about $20 on you.
