Hoonah, Alaska · Pop. 850 · One road in

Hoonah, Alaska: Real Alaska is a 30‑minute walk from your ship.

Icy Strait Point is the port. Hoonah is the town. This is your guide to everything waiting beyond the dock, run by the people who live here.

Build your day See the walk
Independent tours and food beyond the dock Check your cruise line's app for today's port schedule

The question everyone asks

Is Icy Strait Point the same as Hoonah?

No. Icy Strait Point is a private cruise port. Hoonah is the real town next door, home to about 850 people, a working harbor, and Alaska's largest Tlingit community. A flat seaside path connects them: about 1.5 miles, a 30 to 40 minute walk, or a quick shuttle.
Read the full comparison →

The walk

Ship to town, along the water.

A flat, scenic shoreline path. You'll pass Shaman Point, eagle nests, and the Old Bear Clan Cemetery. Walk one way and shuttle back, or make the walk the whole point.

1.5 mi
Dock to downtown
30–40
Minutes on foot
$8–10
Shuttle round trip (may vary)
Flat
The whole way
Read the full walking + shuttle guide → See it on the Hoonah map →

Build your Hoonah day

One port day. A whole town.

Passengers don't book one thing, they plan a day. Here are three ways locals would spend yours. Every stop is an independent business.

Wildlife Day
Full day in port
  • Morning
    Brown bear search
    Wild Bear Safari
  • Midday
    Lunch on the harbor
    Local restaurant, your pick
  • Afternoon
    Whale watching
    Independent whale tour
  • Before all-aboard
    Coffee and gifts in town
    Hoonah Trading Company
Taste of Hoonah
Half day, food first
  • Morning
    Crabbing experience
    Independent crab tour
  • Midday
    Fresh catch lunch
    Harborfront dining
  • Afternoon
    Gallery and carving shed
    Local artists, in town
Short Stop
Evening or late arrival
  • First hour
    Walk the shoreline path
    Shaman Point viewpoint
  • In town
    Dinner or a local beer
    Icy Strait Brewing
  • Heading back
    Shuttle to the pier
    $8–10 round trip (may vary), runs on ship days

Not sure what to pack? See our gear guide for exactly what we'd bring for a Hoonah port day.

See the full things-to-do guide →

The directory

Independent. Local. Small-group by nature.

Village tour & crab feast

Hoonah Beach House

A locally guided village tour ending in a Dungeness crab feast: garden and foraging stops, local woodcarvers at work, then crab, Thai fried rice, and wild berry dessert back at the waterfront Beach House.

Waterfront, HoonahVisit website
Founding member
Reviews: Google · Tripadvisor

Also worth a stop

More around town.

A few more independently owned Hoonah businesses, listed here as a courtesy. They're not founding members or advertisers, so you won't see reviews or direct-booking links for them yet — just the basics.

General store & coffee

Hoonah Trading Company

Downtown Hoonah's general store: coffee, gifts, groceries, and hardware all under one roof — worth a stop even if you're not buying anything.

147 Front St, Hoonah
Brewery

Icy Strait Brewing

A small taproom with Port Frederick views, pouring locally brewed craft beer alongside light food. 21+, and Alaska law caps you at three beers on site.

286 Front St, Hoonah
Restaurant & bar

Icy Strait Lodge

A sit-down restaurant and bar attached to Hoonah's lodge, serving seafood and steak with a laid-back, local feel.

435 Airport Rd, Hoonah
Donuts

Lil' Gen's

A small local donut shop with dozens of flavors — a good last stop before heading back to the ship.

Hoonah
Gift shop & local tees

Hoonah Treasures

The only T-shirt designs actually created here on the island. Skip the same souvenir every port sells and bring home something that could only come from Hoonah.

Downtown Hoonah

Quick facts

Hoonah Off Ship, at a glance

Hoonah Off Ship is an independent visitor directory for Hoonah, Alaska, the town beside the Icy Strait Point cruise port. It is not run by, owned by, or affiliated with Icy Strait Point, Huna Totem Corporation, or any cruise line. Hoonah is about 1.5 miles (a 30–40 minute walk, or an $8–10 round-trip shuttle) from the Icy Strait Point dock along a flat shoreline path.

Before you sail

Questions from the forums, answered.

Can I really walk from the ship to Hoonah?

Yes. It's a flat, paved shoreline path of about 1.5 miles, roughly 30 to 40 minutes at a stroll. Two shuttle services now run on ship days, and a round-trip ticket runs $8 to $10 depending on which one you catch (price may vary), if you'd rather ride instead of walk.

Will an independent tour get me back before all-aboard?

Independent operators here build their schedules around the ships. When you book, tell them your ship and your all-aboard time, and they'll match you to a departure that gets you back with room to spare. Captains here track all-aboard the way you track your boarding pass.

Are independent tours smaller than the ship-sponsored excursions?

Usually, yes. Wild Bear Safari caps groups at 10 guests per guide, and Whales of Xunaa's boat holds 6 guests total — a different experience than a full-size tour bus. Every listing on this site is run by a local operator, not a large excursion company.

What's actually open on ship days?

Our founding members confirm their ship-day hours with us directly, and the link on each listing goes straight to where they post current hours or bookings. Smaller shops in town can keep shorter hours, especially on evening port calls, so if one is a must-see, message them before you sail.

Is this site run by the cruise port?

No. Hoonah Off Ship is an independent directory of locally owned businesses — not run by, or affiliated with, the cruise port. Our tours are small group experiences run by local guides from Hoonah, and every business here operates independently, so you're getting real, local businesses instead of a corporate excursion desk.

What is Hoonah Off Ship?

Hoonah Off Ship is an independent visitor guide and business directory for Hoonah, Alaska, the town next to the Icy Strait Point cruise port. It's built and run locally, not by the cruise port, Huna Totem Corporation, or any cruise line.

What businesses are listed on Hoonah Off Ship?

The site's founding members are Wild Bear Safari (brown bear tours), Whales of Xunaa (whale watching), Hoonah Beach House (village tour and crab feast), and The Fisherman's Daughter (harborfront restaurant), alongside other independently owned Hoonah businesses across tours, food, and shopping.