The question everyone asks
Is Icy Strait Point the same as Hoonah? They're different experiences, about 1.5 miles apart — and the good news is you can easily do both in a single port day.
Want more on Icy Strait Point itself — its two piers, the gondola, and the cannery's history? See our Icy Strait Point Cruise Port Guide.
| Icy Strait Point | Hoonah | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A cruise destination built around a restored 1912 cannery | An actual, year-round Tlingit community |
| Distance | Ship docks directly here | About 1.5 miles from the dock |
| Food | Port restaurants and the cannery cookhouse | Independent, locally owned restaurants and a brewery |
| Shopping | Port gift shops | Independent local businesses |
| Tours | Cruise-oriented excursions (zipline, gondola, cultural show) | Local, independently operated tours |
| Culture | Curated cultural presentations | A living Tlingit community |
| Walking | Port boardwalks and nature trail | Downtown streets and the working waterfront |
| Best for | Big, packaged attractions | Exploring the real Southeast Alaska |
A closer look
Icy Strait Point is a privately operated cruise destination centered on a restored 1912 salmon cannery, built specifically to receive cruise ships. Hoonah is the actual municipality: a working fishing town that existed long before the port and keeps functioning long after the last ship of the season leaves.
Ships dock directly at Icy Strait Point, so there's zero travel required to reach it. Hoonah is about 1.5 miles away by a flat shoreline path or a short shuttle — see our full walking guide for the mile-by-mile details.
ISP has restaurants built for cruise-ship volume, including the cannery cookhouse. In Hoonah, restaurants like The Fisherman's Daughter are independently owned by local families and serve what came off the boats that morning, and Icy Strait Brewing pours locally brewed beer from its own taproom downtown.
ISP's shops are concentrated in the port area and cater to cruise traffic. Hoonah's shops, including Hoonah Trading Company, are the town's actual local businesses.
ISP's excursions — the zipline, gondola, and cultural dance program — are polished, high-throughput, and built for cruise schedules. Hoonah's tour operators, like Wild Bear Safari and Whales of Xunaa, are small, independently owned, and run by people who live here year-round.
ISP's cultural programming is a curated presentation for visitors. Hoonah is where that culture actually lives — it's home to the largest Tlingit community in Alaska, with carvers, totem poles, and Tlingit life visible throughout the town itself. Read how the Huna Tlingit came to Hoonah.
At ISP, walking options are the port boardwalks and a short nature trail. In Hoonah, you're walking real town streets and a working waterfront — a genuinely different kind of scenery.
Choose ISP for big, packaged attractions you can't get anywhere else, like the zipline. Choose Hoonah for a more independent, local slice of Southeast Alaska. Most visitors find the best port day includes both.
Ready to book?
If you choose Hoonah, these three independent businesses are the most popular stops. You can book or call each one direct.
Quick answers
No. Icy Strait Point is a cruise destination; Hoonah is the actual town, about 1.5 miles away, and home to the largest Tlingit community in Alaska.
Hoonah sits on Chichagof Island in Southeast Alaska's Inside Passage, about 35 miles west of Juneau. It's reachable only by boat or floatplane — there's no road connection — and it's about 1.5 miles from the Icy Strait Point cruise dock.
Most of the small, independently owned restaurants and shops, plus Icy Strait Brewing, are in the town of Hoonah, about 1.5 miles from the dock — not at Icy Strait Point itself, which has its own separate, port-operated dining and gift shops.
Yes, and most visitors do. The walk between them takes roughly 30–40 minutes each way, or a few minutes by shuttle. See our walking guide for timing.
They're different experiences rather than competitors. ISP is best for packaged attractions like the zipline; Hoonah is best for independent tours, local food, and a real Tlingit community. Neither replaces the other.
No. Icy Strait Point sits just outside Hoonah and is privately operated for cruise traffic. Hoonah is its own incorporated city and has been a Tlingit community for generations, long before the port existed.
By cruise line
Each line docks, schedules and times its port day a little differently. Pick yours for the details: Celebrity, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess and Royal Caribbean.
Free for the Shore Crew
One printable page with walk times, shuttle tips, landmarks, and a back-to-ship clock so you never cut it close. Join The Shore Crew and it lands in your inbox. One email a month, no fluff.
The full guide to bears, whales, food, culture, and free things to do in Hoonah — plus exactly how to get there on foot.