Whale Watching at Icy Straight Point in Hoonah Alaska - small groups, flexible itinerary and incredible drone footage as a souvenir.

HOONAH, ALASKA

What and where is Hoonah?

Better known to non-Alaskans by the cruise ship docks at the point of Icy Straight, Hoonah is a small native Tlingit village located on Chichagof Island, approximately thirty-five miles west of Juneau, across mountains, islands, and straits. There are around seven-hundred and fifty inhabitants, about eighty percent of which are Native Tlingits. Our primary industries are commercial fishing, harvesting Dungeness Crab, Salmon, Halibut, Black Cod, shrimp, King Crab, and Pacific Cod, and logging, harvesting Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock. Our native culture is uniquely prominent and rich here, boasting the highest percentage of Native Alaskans of any town in Alaska. With stunning views, plentiful fish and abundant wildlife, Hoonah is the quintessential native fishing town most people envision when thinking of Alaska.


How to get to Hoonah?

The majority of our customers come in on a cruise ship, which docks at Icy Strait at the town of Hoonah. We pick up all our passengers from an area that is a short walk from the cruise ship dock and then have transportation waiting to bring you to where we anchor our whale watching cruise boat. The next most common method of getting to Hoonah is by bush-plane from Juneau or Sitka, a beautiful 20 minute flight over islands and ocean. If you fly in, or are perhaps visiting Hoonah for a longer period of time, just let us know and we’ll provide transportation to get you to the dock from any in Hoonah, and will return you there at the conclusion of the trip! Give us a call and we’ll be happy to help you figure out how to make it here!


To Do In Hoonah

Other things to do in Hoonah before and after your whale watching trip include...

  • Misty Bay Lodge: Large, two-story red building in the center of town; Site of Icy Strait Brewing where you will enjoy delicious locally-brewed beer! Enjoy a Reindeer or Halibut pizza to go along with your refreshments!
  • Hoonah Beach House: Patio and house on pilings on the way back to the cruise ship, featuring the freshest crab you can eat! The owner goes out daily to catch Dungeness Crab and cooks them whole to order! (Dungeness is locally considered to have a better flavor than even King Crab!)
  • Fisherman’s Daughter: Located just past City Hall, this is Hoonah local’s favorite restaurant, with both indoor and outdoor seating available. The Fisherman’s Daughter serves a wide variety of delicious dishes including burgers, Halibut fish-and-chips, soups and fish tacos!
  • Hoonah Treasures: Just down the street on the right from City Hall, Hoonah Treasures is our small local gift-shop, featuring mostly locally sourced and designed souvenir items.
  • Several local operators offer fabulous bear tours during which you may spot some of the 16,000 huge Coastal Brown Bears that live on the island.
  • Several local operators offer fishing trips, giving visitors the opportunity of catching some of our abundant Halibut, Salmon, and other species! (Fun fact: three of the five largest Halibut ever caught in Alaska were caught within twenty miles of Hoonah!)

Just ask Captain Josh how to get to any of these places, and do any of these things, and he’ll be happy to you in the right direction!