Icy Strait Point will be your favorite cruise port in Alaska — or your least favorite. You might love the densely forested setting of Chichagof Island, which has the world’s highest bear population per square mile and is surrounded by waters teeming with wildlife. Within Icy Strait Point, you can fly down a 5,495-foot-long zip line, dine on fresh Alaskan seafood, and immerse yourself in southeast Alaska’s history and Native culture.

However, if you love cruise ports that drop you into the middle of real-world Alaska, Icy Strait is not that. It’s a purpose-built cruise port — think a cruise line’s private island meets a ski resort — and everything there has been carefully designed to entice you to spend money. You will need to walk or take a shuttle to the city of Hoonah to see where real Alaskans live.

If you’re inclined to dismiss this kind of port, I’d urge you not to give up on Icy Strait Point. Its creators have done a genuinely good job making authentic Alaskan elements accessible to cruise visitors. I didn’t have to go far to try salmon dip and halibut pizza washed down with a locally brewed beer, or to tour exhibits about the salmon cannery that once occupied the site. With a longer stay, I could have gone on a whale-watching cruise in waters so populated with wildlife that the operator offers a 100% refund if no whale is spotted.

The port’s owners, Huna Totem Corporation, are deeply rooted in the local community. Many staff members are Native Alaskans who live in nearby Hoonah, and it’s a popular spot for local high school students to work summer jobs. Huna Totem only leases retail space to locally owned businesses — one gallery exclusively sells art by local Alaskans — and proceeds from the on-site bookshop help fund school activities in Hoonah. Don’t miss the doughnut shop run by the local Salvation Army, which uses the profits to provide food for Alaskans in need.

Icy Strait Point packages authentic Alaska into a beautiful, easily accessible port. Whether your ship stops for an entire day or just an evening, here are the top 12 things to do in port.

Note: Excursion and activity prices vary by cruise line and date and are subject to change.

Ride the Gondola

Icy Strait Point has two cruise piers: Wilderness Landing (closer to the zip line) and Ocean Landing (closer to the port’s shopping, dining, and activity centers). A half-mile walking trail connects them. While a leisurely stroll through the woods is pleasant — keep an eye out for deer — riding the gondola between the two piers is more fun.

The free Transporter Gondola runs four minutes through the rainforest and over the port’s adventure course area. Time your ride to avoid the long lines of tour groups when possible.

Price: Free

Zoom Down the Zip Line

Icy Strait’s ZipRider is billed as “the world’s largest ZipRider.” Six side-by-side zip lines run 5,495 feet in length and drop 1,330 feet in elevation. Riders are both harnessed and seated in a swing chair, so you’re upright rather than dangling. You’ll soar 300 feet above the rainforest and reach speeds of more than 60 mph on the way down the mountain.

The length of the course means you actually have time to enjoy the ride and take in the views — not just a brief rush of adrenaline. As a bonus, the experience includes a ride on the Skyglider Gondola, a seven-minute trip to the top of Hoonah Mountain.

Price: $200–$300

Go Whale Watching

The area near Point Adolphus on Chichagof Island is known for its large summertime population of humpback whales. Boats depart Icy Strait Point on multiple whale-watching excursions each day. The area is home to so many whales that Huna Totem reports every whale-watching tour has seen whales since Icy Strait Point opened in 2004 — and they offer a 100% refund if you don’t spot one. More expensive tours combine whale watching with seafood feasts or bear-watching excursions.

Price: $200–$220

Seek Out Bears

Chichagof Island is also known for its grizzly bear population. Bear search tours take guests to the Spasski River Valley, where you’ll walk along designated paths to viewing platforms in the hopes of spotting large brown bears. You might also see deer, eagles, and other wildlife along the way.

Price: $130–$160

Go on a Fishing Tour

The waters around Icy Strait Point are full of halibut. Fishing boats take up to six guests, and while you’ll man your own pole, any fish caught must be released — so don’t count on bringing your catch back to the ship for dinner. A fishing tour here also doubles as a miniature wildlife cruise, with opportunities to spot whales, porpoises, sea lions, and other aquatic animals.

Price: $400–$460

Cook Fish

For a hands-on experience with a literal taste of Alaska, Icy Strait Point’s “In Alaska’s Wildest Kitchen” excursion is worth booking. Guided by local cooks, you’ll learn how to prepare local fish — most likely salmon and halibut — by filleting it and then cooking pieces over an open-air grill. Back inside, you’ll taste the finished dishes and take home the recipe cards.

Price: $130

Eat Fish

If you’d rather enjoy Alaska’s seafood without catching or cooking it yourself, there are plenty of options at the port. You can book a tour that includes a seafood feast of shrimp and crab, Andouille sausage, vegetables, and s’mores for dessert, often combined with a tribal show.

Alternatively, grab a bite at one of the port’s three waterfront restaurants, food trucks, and other food vendors:

  • Duck Point Smokehouse Restaurant (near Ocean Landing dock) offers cozy fireplace-side indoor seating, an outdoor patio, and a bar serving Alaskan brews including the made-on-island Cannery Red Ale. This is where I enjoyed a smoked salmon dip with Parmesan toast points and my first-ever halibut pizza.
  • The Cookhouse (near the Cannery) is the go-to for halibut fish-and-chips and salmon BLT sliders.
  • Crab House specializes in locally harvested Dungeness and Alaska snow crab. The signature drink is the Alaska Crabby Bloody Mary, garnished with crab meat, shrimp, pickled Alaska beach asparagus, and an actual crab leg.
  • Wild Tacos food truck (at the base of the SkyPeak Gondola) serves shrimp and halibut tacos alongside non-seafood options.

Price: $130–$170 (for tour-based seafood feast)

Learn About Fish

The Hoonah Cannery buildings — which now house restaurants and shops — were once the site of a working salmon canning operation. Free museum displays throughout the complex feature photographs, machinery, and memorabilia from the cannery’s history, offering context for the port’s industrial past and the role of salmon in the local economy.

Price: Free

Shop for Souvenirs

While at the cannery, browse the shops exclusively owned by Alaskan locals and Native Alaskans. The larger shops in the main part of the building carry the signature souvenirs you’ll find at any Alaska port, but the smaller shops along the hallways offer more original gifts. At Dei L’e.ann, you’ll find works by Huna Tlingit artists, as well as soaps, salves, and lip balms from Tlingit Botanicals.

Watch a Dance Show

The Alaska Native Heritage Center, near the cannery, offers visitors the chance to experience Tlingit culture firsthand. The theater hosts performances of the 30-minute “Tribal Connections Show,” which can be booked individually or as part of a combined tour with the seafood feast. Tlingit performers from Hoonah share songs, dances, and stories to introduce their traditions to cruise ship guests.

Price: $20

Take a Nature Walk

Several nature trails wind through Icy Strait Point. From the Ocean Landing Adventure Center, a nature trail runs about 12 minutes out, or you can walk the half-mile trail to the other pier. From the top of the Skyglider Gondola, the mile-long Hidden Lake Loop Trail leads to an actual lake. Other options include a beach path — a good spot for wildlife sightings — or the mile-and-a-half route into the city of Hoonah.

Price: Free

Visit Hoonah

Hoonah is the main city on Chichagof Island and home to many of the Tlingit people and Alaska locals who work at Icy Strait Point. If you’d prefer to see a real town rather than a developed port, you can reach Hoonah by cruise excursion, shuttle bus, or a 30-minute walk.

In Hoonah, you can browse local shops for gifts and souvenirs, try a craft beer at Icy Strait Brewing, or enjoy comfort food all day at The Fisherman’s Daughter. You can also watch local carvers create totem poles or work on canoes at their workshop in town.

Price: $10 (shuttle), $85–$130 (tour with tribal show)

Bottom Line

You might never have heard of Icy Strait Point before your cruise, but combined with the neighboring city of Hoonah, it offers a surprisingly rich range of activities and authentic experiences for cruise passengers. Having spent just one evening in port, I’d recommend looking for itineraries that allow a longer stay — enough time for a wildlife excursion plus shopping and dining within the port complex.